KOTA BARU: About 20,000 people attended an Aidilfitri open house hosted by Umno Information chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa at his residence in Bukit Marak here today.
Comprising mostly children and women dressed in their Hari Raya best, members of the public arrived at Annuar’s house as early as 10am.
They were treated to about 33 types of delicacies, such as nasi arab, nasi beriani, satay, ketupat and lemang. About 20 food stalls had been set up within the house’s compound.
Other guests included Annuar’s close friends, assemblymen and state political party members.
Annuar, who is Ketereh MP, said besides the food, guests were also entertained by the performances of local artistes such as Roy Kapilla.
Over in Kota Kinabalu, some 50,000 people from all walks of life made their way to the Raya open house hosted by Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman at the hall of Likas Sports complex here.
The public had started to pack the venue as early as 8am although the programme was scheduled to start at 10am. Some of them came from as far as Pitas and Keningau.
Musa and other cabinet ministers were on hand to mingle with the guests before the arrival of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.
“Sabah people lives in harmony and this is the kind of spirit that we want in celebrating festivities,” Musa said.
In Johor Baru, thousands thronged the open house hosted by Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at Istana Pasir Pelangi today.
Also present were Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and the rest of the royal family.
A large crowd gathered at the palace grounds even before the open house began at 10am.
The ruler and his children also spent time to greet their guests before they tucked into Raya delicacies such as ketupat, rendang and kuih raya.
The guests also sang a Happy Birthday song as a cake was brought out to commemorate the ruler’s granddaughter Tunku Kalsom Aminah Sofiah Tunku Ismail’s birthday yesterday.
Also present were state police chief Johor Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd; Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Hamim Samuri; and Deputy Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Halimah Sadique.