DAP secretary general YAB Lim Guan Eng at Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim Hari Raya open house in Penang,
DAP Advisor YB Lim Kit Siang welcoming Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim at DAP Raya open house in Bangi, Selangor. By Debra Chong
BANGI, Oct 18 – For a first effort, it was pretty decent. The spread was humble but substantial; the entertainment low-key but it captured the spirit of the festival; and the turnout small but muhibbah.
By all counts, the DAP's first national level Aidilfitri open house at the open-air carpark of the Kajang Municipal Council Stadium in Bandar Baru Bangi here was a success.
The members of the public who streamed in came in all shapes and shades. There were Chinese salaam-ing other Chinese, Malays, Indians and vice versa.
The mood was genial if not jolly. It helped that the weather held for the brief three hours the party lasted.
For once, it seemed, the opposition politicians were able to relax and mingle directly with the rakyat without fear of being molested or harrassed about when they were going to act on their promise to take over Putrajaya. The feel-good vibes were reflected in the easy smiles they wore on their faces.
There were representatives from the top echelon of the triparte Pakatan Rakyat at the do. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim with his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail the president ofParti Keadilan Rakyat were there. Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, the president of PAS also attended.
The three main leaders delivered a short speech each. Mainly it focused on practising good governance and building a strong and lasting partnership among the different ethnic communities.
Much of it was spin, of course, but the core message it attempted to convey was nevertheless true, more so in light of the special reminder issued by the council of rulers last Thursday. Solidarity amid diversity.
Or as Anwar summed it: "Let us not, while building, be demolishing."
He said that it was a quote from Muhammad Natsir, an influential Indonesian politician and ulama. He explained that it was a reminder that as important as it was to build for the future, it was equally important not to break down the foundations of the society it was building on.
"The issue of morals and ethics, that is still core," Anwar said, before launching a new book about the DAP secretary-general titled "Lim Guan Eng: Dari Penjara Ke Tampuk Kuasa" (Lim Guan Eng: FromPrison to Seat of Power).
