Ministers, community leaders can hold their own Aidilfitri open house – Rahman Dahlan

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KUALA LUMPUR: Only government-organised Aidilfitri open house are cancelled in view of the crash of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH17 in Ukraine on July 17, Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said today.

He said Cabinet ministers and community leaders could hold their own open house in their respective constituencies or areas.

“However, they should not organise excessive entertainment. We are still in mourning over the incident,” he told reporters after a ‘gotong royong’ and handing over of a canopy by the Urban Affairs Secretariat at the Batu Tiga Cemetery in Jalan Ipoh here.

About 100 canopies were donated to 19 cemeteries in the city to ensure the comfort of visitors during burial ceremonies and visits to the graves.

The Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement last Thursday, said the Cabinet had agreed to call off the Aidilfitri open house hosted by ministers as a mark of respect for the passengers and crew of the crashed MAS aircraft.

The Cabinet also agreed to cancel the national Aidilfitri open house organised by the Tourism and Culture Ministry scheduled to be held in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan.

The statement said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and the Cabinet ministers would have an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, on the first day of Aidilfitri before attending prayers at the National Mosque.

The MAS Flight MH17, carrying 298 passengers and crew, among whom 43 were Malaysians, crashed in troubled eastern Ukraine. It is believed that the plane was shot down.-Bernama