Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim greets guests at the ‘Malaysia Madani’ Open House in Ipoh May 18, 2023. – Malay Mail photo
KUALA LUMPUR (May 23): Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali today said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Hari Raya open houses in three states had cost RM6.1 million in total.
The minister who is in charge of Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions said the three Hari Raya open house which was attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was handled by the Project Acceleration and Coordination Unit (Pacu).
“The cost spent was to cover all expenses including venue preparation, logistics and expenses to provide a banquet for the public.
“The attendees for the Kedah open house was 25,000 while in Kelantan there were 15,000 attendees,” Armizan said in a Parliamentary written reply.
He was responding to PAS’ Pendang MP Datuk Awang Hashim who asked the prime minister to state the cost of organising the Malaysia Madani open house events including the logistics aspect as well as the involvement of the ministries and government machinery in all six states namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Pulau Pinang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu between April 29 until May 14, 2023.
Armizan said last year’s Hari Raya open house held in Seri Perdana which cost RM11 million with an attendance of 70,000,.
He said the “Malaysia Madani” open houses gave more room for ministers to interact with the public at the respective locations the function was held.
“The open houses organised this time received cooperation among the Federal Ministries and Departments including the state government. This enabled the organising cost to be reduced, especially in terms of human resources and other logistical requirements.
“At the same time, the open houses provided an opportunity for local small traders to generate income from services provided through food and beverage served at the events,” he added. – Malay Mail