Spirit of togetherness: Dr Wee attending Saravanan and his wife Datin Seri Karitha Vivekanandan’s (fourth and third from left) Deepavali open house. Also present were (from left) Choong and his wife, and Zambry and his wife Datin Seri Saripah Zulkifli. — Photo courtesy of Dr Wee’s Facebook page
Dr Wee: Shared festivities key to stronger community ties
PETALING JAYA: In true Malaysian tradition, the Deepavali celebrations were another opportunity to bring people together through temple visits and open houses.
Politicians across the divide marked the festival that honours the victory of light over darkness by displaying a cherished spirit of unity and multicultural harmony.
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong celebrated the festival with MIC deputy president Datuk Seri M. Saravanan at the latter’s open house yesterday.
“This has been my yearly practice during Deepavali and other festive occasions to continue the tradition of visiting one another and celebrating our diversity together.
“The tradition of attending open houses during festive seasons helps strengthen bonds and foster closer ties among the various communities in our country.
“Wishing a very Happy Deepavali to all who are celebrating!” he said in a post on Facebook yesterday.
Dr Wee also shared that Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz and former Miti minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali also joined the celebration.
Also present at the open house were Johor exco Lee Ting Han, Chenderiang state assemblyman Choong Shin Heng and his wife.
In his social media post, Saravanan also shared that former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former Kedah mentri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir and former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin attended the festive event at his house.
Earlier, former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob also posted that he had gone shopping with Saravanan in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, the day before.
“Every year for Deepavali, we visit Brickfields to shop for kurtas to wear on Deepavali.
“We also managed to visit the stalls selling food and kuih.
The mood was festive even though it was drizzling,” he added.
