JOHOR BARU: Thousands turned up at Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi’s open house on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri here.
The event, which was estimated to attract some 20,000 people, was held at the Mentri Besar’s official residence in Saujana from 9am to 1pm.
Among the attendees at the open house was Siti Nur Hidayah Abdullah, 48, who came with her family.
"Last year was the first time we attended the Mentri Besar's open house.
"We had such a good time that we decided to come again this year and hopefully for the years to come," she said when met at the open house.
The restaurant owner said that apart from the wide variety of food, she also enjoyed meeting new people.
"People attending this open house tend to be more friendly, making it so much easier to meet new friends here.
"I've met so many nice people here, and even exchanged contacts with some of them," she said.
Echoing a similar experience was 19-year-old student S. Yuvann, who also came with his family.
"We have been coming to this open house since we were young, and it has become a kind of tradition for our family.
"We missed the last two years, and I'm glad that we get to be here again this year," he said, adding that he also enjoys the food served.
Meanwhile, retiree Steven Lee, 67, said the Hari Raya open house here is of the rare times he gets to eat all his favorite Malay food.
"I love traditional Malay dishes, and my favorite is ketupat with rendang," he said, adding that he also enjoys getting to know new people.
A total of 37 stalls were set up, serving a wide variety of traditional dishes such as ketupat, rendang, laksa Johor, satay and nasi briyani.
