The Penang state government has announced that it has cancelled its official Hari Raya open house out of respect for the 298 people on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 who were killed when the jetliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine last week.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said his state executive council concurred with the decision made by the Federal Government – it was earlier announced that both Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Deputy Prime Minister Tans Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s official Hari Raya open houses would also be cancelled or postponed due to the tragic crash.
Apart from the official state government open house, Lim also cancelled the Air Putih open house in his own consituency. Open house events organised by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) and the Penang Development Corporation (PDC), of which Lim is chairman, have also been cancelled.
“We are all still grieving but the celebration has to proceed for our Muslim friends, who have fasted for a month.
“The celebrations can be held but in moderate and orderly fashion. The elected reps can hold their celebrations in their areas in moderation.
“The same goes for government departments and agencies for their own staff, without inviting people from outside,” The Malaysian Insider quotes Lim as saying.
Lim added that his DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat state government is standing by Putrajaya’s call to seek justice for the victims of the MH17 crash.
This also follows Najib’s earlier announcement that the bodies of Malaysian MH17 crash victims would not be returning to Malaysia in time for Hari Raya, as he had insister before, and that the DNA testing process in the Netherlands might cause the return of the remains to take “weeks or months”.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 is believed to have been shot down over the eastern Ukrainian province of Donetsk on Thursday July 17, while en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. The Boeing 777 jetliner was carrying 298 people,193 of whom were Dutch nationals. There were no survivors.
See Also:
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PM Najib: “weeks or months” before Malaysian MH17 bodies can come home
Prime Minister’s Hari Raya open house cancelled out of respect for MH17 victims
