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Najib attends Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka 2011 Open House at Permatang Pauh

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 10:13 PM PDT

Najib attends Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka 2011 Open House at Permatang Pauh

BUKIT MERTAJAM -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today arrived at the Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka 2011 Open House at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Guar Perahu, here in a taxi.

He was greeted on arrival at noon by thousands of local residents, who had come as early as 8am, to the beat of drums by the various communities as well as student and military drummers.

Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim was among the cabinet ministers and Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders who accompanied Najib to the open house.

The Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka 2011 Open House, which was organised by the Ministry of Information Cummunication and Culture Ministry, started with the Prime Minister and BN leaders calling on Norasmah Othman, 41, a housewife who had to work to support her six children and husband who is suffering from "chronic plaque psoriasis", a skin disorder.

Norasmah received aid from the Ministry of Information Communication and ulture through the Special Affairs Department (JASA) and contributons from the various groups.

The approximately 20,000 people who attended the open house were treated to various dishes such as beef 'beriyani', 'lemang, 'ketupat palas' and various traditional cakes.

The Prime Minister and other dignitaries were also entertained to songs by popular local singers such as Datuk David Arumugam, Datuk Ahmad Jais, Uji Rashid and Hail Amir, cultural perfrmances by the children's boria group.

Najib later presented cash of RM10,000 and a certificate of appreciation each to four independence personalities from Penang, namely Datuk Seri Mohd Yusoff Latif, Datuk Md Noor Ahmad, Datuk A. Subramaniam and Datuk Oon Choo Eng @ Choo Khye.

In addition, he gave away packages to 10 poor people and the 1Malaysia 'notebook' to 10 outstanding students. -- BERNAMA

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Najib attends Malaysia Aidilfitri-Merdeka 2011 Open House at Permatang Pauh

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Govt strengthens interaction with Malaysians abroad

Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:15 PM PDT

LONDON -- Interaction between the government and Malaysians abroad will continue to be enhanced, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said the existing ties would be strengthened so that Malaysians who were studying or working abroad would continue to obtain information on the latest development and issues at home.

Programmes, like the Merdeka Forum 2011, Merdeka Carnival and dialogues held at several locations in London in conjunction with his official visit to the United kingdom, he said, were suitable to be made annual events.

"The Merdeka Forum, which involved the participation of two renowned personalities as panel members, provides an opportunity for Malaysians in the United Kingdom to understand better on the happenings in the country, including on economy and politics," he said.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, was speaking to media members before ending his four-day visit to the country. He was accompanied by wife, Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman.

The forum, with the title "54 Years of Independence, Building A Nation, Sharing a Destiny" had Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Ethnic Studies director, Professor Ulung Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, and Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia chief executive, Datuk Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin, as the panelists.

Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Datuk Zakaria Sulong, was the moderator at the forum held last Friday.

Muhyiddin said he was also satisfied with the dialogue with the Malaysian community here.

"At the dialogue with the Malaysian community, including students, here, many matters pertaining to the government administration and education were raised.

"I also had the opportunity to clarify on several matters, including the teaching in English," he added.

Muhyiddin said there were several suggestions made by those present at the dialogue which could be adopted to improve the quality of education in the country.

Besides the forum and dialogue, the Merdeka Carnival, which was organised by the Malaysian Embassy in the United Kingdom, also drew Malaysians from all races to the venue.

"This provides an opportunity for us to interact with the people. A gathering like this helps us to reminisce and understand the meaning of independence, despite being away from home," he added.

He said such an event would be held in other countries, as well as in the country, to provide better understanding to the people on the country's history.

In a related development, Muhyiddin said historical facts could not be erased or manipulated to deny what had taken place.

The deputy prime minister is scheduled to return home today. -- BERNAMA

Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Sabtu, 10 September 2011