LONDON: It was a lively atmosphere as guests who attended the “Malaysian Family” Aidilfitri celebration here looked smart and elegant in their baju Melayu, baju kurung and other traditional outfits.
Some 300 Malaysians attended the event on Tuesday for a celebration with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the Malaysian delegation.
Ismail Sabri, who was on his way to Washington DC to attend the Asean-US Special Summit, was also in the English capital to visit the Royal Pahang Weave Fair.
“I am happy to see the close relationship of the Malaysian Family regardless of race or religion. The Malaysian Family spirit is not only in Malaysia but also (clearly demonstrated) abroad.
“I am proud of what I see in London,” Ismail Sabri told Malaysian journalists here.
Surgeon Dr Nur Amalina Che Bakri, 35, who has lived in Victoria, the United Kingdom, for the past 18 years, told Bernama that all Malaysians need to work together to achieve the country’s aspiration of becoming a developed nation.
Farah Salim, a final-year architecture student at the De Monfort University Leicester, said being away from her family and celebrating holidays abroad had taught her to be more mature in navigating life.
A law student at the University of Sheffield, Mohamad Iman, said the Malaysian Family served as a “big umbrella” for Malaysians wherever they were and that they needed to stick together for the sake of the country.
The celebration was also attended by a group of non-Muslim Malaysian students, including those studying at Oxford, located about two hours away from London.
Among them are Isabel Lee and Ethan Saw, both 19, who are studying philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford, as well as Samantha Lee, 21, a dental student at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.