PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s open house for Hari Raya on May 8 saw one of the largest number of guests for such events as it was visited by more than 100,000 people, including foreigners.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, ministers, foreign diplomats and ambassadors, and opposition leaders attended as well. This federal government sponsored event has been an annual fixture, except for the past two years due to the pandemic.
The open house concept was initiated by first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman as a novel way to enhance the spirit of religious and cultural acceptance among the various communities.
This muhibbah spirit has laid the foundation for unity and socioeconomic progress of Malaysia since Merdeka. Open houses are held annually for the various festivals such as Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali and Christmas.
The state governments too hold similar events. MPs and assemblymen also hold open houses in their respective constituencies as a means to bring the local community together.
The open house concept has surprised and wowed tourists who have not seen anything like this in their countries or elsewhere. This is a truly unique feature of the Malaysian way of life as encapsulated by the tourism-promoting tagline – Malaysia, Truly Asia.
The tourists are simply awed by the diverse, sumptuous cuisine that is served for the invitees to partake in. One can note the importance of the open house concept when our nation is compared with many others that descended into communal strife, civil wars, dictatorships and poverty upon independence.
Regrettably, the open house tradition is losing its popularity, especially among neighbours. With more and more Malaysians becoming urbanised and living in housing estates, there has been a tendency in the last two or three decades to downplay or even ignore the significance of open houses.
When Tunku Abdul Rahman conceptualised this idea, Malays were living in kampung, the Chinese in urban areas and new villages, while the Indian communities were mostly living in estates.
However, the situation has changed drastically and all races now live in close proximity but the closeness and goodwill are ebbing due to some quarters highlighting the differences among religions and cultures.
Giving prominence to open houses is a way to counter the diminishing of the tradition among residential neighbours and others. State governments and local authorities need to provide minor allocations to residential associations to hold small open houses in their neighbourhoods to bring the residents together.
In the residential areas, a large percentage of residents do not mingle with one another and this is a setback when it comes to dealing with local government and municipal problems confronting the community.
Government and local community leaders need to revive the muhibbah and goodwill spirit for the betterment of the nation. – The Vibes, May 15, 2022
V. Thomas reads The Vibes
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