MALAYSIANS CELEBRATE HARI RAYA IN NEW YORK

By Manik Mehta

NEW YORK, Sept 13 (Bernama) -- Malaysians in and around New York descended
on the Malaysia's permanent mission in the city to celebrate Hari Raya on
Sunday.

The event attracted some 400 guests, including a large number of students,
who had covered long distance to get the homely feeling.

Spotted at the festive occasion were Malaysia’s permanent representative to
the United Nations, Hamidon Ali and his wife Amy, and the heads of
other Malaysian government agencies based in New York.

The event was organised by New York-Malaysian consul general M. Zamruni
Khalid.

“We have been organising this event every year. You see here today a mix of
Malaysian students, business people, professionals and others. We are happy that
some of the Malaysian guests have also brought along their American friends,”
Zamruni told Bernama.


Many of the guests were completely relaxed and helped themselves to filling
their plates from the mounds of Malaysian food on the tables that included nasi
himpit, lemang, roti canai and an assortment of brightly-coloured desserts that
were, ostensibly, liked by all the guests.

The food had been prepared by the wives of the consulate staff, with the
help of others.

According to the Malaysian consul-general, the large turnout at the Hari
Raya celebration was also due to the fact that it was being held on a Sunday
afternoon, enabling many to come.

“As you know, this is the biggest holiday in Malaysia and this event reminds
many of the guests here of home. Our key aim was to create the right mood for
our guests so that they feel at home,” said Zamruni.

He said that it was a policy of the Malaysian government to look after the
interest of Malaysian citizens abroad.


“We would like to maintain close ties with the Malaysian community. This is
consistent with our government’s outreach programme,” he said.

Eric Low, who comes from Kuala Lumpur and is the president of New York-based
A.E. Ginseng Group, said that he had been attending the Hari Raya annual
celebrations since the past 20 years.

“I like to come here because it is part of the Malaysian culture in which
Hari Raya, the Chinese New Year and Deepavali are celebrated. As a Malaysian, I
like to celebrate all our major festive events," he said.

Another businessman Fathol Razak Abdul Rauf, who comes from Johor and runs a
successful limousine service business in New York, said that “since we cannot go
to Malaysia, it is essential for Malaysians to attend events such as Hari Raya
to stay in touch with our culture and traditions”.

For Razak, events at the mission also assume the character of a socialising
event where Malaysians from all walks of life meet and exchange news and views.
-- BERNAMA




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