Story by Amanda Khong
IT was a beautiful night of celebration as some 4,000 people gathered on Dec 13 at the St. Anne Square, Bukit Mertajam, for the Penang State’s Christmas Open House.
The open house was a joint effort of the state government and Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) Penang with the theme of “Emmanuel” which means “God With Us”.
“The state government wishes to reflect the concerns of non-Muslims that the spirit of tolerance and respect for non-Muslim faiths has become more restrictive. Protests have been called by extremist groups against churches with crosses and even calls to burn the Malay version of the Bible. I wish to reaffirm that Penang which celebrates diversity, peace and mutual respect will not allow such hateful and violent conduct, said Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng in his speech at the event.
Other VIPs present that night were Lim’s wife, Betty Chew, Datuk Law Choo Kiang, Penang Legislatives Speaker, Chong Eng, exco member for Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development, Lim Hock Seng, exco member for Works, Utilities and Transport, Phee Boon Poh, exco member for Welfare, Caring Society and Environment, Wong Hon Wai, political secretary to the Chief Minister, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim, assemblymembers Lydia Ong (Berapit), A. Tanasekharan (Bagan Dalam), Lee Khai Loon (Machang Bubuk), and consuls-general from France and Finland and consulate representative from Indonesia
A. Arokiadass, chairman of the organising committee, Rev Christopher Tan, chairman of the CFM Penang liaison committee and chairman of Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) Penang, Rev. Sam Surendran, National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) Northern Region coordinator, and Rev. Sebastian Francis, Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang, were also among the VIPs present that night.
Lim added that funds were raised from among the churches for a special Christmas gift to six charities in Penang that are working with the poor and needy to help them in their work.
The six charities that received RM3,000 cheques each were Asian Community Service, Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Joseph’s Home, Penang’s Caring Welfare Association, Agape Shalom Care Center and Penang Mental Health Association.
The joyous night went on with a buffet dinner for everyone and also various singing and dancing performances.
There was also a special dance performance by Euphoria Dance Team that managed to captivate the audiences with its creativity and diversity