The Malaysian Insight

RETIREE Loh Yoon Heng broke into tears upon meeting Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the prime minister’s Raya open house in Putrajaya this morning.

“I wanted to see Dr Mahathir and thank him personally for saving our country.

“When I shook his hand, it brought me to tears because I’m so grateful,” Loh told The Malaysian Insight.

“Now we have a real Malaysia. No longer divided by race. We waited for this change for a long, long time,” said the 76-year-old from Petaling Jaya.

Led by Dr Mahathir, Pakatan Harapan ended Barisan Nasional’s 61-year rule during the May 9 polls, with the backing of voters from various ethnicities.

It was the first time Loh and her friend Yvette Mah, 62, visited the prime minister’s official residence.

“We came to support the new government. We have waited (for a change in government) since 2008. We didn’t bother to come previously,” said Mah.

The now defunct Pakatan Rakyat opposition had denied BN a two-thirds majority in the 2008 general election. In 2013, it won the popular vote but still failed to unseat BN at the federal level.

Mahinder Kaur, a teacher at a refugee school in Klang, said she hoped voters would allow PH to complete its work fixing the country.

“I came here to thank Tun for saving the country. They should win (the next election) again,” said Kaur.

The crowd grew into the thousands by noon, as more streamed into Seri Perdana.

The guests appeared in awe of Dr Mahathir,  jostling one another to catch a glimpse of  the 92-year-old. Some regretted the tight security which stopped many of them from taking photos with him.

Homemaker Hanita Harun and her husband Mohamad Redzuan Abdullah from Kuala Lumpur were overwhelmed at meeting Dr Mahathir too.

“I’m 50 years old. This is the first time I have greeted him in person. We waited in line for two hours, but we have waited a long time for this day,” said Hanita.– June 15, 2018.