Shoppers pack malls in bid to prepare for earlier Hari Raya

KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims across the country rushed to make final preparations to usher in the month of Syawal after the unexpected announcement that Hari Raya Aidilfitri would be celebrated tomorrow (May 2).

In the capital, traffic was heavy around Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Dataran Merdeka and Chow Kit, as people thronged stores in the area to buy whatever they needed for Aidilfitri celebrations tomorrow.

Private sector employee, Ghazali Ahmad Zukri, 47, had been taken offguard by the announcement as he and his family had yet to have the chance to shop for the occasion.

He said their plans to head back to their hometown in Bukit Piatu, Melaka after breaking fast had to be postponed to buy clothes instead.

"Immediately after the announcement, I asked the family to get ready to go and shop and we would head back to our hometown after dawn tomorrow," he said when met by Bernama here tonight.

In NEGERI SEMBILAN, housewife Siti Zaleha Timbang, 56, said she immediately asked her child to go to the shopping mall to purchase rendang ingredient for tomorrow after she head the Hari Raya announcement.

She said the beef and chicken were prepared, but there were a few things she had not purchased yet, including coconut milk.

"The announcement came as a real surprise, I expected Aidilfitri to fall on Tuesday, luckily the meat had been bought earlier," she added.

In JOHOR, malls were packed with shoppers doing last minute shopping, with long queues at the checkout counters.

Raja Rosilah Raja Mahmood, 35, had initially thought that the announcement was fake news.

"I thought it was a prank, it was a real shock....my husband and I rushed to the shopping mall to buy stuff, thankfully we managed to buy other things a couple of days back," she said.

In TERENGGANU, many barbershops were packed with customers ahead of Aidilfitri tomorrow.

FRZ Barbershop owner Saiful Md Dahan, 25, said a crowd of customers had formed at his shop soon after the announcement, all eager to get their haircuts for tomorrow.

"There are 60 customers tonight. I am attending to them even though my own Hari Raya preparations aren't done yet because I can sympathise with their plight," he added.

Saiful said he and another worker will keep the shop, located in Kampung Tebauk, Kuala Nerus, open till 4 am to accommodate the high number of customers.

In SELANGOR, checks around Shah Alam revealed that several Hari Raya necessities and food were sold out.

Civil servant, Mohd Muizzuddin Abdullah, 30, said he went to more than five grocery shops and convenience stores around Setia Alam looking for ice, but they were all sold out.

Meanwhile, traffic was slow moving at several highways and major roads heading north and to the East Coast as more people flocked back to their hometowns for Aidilfitri tomorrow.

The Malaysian Highway Authority posted on Twitter that there were traffic jams along the Lentang route heading to Bentong, Pahang and along Jalan Lingkaran Tengah 2 (MRR2) heading to Gombak toll plaza as of 10.50 pm, while according to PLUSTrafik's Twitter feed, traffic was slow for two kilometres northbound from Bandar Cassia to Bukit Tambun, Penang as of 9.50 pm.

-- BERNAMA