Najib, Rosmah host daughter's wedding reception in Pekan

Amid Saturday's temperature of 34 degrees Celsius, thousands of guests flocked the Sultan Abu Bakar Lake Garden here today to attend Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's daughter's wedding reception.

Invited guests, mostly local residents and voters in Pekan parliamentary constituency, arrived at the lake garden as early 10 am, to give their blessings to the newly-weds, Nooryana Najwa and Daniyar Kessibayev.

Besides 'nasi minyak', the guests were also feted with various Pahang traditional dishes, including 'tapai pulut', 'puding raja', 'qasidah', 'kuih bakar' and 'daging opor'.

They were also entertained by singers Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Haziq AF4 and Syafinaz Selamat, besides performances by children from the Permata Seni Choir and Seni Tari.

Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, also mingled with the guests while waiting for the arrival of the bride and groom.

Najib personally performed his daughter's solemnisation at the Seri Perdana, Putrajaya, on March 19.

PHOTO GALLERY: PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak's daughter weds Daniyar Kessikbayev

The couple arrived at the lake garden at 1.40 pm, clad in matching light purple traditional costumes and accompanied by a group of silat exponents.

Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council deputy president Datuk Seri Wan Abdul Wahid Wan Hasan led the 'merenjis' ritual soon after the couple were seated on the dais.

The prime minister, in his speech, thanked all the guests for coming and enlivening the wedding reception for his daughter and son-in-law.

"Prior to this, I have hosted their wedding reception in Kuala Lumpur, but it doesn't feel right if another reception is not held in Pekan because this is my parliamentary constituency.

"Pekan is where my family and I came from, so it is only apt that my daughter's wedding reception be held here because I will give me the opportunity to throw a fete for the people, for my friends and relatives, as well as for the voters who had given their undivided support to me all this year," he said.

While admitting that he never expected that his daughter would marry a Kazakh man, Najib, however, said that in this era of globalisation and borderless world, nothing was impossible.

"Maybe this is the inevitable change which comes with time. In the past, a man from Pekan who tied the knot with a girl from Kedah or Kelantan could be described as having married a girl from other country.

"However, in this era of globalisation and borderless world, most of our children easily traveled across the globe to find their soulmates," he said.

Nooryana Najwa and Daniyar, both 27, met while studying in the United States and got engaged in 2011.