Fireworks lit the sky and loud cheers greeted Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia's chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he arrived at the party's Aidilfitri open house in Penang last night.

The crowd, mostly clad in red, Bersatu’s party colour, jostled and pushed one another to shake his hands and wish him “Selamat Hari Raya”.

It was quite a rare sight to see Malay Muslims clad in baju Melaju, tudung and baju kurung packed inside the Long Say building owned by the Lee Kongsi, a Chinese clan association on Jalan Burma.

But more than an Aidilfitri do, the event was to give Mahathir a hero’s welcome for his effort in pulling together Pakatan Harapan, which on July 14, announced its leadership line-up ahead of the upcoming 14th national polls.

Visibly excited, the crowd tailed Mahathir to the main table where DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and Chow Kon Yeow, and Bersatu’s president Muhyiddin Yassin was already seated...