Indonesian songstress to perform at agri ministry open house for free

 Hetty Koes Endang will also be attending the event as a guest, says agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu.

Indonesian keroncong singer Hetty Koes Endang and her husband are old friends of his, agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu said. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 Indonesian songstress Hetty Koes Endang will be performing several songs when she attends the Aidilfitri open house of the agriculture and food security ministry, according to the minister, Mohamad Sabu.

Hetty, a keroncong singer, will be attending the event as a guest and will be performing for free, Mohamad said in a Facebook post today. “It’s a gesture we truly appreciate,” he added.

Agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu speaking to Hetty Koes Endang, who called to say she would perform at the ministry’s open house. (Facebook pic)

Mohamad, who is known as Mat Sabu, said he had been long-time friends with Hetty and her husband Yusuf Emir Faishal, and they would stay at each other’s houses on visits.

The minister’s remark about Hetty performing for free follows the backlash over a performance by veteran singer Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin at an Aidilfitri open house hosted by the health ministry.

The Hari Raya do, also attended by singer Jamal Abdillah, drew flak from netizens who accused the health ministry of holding a lavish celebration while healthcare workers “suffered” with low wages and on-call allowances despite being overworked.

Siti Nurhaliza later clarified that she performed at the event free of charge.

She also said she attended the celebration as a guest, not as an artiste invited to perform, and that she sang at the event to express her gratitude to health ministry staff. - FMT