KUALA LUMPUR, October 25 — The Kenduri Rakyat hosted by Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and singer-actress Bella Astillah drew thousands of people from across Malaysia to celebrate the newly-wedded couple, known to fans collectively as BASS, after the first initials of their names.

The event proper only started at 1.30pm, but the crowd, estimated to be in the thousands, had been in a snaking queue before the Yong Sheng Banquet Hall here from morning, long before the couple arrived.

There were even police officers and personnel from the civil volunteer corps to escort Syed Saddiq and Bella into the hall as people began surging forward.

That’s when Syed Saddiq stepped up to address the crowd.

“I asked for her permission to keep my speech brief because I want to spend as much time as possible with the people who have been waiting outside in the blazing heat for hours.

“We are deeply indebted to everyone who came — some traveled from Perlis, Kedah, and Terengganu, others flew in from Kuching, and some even drove up from Singapore.

“We apologise from the bottom of our hearts for any shortcomings.

“We never expected people to start queuing as early as 6am all the way until 2pm, so we will do our best to meet as many of you as possible,” the Muar MP said.

BASS arrived in matching light blue traditional Malay wedding outfits with hints of gold lining, designed by Rizman Ruzaini.

Bella’s children Ayden and Ara were supposed to join them at the entrance, but the couple’s security team advised against it, fearing the crowd would surround and overwhelm the youngsters.

Today marks BASS’ third wedding celebration, but Malaysians appear not to have got enough of the couple. 

Some Malaysians present at the Muar venue shared videos of the event as it happened and their reaction to it on Threads.

A post by Threads user @bakingnerds showed the groom’s family members handing out bottled water to attendees waiting outside the venue.

Another clip, shared by user @assnabell, showed Syed Saddiq asking his team to prioritise letting attendees into the hall, which drew praise online.

Several other clips showed the large crowd at the event.

It was previously reported that BASS raised more than RM500,000 in sponsorship for the event, which they will channel back to the people as daily essentials and supplies.

Local brand Jasmine Food Corporation sponsored 1kg packs of rice and coconut milk in 200ml boxes as door gifts for the first 10,000 attendees.

At least 15 local food and beverage vendors were also on site, offering coffee, pizza, fried chicken, ayam gepuk and ice cream.

BASS tied the knot on October 10 at Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur in an all-white ceremony attended by close family, friends and prominent political figures.

They held another reception at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur on October 18.

The celebrations will continue with another Kenduri Rakyat in Bella’s home state of Sabah on October 31 in Kota Kinabalu. - malaymail