Sabah's Wedding of the Year

It's finally here folks - Sabah's Wedding of the Year between the State's most eligible bachelor , State Legislative Assemblyman Haji Arifin Arif and his equally eligible daughter-of-the-Chief Minister bride, Lenny Natasha finally took place at her father Datuk Seri Musa Aman's constituency in Sandakan yesterday, Oct 18 2007 after weeks of speculation by the Sabah public. The religious part of the ceremony or wedding proper took place in the morning according to Islamic rites while the civilian or blessings part was done in the evening over dinner. To reflect the importance of the occasion, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and wife Jeanne flew all the way from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, to attend the dinner. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and wife Rosmah. Needless to say, State leaders of Sabah led by Musa's Cabinet members were also on hand for the big occasion. As I had predicted yesterday, Sabah's papers gave front page coverage for the auspicious event. However, the official reception to be attended by hundreds of dignitaries and officials will only be held in Sandakan on Saturday. Another reception will be held at Membakut, the groom's hometown and constituency on Oct 28. Much has been written or said over the marriage since I first broke the news on my blog on Sept 12 so I will not bore you with a long essay here. I will let the pictures below do the talking. As they say, a picture paints a thousand words. So here goes:- The Prime Minister, popularly known as 'Pak Lah', blessing the newly-weds while his wife Jeanne looks on.

"With this ring I, Arifin, take you, Lenny as my wife..."

The engagement photo of the couple published by the Borneo Post on Oct 17.