Credit : Gobind Singh Deo's X
PETALING JAYA, November 1, 2026 — Digital Minister and Damansara Member of Parliament Gobind Singh Deo says he wants this year’s Deepavali to be enjoyed by every Hindu devotee, regardless of background, as his constituency office and retailer 99 Speedmart distribute 800 festive food bags ahead of the Festival of Lights.
In a post shared on X on Sunday afternoon, Gobind said the Deepavali Food Bag Donation Programme had returned for a fourth consecutive year, made possible by the continued collaboration between the Damansara Member of Parliament’s Office and its strategic partner, 99 Speedmart.
“I want the Deepavali celebrations to be enjoyed by all Hindu devotees, regardless of their background,” he wrote in a bilingual thread posted in Malay and English, adding that a total of 800 food bags have been prepared for beneficiaries in Petaling, Gombak, Sungai Buloh and Sepang. “May these contributions help ease the burden of the recipients and bring greater joy and warmth to this year’s Festival of Lights,” he added.
https://x.com/GobindSinghDeo/status/2116797810863661361
Photographs attached to the thread showed the minister, dressed in a dark blue shirt, posing with recipients holding orange 99 Speedmart bags, and standing with community representatives in front of rows of food bags outside the Dewan Serbaguna Bandar Utama 3 multipurpose hall in Bandar Utama. Other pictures showed him sharing snacks with residents at a meal table and serving food to guests, as well as hundreds of the packed bags laid out on the hall floor ready for distribution. The thread was tagged #P106, the official code for the Damansara parliamentary constituency, together with #99SpeedMart and #Deepavali.
A yearly partnership
The programme has become a regular fixture on the Damansara constituency calendar in the weeks before Deepavali. According to 99 Speedmart, its Deepavali food bag distribution with the Digital Ministry was held at the Damansara Damai Community Hall on October 19, 2024, where 1,500 bags were handed to Gobind to be passed on to B40 households in need. Last year, the retailer said the programme moved to the Dewan Serbaguna Damansara Utama in Petaling Jaya on October 11, 2025, where it contributed 800 food baskets for B40 families preparing to celebrate the festival. That handover was officiated by Gobind together with 99 Speed Mart Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Yong Eng Kwang.
This year’s figure of 800 bags matches the 2025 edition, while the list of areas named by Gobind suggests the aid is reaching beneficiaries beyond Petaling Jaya, across several districts of Selangor.
Deepavali on November 8
Deepavali falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026, and is a public holiday in every state except Sarawak. Because the festival lands on a Sunday, Monday, November 9, has been declared a replacement holiday in most states, with the exception of Kedah, Kelantan, Sarawak and Terengganu. The festival, which marks the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, is one of the most important celebrations for Malaysia’s Hindu community and is traditionally marked with prayers, oil lamps, kolam decorations and open houses where friends of all backgrounds are welcomed.
Gobind has made community events a regular part of his constituency work in Damansara. In a post on October 26, he said he had joined some 200 to 250 participants at an International Day of Older Persons celebration organised by the Damansara Jaya Senior Citizens’ Association, describing older Malaysians as an inspiration to generations to come. With a week to go before the festival, the latest round of food bags is expected to help families in the four areas prepare for the celebrations.
Source: Gobind Singh Deo on X; 99 Speedmart programme notices, October 2024 and October 2025
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