Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be the guest of honour at the Christian Federation of Malaysia's (CFM) annual Christmas high-tea reception.

Typically, government leaders and leaders of opposition parties would make up the long list of VIPs at the reception.

Wan Azizah attended the event last year in her capacity as the leader of PKR and the parliamentary opposition leader.

Last year, then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was scheduled to attend but his speech was read out by then cabinet minister Joseph Kurup.

The last time a senior cabinet member attended the event was in 2014 when the government was represented by Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the deputy prime minister. Najib attended the event in 2012 as prime minister.

The CFM is the ecumenical umbrella body for the three main Christian bodies in Malaysia - the Council of Churches, the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship and the Roman Catholic Church.