BY ASYRAF HALIM
FOR journalists from Borneo, the opportunity to cover events concerning the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and family may come occasionally.
I was one of the journalists who was lucky enough to follow the ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ when the Royals arrived in this state after Sabah.
I, along with photographer Mohd Alif Noni had the opportunity to cover the southern part of Sarawak when His Majesty’s entourage entered Sri Aman.
Being at the location provided 1,001 meaningful experiences to both of us to see for ourselves the loyalty of the people of Sarawak to the King and his family.
The residents in Sri Aman were willing to wait from the morning for the arrival of His Majesty and his entourage to Simanggang town which was scheduled for 12.30 in the afternoon.
However, the Royal entourage had to cancel the visit due to time constraints causing the citizens in Sri Aman to rush out of town and wait for the entourage along the Sri Aman stretch of the Pan Borneo Highway.
When the news came of his Majesty not being able to stop in the town best known for its tidal bore, the photographer and I were tucking into food and saw customers leaving the shop one by one and head for their cars.
Who would have thought that I would see the town of Sri Aman near deserted in a blink of an eye as its residents went to the main road of the Pan Borneo Highway for an alternative opportunity to meet the King and his three sons.
In the background, we could hear, ‘Let’s wait for Tengku Hassanal on the main road!’ Both of us also rushed out at 3pm and looked for a suitable location to record the historic moment.
However, after arriving at the Sri Aman Interchange area, we were surprised to see the number of cars lined up along the road from Betong to Sri Aman.
We both made a U-turn and tried to wait on the Sri Aman-Kuching stretch of the Pan Borneo Highway. After five kilometres of driving, we both managed to find a parking and had to walk four kilometres away near the Sri Aman Interchange.
Along the way, we were greeted by residents of Sri Aman who earlier saw us at the eatery. There was no sadness on their faces nor complaints from those who were waiting and each one was practicing to shake hands with His Majesty and the children.
Some brought a cake, carrying a message written on an A3-sized card, ‘Daulat Tuanku’, some holding a portrait of his Majesty with the Queen, and there were also others carrying posters of messages which read ‘Tengku Mahkota your soulmate is here’.
Waiting there for almost three hours, we saw from a distance the lights from the first police motorcycle ahead of the Royal entourage and asking people to make way for their arrival. In the background, we could hear people cheering, ‘Tuanku has arrived’. The both of us got ready with our equipment to take pictures and did live broadcasts on social media.
Upon the arrival of the car driven by His Majesty together with his three sons to the area where we were waiting, the crowd started to run towards the Royal entourage. The Royal guards professionally ensured the surrounding area was safe as the crowd began to rush in.
His Majesty, who was driving, slowed down while greeting the people on the ground, and was accompanied by his three sons Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah and Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu’adzam Shah.
Both of us had to run and followed the entourage’s personal bodyguard to record the beautiful moments of the people when greeting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and his three sons. As we ran following the speed of the car, without either of us realising it, my phone then had sent me an alert asking me to slow down the running pace after reaching a distance of one kilometre.
I didn’t think Mohd Alif and I could run that far at such a speed because each of us had not active in sports for a long time. As a result, our body and legs felt the effect as we continued our journey back to Kuching.
Being able to see for the joy of the people in Sri Aman, especially the women who adore the good looks of Tengku Mahkota, this experience was exhilarating.
The reception towards the entourage when crossing the highway in Sri Aman saw the people willing to wait despite the hot weather and in excitement. We estimate that cars were parked along the road for up to 10 kilometres, maybe even further.
However, the enthusiasm to cover this historic event made us forget how tired we were and stayed energetic until we continued our journey to Telok Melano the next day to cover the last day of the Royal trip.
In Telok Melano Kilometre Zero, which is also the of the end of the Kembara Kenali Borneo, I was entrusted to hand over the copy of Suara Sarawak newspaper which was kept in a large envelope to His Majesty — as a sign of the memories we recorded in news and photos throughout the journey.
I was excited when His Majesty asked, “What is in this envelope?” I answered, “Our newspaper, Tuanku” and then Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg who was next to him also responded saying, “That is Suara Sarawak”.
I felt proud to be a journalist at Suara Sarawak and I believe His Majesty will remember this newspaper.
This expedition saw the King and Queen together with family members traverse the Pan Borneo Highway spanning 2,145 kilometers starting from Tawau, Sabah, onwards to Brunei before eventually ending in Telok Melano, Sarawak.
