Tunku Azizah (front facing camera, right) preparing the ingredients for a dish during the cooking demonstration.
BINTULU (Sept 11): The Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah continued their ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo’ tour today at Rumah Raymond Plen in Sungai Gelam, Sebauh, about 44km from here.
Their Majesties and their entourage were welcomed by acting Yang Di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar and Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Sarawak Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom.
Several activities had been lined up for the royal reception at the longhouse, including cooking demonstrations where Tunku Azizah prepared egg curry, ‘bihun Siam’ (Siamese rice vermicelli) and ‘udang masak serai’ (prawns with lemongrass).
In the meantime, Al-Sultan Abdullah and the three princes went fishing for prawns.
The King and Queen later presented aid to the ‘asnaf’ group (those entitled to receiving tithes).
The royal entourage arrived at Rumah Raymond at 11.46am where they were greeted by cultural dance performances from the main ethnic groups in Sarawak, namely the ‘ngajat Iban’, tegh Malay ‘hadrah’, the Chinese lion dance, and Orang Ulu traditional dance.
The royal couple seemed to enjoy the traditional music of the Orang Ulu, where Tunku Azizah joined in with the dancers, dressed in the Orang Ulu costume.
According to Elizabeth Anyi, one of the Orang Ulu dancers, receiving the invitation to perform for the King and Queen was indeed one of the best moments of their lives.
For the dance troupe from Data Kakus, they were often invited to perform at various grand events in Sarawak, but performing for a royal family was something that Elizabeth could not describe in words.
Elizabeth (left) and her dance troupe from Data Kakus, awaiting the arrival of Their Majesties.
“We could not sleep last night, as we kept on thinking about our performance for today – a special performance for our special guests in Sarawak,” she said when met before the arrival of Their Majesties.
Elizabeth said they were performing the ‘Datun Julud’, or the ‘Hornbill Dance’, especially for the royal visit.
“As usual, we have a rehearsal for every performance and it went smoothly because we are all dancers,” she said.
Young children, in full traditional Iban costumes, waiting anxiously for the King and Queen.
Still, it was an emotional challenge for them as their guests were from royalty, and they just wanted to give their best performance, showcasing the uniqueness of the Orang Ulu culture and tradition.
Meanwhile, the chieftain Raymond Plen, 56, thanked the Sarawak government for choosing his longhouse for the royal visit.
It is informed that the longhouse was built in 1982, and is now housing about 800 people.
It still preserves the original wooden structure, made of ‘belian’ (local ironwood).
“As we all know, this is the first time that our King and Queen visit a longhouse in Sarawak.
“We are very proud of this meaningful visit by our King and Queen; we can see how close Their Majesties are to the local people, as evidenced in this tour,” he said.
Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah taking a rest at Rumah Raymond Plen in Sebauh, accompanied by Tengku Hassanal (left), Tengku Amir Nasser (standing) and Tengku Ahmad Ismail.
Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah were taken for a tour in the 53-door longhouse, where the royal couple graced a handicrafts exhibition.
Their Majesties were joined by the royal children – Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, Tengku Panglima Raja Colonel Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah and Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu’adzam Shah.
Moreover, a simple birthday celebration was held for Tengku Hassanal and Tengku Ahmad Ismail, who were born on Sept 17, 1995 and Sept 11, 2000, respectively.