King and Queen receive rousing welcome
SIBU: The King and Queen received a rousing welcome when they arrived for a visit at the central market here, with police having a hard time controlling the crowd.
As soon as Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah came at 8.47am, the crowd cheered and chanted “Daulat Tuanku”.
Also in the royal entourage were the Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Tengku Panglima Raja Kol Tengku Amir Nasser Ibrahim Shah, and Tengku Ahmad Ismail Mu’adzam Shah.
The crowd eagerly awaited Their Majesties after learning that they would be there for breakfast and a tour.
The petty traders were excited, with many expressing their admiration for the royal couple.
A group of six religious bodies did not have the opportunity to present a bouquet of flowers to the Queen at the market due to the huge crowd, but they managed to get the King to sign a framed photo of His Majesty being welcomed.
The group comprised the Association of Churches in Sarawak, Sibu Branch; Masjid An-nur Sibu; Sibu Sikh Temple Association; Sibu Sri Mariamman Hindu Temple; the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Sibu; and the United Committee of the Sibu Buddhist Association, Sibu.Eta Ting, the coordinator of the group, said: “We wanted to tell Their Majesties that together we can build a community of love. We are so grateful and thankful that the King, Queen and their royal entourage were able to visit us.”Fruit seller Lucy Jambin considered it a “right royal blessing” when the King graciously signed her eight RM10 notes.
“One of my sons put the notes on a paperboard for me to try my luck should the King come to my stall. He did, and I grabbed the chance to ask His Majesty to sign the notes,” said Jambin, 50.
According to Jambin, who has been selling local fruits at the market for 20 years, the King did not hesitate when she requested his signature.
“I told him, ‘Tuanku, can you sign these notes?’ Without any hesitation, he signed them, as I think he knows the purpose of doing so, which is to bring good fortune to the owner,” said Jambin, who added that the eight RM10 notes were also for her husband and their six children.
She pledged to keep the notes to commemorate Their Majesties visit to the market.
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