Crowd gathers in Kuching to catch glimpse of King and Queen

KUCHING: A crowd has been gathering in the vicinity of a hotel here since Tuesday (Sept 12) afternoon, hoping to catch a glimpse of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

Their Majesties are scheduled to arrive here from Sibu later Tuesday evening on the latest leg of the “Kembara Kenali Borneo” tour.

Dayang Faseeha Abang Hamdan, who took a half-day off work, said she had been waiting with her friends since 2pm.

“We’re willing to wait as many hours as needed because this will be the first time we get to see Their Majesties in person,” she said.

Dayang Faseeha said they also prepared placards with messages for the Royal entourage, including “Sarawak di hatiku” (Sarawak in my heart) and “Daulat Tuanku”.

“If they wave to us, we will be so happy and thankful.

“We hope their visit will be a boost to the economy and development in both states,” she added.

Artist Manado @ Othman Mohammad, meanwhile, hoped to present a portrait he painted of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to His Majesty.

“I did the painting two days ago. When I heard that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was coming here, I was determined to finish it,” the AkarSeni president said.

He said it took him one day to paint the portrait, which was done in pastel colours.

The King and Queen began their tour in Tawau, Sabah, on Sept 3 to get to know Malaysians living in Sabah and Sarawak.

It will culminate at Telok Melano on Wednesday (Sept 13), covering a distance of 2,154km on the Pan Borneo Highway.