SANDAKAN – A group of elderly women has shown unwavering determination to wait for an astounding five hours, all for a mere few seconds to be in the presence of the nation’s ruler at the Sabah Hotel here this evening.
For Mariah Ayub, 67, her journey to the hotel was meant to pay her respects to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and perhaps even to receive a modest donation from the king.
“If I get the chance to speak to him, I want to tell him that the roads here are in bad condition,” she told Scoop when met outside the hotel.
Mariah, who arrived at the hotel at around 4pm today, ahead of the king’s scheduled arrival at 10pm, voiced her concerns for her son’s safety, as he frequently commutes from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu, battling the perilous road conditions.
“Since His Majesty is here to see our living conditions, I hope that he sees that our road is terrible; our cars break down all the time,” she said.
Mariah was not alone in her goal of seeing the Agong; she was joined by other senior citizens, who arrived at the hotel via bus. Their numbers are expected to swell as the night progresses.
When informed that the king might not arrive until 10pm, their response was to remain steadfast until the royal’s arrival.
The Agong is scheduled to arrive in Sandakan at 10pm from Lahad Datu, as part of his Kembara Kenali Borneo tour, which began in Tawau the day before.
The king personally piloted the vehicle, with Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah seated beside him.
Videos from yesterday’s visit to Tawau by Al-Sultan Abdullah quickly went viral on social media, showing hundreds of locals gathered by the roadside, eager to pay their respects with shouts of “daulat Tuanku.”
Additional footage showed the royal couple’s willingness to halt their journey multiple times, stepping out of their vehicle to personally greet and shake hands with the public, despite the resulting delays to their tour schedule.
Similar-sized crowds are anticipated for the king’s forthcoming visits tomorrow, including one to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre at 9.20am and another to Telupid at 11am.
The monarch’s Kembara Kenali Borneo tour covers a 600-km exploration in Sabah before proceeding to Sarawak’s segment of the Pan Borneo Highway. The extensive journey spans a total of 2,154km and involves 25 vehicles, with the tour expected to culminate on September 13 in Sarawak’s Telok Melano. – September 4, 2023