MIRI – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong demonstrated their desire to touch base with the people when they made a sudden unscheduled stop to check on the condition of a long bridge that forms a part of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sarawak.
The royal couple were on the Bintulu portion of the highway after visiting a village last night when they crossed the Nyalau Interchange Bridge measuring about 1.5km long.
Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah then stopped his convoy and got off to check out the bridge structure.
With Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah accompanying him, he went on to speak with the highway engineers who had accompanied the royal entourage.
The king and queen even consented to pose for a photo with the engineers.
Sarawak Road Transport Department director Richard Tajan, who was in the convoy, gave the royal couple a quick briefing about the bridge, the longest one along the highway.
The convoy then proceeded to continue with the journey, as the royal couple travelled en route to Sibu today.
The king and queen have demonstrated their genuine, warm, and rakyat-focused spirit everywhere they have visited so far in their Pan Borneo adventure across Sabah and Sarawak.
They have been willing to set aside protocols to mingle with crowds, hold impromptu discussions, and even sing on stage, as they had shown in their stop at the scenic Pantai Bungai while passing the Bekenu district en route to Bintulu town.
Today, the royal convoy will be in Sibu before heading down south to the rest of central and southern Sarawak.
Their final destination on the Pan Borneo Highway is Telok Melano in Sarawak’s southernmost district of Lundu on September 13.
On September 16, the royal couple will grace the grand Malaysia Day celebrations in state capital Kuching. – The Vibes, September 11, 2023
