Prince Charles with his guests at Persada Alam. Abdul Karim is at fifth left.
AFTER the security screening, we were ushered in by the organisers to a structure called Pesada Alam. What’s that?
Pesada Alam looks like a boat shed, it’s built by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) at the foothills of the Santubong Mountain. Sited near a shady spot, where there is a mini waterfall – real water dripping down the sides anyway – the beautiful place is surrounded by plants of all descriptions. In the evening, I think there will be lots of mosquitoes and other insects.
Press conferences by ministers of tourism have been held for local and international mass media in this bangsal whenever the famous Rainforest Music Festival takes over the Sarawak Cultural Village.
On the afternoon of Monday, Nov 6, 2017, it was the jungle venue for a discussion between the Prince of Wales and an Indigenous Group from Sarawak.
I was among eight people at that meeting. We had been invited by the British authorities to meet with their heir to the British throne, HRH Prince Charles, during his visit to the cultural village that day.
The guests, some in their own traditional attire, were sweltering in the steamy jungle in the middle of a hot day. Struggling to survive the heat, I sat with a fan behind me and from there I saw a young monkey on a branch nearby. I think the fellow was more interested in what was inside the basket (containing cold towels) than in the royal visit or in the subjects that we were going to discuss with His Royal Highness.
Soon after two o’clock, the media mob arrived, signalling a VVIP was on his way. They took up their positions on vantage points for a good shot of the welcoming party. The eight guests from the Indigenous Group became instant celebrities for 20 minutes.
The Prince accompanied by the Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and officials of the Sarawak Cultural Village were welcomed by Professor Dimbab Ngidang, who later introduced the visitor to the guests.
Before the discussion began, the Prince commented on how beautiful the setting was – pristine jungle and fine weather. As I was directed to sit next to him, I told him that we were inside the protected Santubong National Park, and that he had brought the good weather.
“Any monkeys around?” he asked me.
I answered, “Yes, Sir. There was one before your arrival – just disappeared. Either it came too early or you came too late,” to which the Prince responded with a good laugh.
That apparently broke the ice.
Eight of us – Professor Dimbab Ngidang, Datu Ik Pahon Joyik, Ipoi Datan, Hang Tuah Merawin, Ezra Uda, Rukeith Jampong, Charlie Ungang, and me – had been specially invited by the British authorities because the HRH Prince Charles had expressed his wish to meet with us. I did not ask him why; it would be rude of me to find out why us.
Five of us were allotted two minutes each during which to say what we wanted to say and the rest of the 20- minute dialogue was for His Royal Highness to ask questions of us. This time-frame was fully utilised.
The media people were supposed to leave us alone during the discussion; they stayed away but still within the hearing distance. Undaunted and refusing to be intimated by the aura of the situation, Ik Pahon, Ipoi Datan, Hang Tuah Merawin, and Ezra Uda did not waste time to say what they wanted to say. I had earlier provided my input to the meeting. I was privileged to speak first.
Some people may like to know what was being discussed at Persada Alam. The royal visitor did most of the listening, while the guests did most of the talking. Despite the time constraints, we managed to cover a range of important topics of the day in Sarawak – recognition and loss of indigenous land rights, freedom of religion, and preservation of culture, including teaching using the mother tongue at kindergarten level, and the environment. The Prince was interested in all these subjects, mentioning his 30-year advocacy of balanced development – economic, cultural preservation and environmental protection.
Impact on the wider community?
What impact if any of the dialogue may have on the wider Malaysian society is anybody’s guess. It may be a passing interest. It will probably be recorded by the cultural village as another touristic event in Damai. But to the guests, the exceptionally rare chance to get to talk to the heir to the British throne will be cherished for a long time to come. That they were there as guests of a Prince from a country with a well-established connection with Sarawak means that the ties between people of both countries have remained strong. That’s one way of looking at it.
That Prince Charles was prepared to meet with ordinary mortals like us means that here is dignity with the common touch. Our guest showed ample evidence of that fine trait, which is not very common among dignitaries.
I like to think that a rapport of sorts has been established between the visitor and the guests. As we shook hands again on his departure from Persada Alam, he showed me the cufflinks (gold, of course) given to his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, when the latter visited Kuching in the 1950s. I was a school boy finding myself in front of the temple at Thomson Road as the royal motorcade was passing by.
Does anybody know which goldsmith shop in Kuching the cufflinks were bought from?
I think showing me the cufflinks explains Prince Charles’ interest to visit Sarawak. He has seen a little of the state but Kuching is not Sarawak. Maybe one day we will see him again in this country in a different capacity. Certainly, I do hope so.
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