JOHOR BARU: For the Tunku Mahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Idris Sultan Ibrahim, the Kembara Mahkota Johor programme holds a meaningful and special significance.
"I'm always excited about the Kembara Mahkota Johor programme as it is a time where my father, the sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, and my family have the opportunity to be close to the people, especially in rural areas," he said yesterday.
Tunku Ismail said in the past, the Kembara Mahkota Johor convoy used high-powered motorcycles to reach the state's interior. "However, this time round the convoy will be unique as it is a first time that the Kembara Mahkota Johor programme will reach out to the people via train."
Tunku Ismail is scheduled to join Sultan Ibrahim when he visits the last district of the programme, which is Segamat on Sunday. The highlight of his visit is a top spinning competition where he will give out the prizes to winners in Kampung Paya Merah, Labis.
Later in the day, the sultan will arrive at the Segamat train station where he will be ferried in an antique car to Dataran Segamat. He will join a traditional kuih-making activity to make dodol, lempok durian and kuih bepang. The sultan's itinerary also includes officiating at a Sukan Rakyat event.
The next day, Sultan Ibrahim will ride a bicycle to the Bekok multipurpose hall in Bekok, Segamat, where he will hand out bicycles to needy children. He will then proceed to the Layang-Layang train station. The sultan will be accompanied by his consort, Raja Zarith Sofia, members of the royal family and state leaders.
MORE than 200 patients turned up at a medical camp hosted by the Johor Chinese Medicine, Orthopedics and Acupuncture Association at the Tenang community hall near Segamat recently. The camp was held in conjunction with the visit of the sultan of Johor to Tenang, which was a stopover of the Kembara Mahkota Johor (KMJ) 2010 programme recently.
The sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, went to the medical camp as soon as he alighted from his train at the Tenang station. Welcoming him were Segamat district officer Burhan Amin, Labis member of parliament Chua Tee Yong and association adviser Prof Dr Soo Sheng Ren. The sultan toured the packed community hall which featured exhibits of over 200 potted herbal plants and various equipment used in Chinese medicine.
When the sultan told Soo about the pain on his left elbow, a Chinese physician gave the ruler a tuina (Chinese traditional massage) treatment, followed by acupuncture administered personally by Soo. Sultan Ibrahim said he felt much better after receiving the treatment. Before the sultan of Johor left, Soo presented him with a pot of Goddess of Guanyin Lotus plant (Alocasia cucullata) as a symbol of longevity, fertility and luck. According to Soo, the herbal plant also has medicinal values in treating tumours, influenza and burns.
The sultan proceeded to another community hall nearby for lunch before continuing his journey to Segamat. Twenty-six Chinese physicians and 20 social workers laboured their efforts in the association's 56th medical camp, which attracted patients of different races. Besides the locals, there were also patients who came from Labis, Yong Peng and Segamat.
Apart from internal medicine, the Chinese physicians also treated muscle, bone and nerve-related problems such as those suffering from arthritis, slipped disc and others. All consultations, treatment and medications were provided free of charge.
The three-day KMJ tour covered three districts spanning 391km, all along the state's railway line from Johor Baru to Gemas and back. The sultan of Johor kicked off the tour at the new JB Sentral train station at 10am on June 26 and concluded the tour at the same station in the evening of June 28. The sultan had specially learned to drive a locomotive and took a licence for it to coincide with the tour.
The royal entourage included his consort, Raja Zarith Sofia, members of the royal family and state leaders. This was his first KMJ tour as a sultan after ascending the throne in January. The annual tour was the brainchild of Sultan Ibrahim himself and is known for the high-powered motorcycles used by participants to tour the rural areas in Johor.
