MALAYSIANS CELEBRATED SPB YANG DI-PERTUAN AGONG’S BIRTHDAY IN NAGAOKA, JAPAN
For the second time in as many years, the celebration to mark the occasion of the birthday of SPB Yang di-Pertuan Agong was held outside of Tokyo. On 7 June 2009, with the cooperation of Malaysian students and their families, the Embassy of Malaysia organized a reception at Nagaoka University of Technology located in the city of Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture which was about 250 kilometres away from the capital. The decision to organise the reception in a city outside of Tokyo is in line with the Malaysian Government’s desire for Malaysian Government officials to reach out to fellow Malaysians living abroad and to give the opportunity to those outside of the capital to celebrate the occasion. The committee members of the Malaysian Students Association of Japan (MSAJ) and Kelab UMNO Jepun (KUJ) also joined in the celebration.
More than a hundred Malaysians including Malaysian students from both graduate and undergraduate levels who are pursuing their studies in Nagaoka and the neighbouring Niigata attended the reception. In the spirit of gotong-royong, the students and their families helped in preparing the dishes and in arranging the event.
The event commenced with a recital of doa and the singing of the national anthem, ‘Negara Ku’, patriotic songs ‘Kerana Mu Malaysia’ and ‘Jalur Gemilang’ followed by an address by H.E. Ambassador Dato’ Mohd. Radzi Abdul Rahman, the Ambassador of Malaysia to Japan. In his address, the Ambassador emphasised the need for Malaysians to be mindful of their responsibilities as citizens to ensure Malaysia’s continued success. The Ambassador also urged students to develop networking with Japanese and other foreign students as well as expand their knowledge with they can bring back to Malaysia to contribute to nation-building.
The celebration of SPB Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s birthday in Nagaoka was indeed a success in promoting unity, camaraderie and friendship among Malaysians in Japan, especially in Nagaoka and Niigata.
