KUCHING: Her Majesty The Raja Permaisuri Agong, Raja Zarith Sofiah, graced the opening ceremony of the 59th Annual General Meeting of the Girl Guides Association of Malaysia (PPPM) 2024 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Saturday.

Her Majesty, who is also the Royal Patron of PPPM, arrived at BCCK at 10 a.m. and was welcomed by the wife of the Sarawak Governor, Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi, the wife of the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Dr Wan Azizah Dr Wan Ismail, and the wife of the Sarawak Premier, Puan Sri Datuk Amar Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang.

Her Majesty’s arrival was part of her visit to the Land of the Hornbills.

Also in attendance were Deputy Premiers of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minister of Education Fadhlina Sidek, Sarawak’s Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, and PPPM Deputy Chairperson, Dato' Tengku Shireen Al-Marhum Dato' Paduka Tengku Suleiman.

Before the opening ceremony, the Raja Permaisuri Agong signed the meeting book as a memento before entering the hall.

In her opening address, Her Majesty expressed pride in the progress of PPPM members in keeping up with contemporary needs. 

The opening ceremony commenced with a performance by the Sarawak Arts Council, followed by a speech from the Chief Commissioner of PPPM, Dato' Yoh Soo Keng.

During the event, Dato' Seri Dr Wan Azizah, as the President of PPPM, expressed her gratitude to Raja Zarith Sofiah for graciously officiating the annual meeting.

For this conference, among the awards presented were the Srikandi Award, the Honorary Star Medal, and the Asia Pacific Leadership Award for Service to Girl Guiding.

Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong is scheduled to return to Johor on June 30.-UKASnews