This Guy Was So Excited To See The King That He Called Out “Gung!”
The man from Tawau was relieved that the King was not offended.
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If you’re keeping up with social media, you would know that the King is currently on a tour in Sabah and Sarawak.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Maimunah Iskandariah and their family are in Borneo for the “Kembara Kenali Borneo” (Explore Borneo Expedition) tour.
So far, the welcome they received from Sabahans has been warm and even entertaining. In fact, when His Majesty gave his speech at the Sabah International Convention Center, he said that he was amused and touched to see how welcoming and excited the people were to see them.
“I was touched when a youngster called me ‘Pak Cik Agong’. Some called me ‘Abang Agong’. There were also those who called me ‘Gong Gong Gong’… it was truly pleasing for me.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah
We all do silly things when we’re nervous and excited, right? Including calling the king of our country, “Gong, gong, gong”. That’s what this guy did.
Sabahan guy admits it was him and explains he was too excited
A TikTok user, @anasdaniell made an explainer video about what happened and he apologised for not thinking straight when he called the Agong, “Gung” on the streets.
In his video, he said that he was glad when he heard the Agong was not angry and was even amused with people calling him “Gung” instead of Tuanku (Your Majesty).
@anasdaniell Alhamdulillah Terima kasih Tuanku dgn Viral video Tuan ku sy Tenang Hati .. Daulat Tuanku#tawaufm #fypdongggggggg #fypシ #tawau #fyp #Rtmtawau #daulattuanku #erasabahtiktok #maaf ♬ Healing Song – Piano Peace
He was worried that his informal way of addressing the King would make His Majesty annoyed or angry. He said that he read previous comments saying that it was not acceptable to call the King that and that he should be ashamed.
When he met the King in Tawau that day, Anas took a video and asked if he could shake his hands by saying “Salam Gung, Boleh Gung?” (Shake Hands Gung, Can Gung?). Some pointed out that he should’ve said, “Tuanku, boleh salam, Tuanku?” (Your Majesty, can I shake your hands, your Majesty?)
Anas explained that he was so nervous that he forgot all the protocol and manners in front of royalty. He also said that this was the King he was seeing, not just a commoner. A king is a very hard person to come across and that was why he felt that he needed to run to the car and shake his hand.
He also expressed his gratefulness for the Agong’s understanding and was touched to see him stop his car when Anas greeted him first from afar. He felt seen by the leader of the country.
As for the Agong, as reported by NST, he said before in his speech that he cannot forget all the amusing ways the people there welcomed him and his family.
The tour had given him the opportunity to get close to the citizens of Sabah, especially those living in the interiors. He was truly moved by their friendliness and hospitality. He also added that the people of Sabah will always remain in his heart forever.
The “Kembara Kenali Borneo” trip is expected to be for 11 days for 2154 kilometers starting on 3 September in Tawau, Sabah and ending on 13 September in Telok Melano, Sarawak. Currently, they’ve arrived at the first checkpoint in Sarawak, Lawas.
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