PEKAN: Tengku Ampuan of Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will create employment opportunities for skilled inmates proficient in Tenun Pahang Diraja craftsmanship through the Perkampungan Ihsan Al-Sultan Abdullah initiative.
Tunku Azizah expressed her inspiration from seventeen inmates from Penor and Bentong Prisons who participated in the Tunku Azizah Cup for Tenun Pahang Diraja competition.
“I cannot move forward without the Malaysian Prisons Department, which has helped me greatly,” she stated during her speech at the prize-giving ceremony and opening of Temasya Warisan Pahang at Pulau Beram Maritime Museum.
She emphasised her commitment to reviving this heritage craft while providing former inmates with meaningful employment opportunities upon their release.
“They gave me hope to revive the art of Tenun Pahang Diraja,” she acknowledged gratefully.
“I want to give them a chance to continue this craft (Tenun Pahang Diraja) once they leave prison,” she affirmed.
The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, officially launched the event yesterday.
The Tunku Azizah Cup serves as a prestigious platform for discovering creative weaving talents and recognising exceptional Tenun Pahang Diraja artisans.
This initiative aims to promote Pahang’s weaving heritage at both national and international levels.
Al-Sultan Abdullah also inaugurated the Yayasan Warisan Tunku Azizah foundation under the patronage of Yayasan Tenun Pahang Diraja.
Their Royal Highnesses subsequently viewed the ‘Lukisan Jiwa’ exhibition featuring artworks by renowned singer Datuk M. Nasir. – Bernama
