JOHOR BAHRU: Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar granted an audience to the Gabungan Persatuan Permotoran Malaysia (GPMOTO) federal executive committee, in Istana Pasir Pelangi today.
The delegation was led by GPMOTO president, Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh. Also present was New Straits Times Press (NSTP) chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Abdul Jalil Hamid.
The audience was in conjunction with preparations for Malaysia Bike Week (MBW2018) at the Malaysia Agro Exhibition Park Serdang (MAEPS) from March 23 to 25.
Sultan Ibrahim treated the delegates to a viewing of his seven Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He also showed the delegates his collection of vehicles at Istana Bukit Serene, including his customised Mack truck, as well as his Morgan three-wheeler from Britain, which he used in the Kembara Mahkota Johor (KMJ) last year.
Ab Rauf said, the GPMOTO exco offered their sincerest appreciation to Sultan Ibrahim for spending almost two hours showing them his private collection, some of which will also be on display at MBW 2018.
“The Sultan has agreed to display his private collection as a draw for people to come to the event. All this while, the Sultan has also used this approach to bring himself closer to Johoreans.
“Visitors to MBW can count themselves lucky as they will be able to see this stunning collection, which is dear to the Sultan’s heart,” he said when met at Istana Bukit Serene, here today.
Ab Rauf said, in the meeting, the Sultan expressed his wish for the rakyat to see that the motoring industry needs careful attention.
“When we talk about motoring, we usually hear about youths on motorcycles and them becoming involved in social problems. But the Sultan sees the issue as beyond that, as the youth need to be given guidance and lessons so they can become useful citizens in the future,” he said.
A host of lucky draw prizes worth more than RM500,000, including 40 motorcycles await MBW visitors who register online via the GPMOTO app.
Media Prima, as one of the event’s official media partners, will also be organising a concert featuring a stellar lineup of local artistes.