GOING to the ground to meet fellow Penangites is an old habit of Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak. And his favourite transport is the bicycle.
Ever since he became the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Penang in April 2021, Fuzi has taken numerous cycling trips around the island.
For the 73-year-old, going on two-wheels is the best way to reconnect with old friends and see how Penang folk are faring these days.
In fact, he has cycled on the country's longest bridge, the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, otherwise known as the second Penang bridge.
Besides cycling, Fuzi is also a nature-lover blessed with green fingers, and he has taken good advantage of them to promote tree-planting in the state.
In almost every mosque that he visited for Friday prayers, Fuzi had planted a tree in the premises.
And tree-planting has been his signature initiative in almost all the places he's been to, including Pulau Aman and the Bougainvillea Belt in Bukit Mertajam.
Despite spending years as a diplomat abroad, the Penang native still retains his penchant for durians, and lately, he is visiting durian farms around the island.
He has even planted a Musang King tree at his official residence in Seri Mutiara, where he plans to move in soon.
Fuzi's religious upbringing has also inspired him to go the extra mile to serve the people. Every Friday, he visits different mosques in Penang to pray and donates cash and food baskets to the local community.
He even raised RM2 million from the private sector to rebuild the Sungai Bakap Lama mosque that he used to frequent as a child.
To date, Fuzi has visited 35 mosques and donated RM227,500 to 4,550 recipients. He has also donated to 20 charity homes since last year.
In addition, Fuzi is Penang's first sitting head of state to set up a foundation called Yayasan Amal to raise funds for underprivileged people in the state.
To unwind after a hard day, he goes to the green course for a round of golf. The enthusiast has recently introduced the TYT Cup Golf Tournament, which will make its debut on Aug 13 along with a charity dinner — to raise funds for the needy, of course.
Coming from humble beginnings, Fuzi understands the vital role of education in breaking the cycle of poverty and uplifting the people's lives.
He has helped to obtain scholarships from corporations and private universities for potential students.
In the past year alone, he managed to secure scholarships worth RM800,000 from Unitar International University, RM1 million from Peninsula College and RM1.6 million from Binary Teachers, besides RM1.5 million worth of grants from Binary Education for students from B40 households.
As physically active as he is, Fuzi also has a strong virtual presence. Social media, according to him, allows him to document his daily life and engage the younger generation.