THE national costume (baju kebangsaan), the baju kurung, may find a saviour in Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah as the Raja Permaisuri Agong may set out to make it her cause to ensure it does not meet an untimely death.
The baju kurung has evolved, now with modern zipped-up versions, as there is a dearth of seamstresses who can sew baju kurung the traditional way. The seams of the bodice of the traditional baju kurung are sewn by hand, while the neckline is sewn using the “tulang belut”.
“My great-great-grandfather made it the costume of Johor. And it became the baju kebangsaan. And the Malays are not the only ones wearing it. The Chinese and Indians have their own traditional costumes, but they also wear baju kurung and they look elegant in it,” she said in an interview with the New Straits Times ahead of the installation of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong tomorrow.
Tunku Azizah is mostly seen in baju kurung made out of Liberty cotton. For official functions and events, the baju kurung she wears is made of the Tenun Pahang DiRaja fabric.
“Look at the Indonesians, they still wear the kebaya. Go to Thailand, South Korea and Japan, you’ll find that they still wear their traditional costume,” she said.
“I want to start a trend here. There is nothing wrong with wearing baju kurung. It is elegant.”
She said Tuanku Intan Zaharah Tengku Omar, who was the Raja Permaisuri Agong from 1965 to 1970, always looked elegant in the baju kurung.
“Less is best, plain is elegant. Accessorise correctly, and you will stand out.”
She believed that the palace had a role to play in the revival of Malay textile and craft and she wanted to preserve a dying art.
“But we must do it passionately like in the case of the Tenun Pahang DiRaja,” she said, referring to her cause of promoting the woven fabric.
The Tenun Pahang DiRaja is enjoying Tunku Azizah’s patronage. With a history dating back 300 years, it was given royal status by Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah when he was the Tengku Mahkota of Pahang in 2006.
Tunku Azizah had created a pool of weavers comprising inmates of the Penor and Bentong prisons in Pahang. She believed in giving them a second chance after their life behind bars.
In fact, the inmates at Penor prison had woven a piece of Tenun Pahang DiRaja designed by Tunku Azizah to be made into a modern baju kurung that she will wear tomorrow.
She is also the patron of the Persatuan Seni Jahitan Kreatif Malaysia, an association that empowers women, especially those in the B40 category, to earn income through sewing.
She said as the queen, there was so much that she could do to champion such causes.
“I always tell Tuanku (Al-Sultan Abdullah) that while you are there, you should use your position to serve the rakyat. It is our duty to serve the rakyat, not because we are up there, but from the heart. We serve because we are passionate about our role and responsibilities.
“I told Tuanku, let’s use it (the position), not for us, but for the people.”