KUDAT, May 9 — Mocked by friends for dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister one day, eight-year-old Syam Aariz Rayyan Abdullah, from Pulau Banggi, today managed to hand over a letter to none other than Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

For the youngster, the brief meeting with the Prime Minister at Anwar’s gathering with the local community of Pulau Banggi here was not just a sweet moment, but a testament that a child’s dream should not be taken lightly.

Syam Aariz Rayyan arrived at the venue as early as 8 am with his mother, Norsakinah Junaidi, 33, solely to wait for the opportunity to meet Anwar and hand over the letter he had written himself.

Norsakinah said her second child was very eager to write the letter after being informed that the Prime Minister would be visiting Pulau Banggi.

“I told him of the Prime Minister’s visit, and he told me he wanted to write a letter to the PM because his friends and teacher laughed at him when he said he wanted to become the Prime Minister.

“So, I want to write a letter … I want to prove it. I want to send it to the Prime Minister. Please, mama, deliver my letter to the Prime Minister,” she said when met by Bernama here today.

Norsakinah said that Syam Aariz Rayyan’s enthusiasm was clearly evident when he himself coaxed her to go early to the event location because he was too excited to meet the country’s leader.

As soon as he had the opportunity to meet Anwar, the joy on Syam Aariz Rayyan’s face was evident.

For the child, that brief meeting was not just a sweet memory, but an injection of motivation to continue believing that dreams should not be extinguished just because they were once laughed at.

Norsakinah said that as a mother, she will continue to support her child’s interests and aspirations, especially in education, because she believes that success starts with self-confidence and hard work.

For Syam Aariz Rayyan, that letter might just be a piece of paper, but for his mother, it is a symbol of the courage of a child from Pulau Banggi to express dreams and prove that great ambitions start with the courage to believe. — Bernama