KUCHING, June 25 — Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg will be making his official visit to New Zealand as the president of Regional Islamic Da’wah Council of South-east Asia and the Pacific (RISEAP) today.
Abang Johari, who was elected as RISEAP president earlier this year, will be accompanied by his Deputy Minister for Utility and Telecommunication II (Utility) Datuk Abdul Rahman Junaidi, who is also in charge of Sarawak’s Islamic affairs.
Also in the delegation are State Mufti Datu Kipli Yasin and State Mufti cum RISEAP honorary secretary Dato Mohamad Marzuki Mohamad Omar.
The delegation is expected to arrive at Auckland in New Zealand just before midnight today.
RISEAP, comprising 24 member countries, was formed in 1980 with Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj, serving as its founding president.
The purpose of the council is primarily to bring together Muslim-minority countries in East Asia and the Pacific to pursue collective ambitions in the Islamic cause.
Abang Johari will be received upon arrival at Auckland airport by members of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) led by its president, Ibrar Sheikh.
Tomorrow morning, Abang Johari is scheduled to meet representatives from Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
He will later meet the imams and FIANZ officials at Al Rahman mosque in South Auckland before taking part in a tree-planting ceremony as well as visiting another mosque in the afternoon.
The delegation is expected to return on Wednesday (June 28). — Borneo Post
