Sarawakian proud to be named after country: Malaysia Tambi

MIRI: People are amused when he tells them his name. And he has to produce his identity card to prove that he is not lying.

Malaysia Tambi does not mind the inconvenience though.

He is proud that his grandfather Cikgu Suntong had named him after the country when he was born on Sept 16, 1963, the day that his state, Sarawak, as well as Sabah, joined Malaya to become Malaysia.

“It is difficult for people I meet for the first time to accept the fact that my name is Malaysia. I have to produce my identity card as proof,” the 44-year-old Malaysia said at his house here.

Seeing is believing: Malaysia often has to produce his identity card to prove that his name is Malaysia, but he does not mind the inconvenience.
The second of five siblings has had many “hilarious” moments in his life as, over the years, his name startled his classmates, teachers, employers, co-workers, and even his wife Lucy Buda (now Rozana Abdullah).

When he went to apply for his identity card, an officer at the National Registration Department advised him to take an alias and he chose “Ali,” the name of one of his uncles.

Malaysia has been an engineering assistant with Malaysia Airlines since 1997. Prior to that he was in the oil and gas industry here.

“Like the other people, my wife-to-be then and her parents were also taken aback when I said that my name was Malaysia. Again, I had to produce my identity card,” said Malaysia, who married Rozana in 1987. They have four children.

“I am proud that I may be one of the few people who share our names with our motherland,” said Malaysia, who also goes by the name “Mel.” – Bernama

Source: The Star Online