By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, April 19: Doa reciter Suhaimi Mohamad spent up to two months preparing the Mandarin segment of his multilingual prayer, underscoring the effort behind what appeared to be a seamless recitation at the GPS Convention 2026 held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) this morning.
The 38-year-old, who is the Bukit Kota branch’s deputy youth chief, said the prayer was delivered in Arabic, Malay, Iban and Mandarin, and kept within three minutes as requested by the organiser.
“The organiser requested three languages, and I tried to keep it under three minutes. During the rehearsal last night, it was about two minutes and 45 seconds,” he said in a brief interview after his recitation.
While he is fluent in the first three languages, Suhaimi admitted that Mandarin posed the biggest challenge due to his lack of formal background in the language.
“The most difficult part was Mandarin because I don’t have any basic foundation. I learned from Chinese friends and shop owners,” he said.
To ensure accuracy, he initially referred to simplified Chinese translations online but later sought help from native speakers after realising the pronunciation did not match local usage.
“I was advised not to rely on that because the pronunciation is different in Malaysia. So I worked with friends, including those in the healthcare sector and Chinese councillors, to refine it,” he added.
Suhaimi said preparation for the Mandarin portion alone began during the fasting month and continued through Hari Raya Aidilfitri, taking nearly two months.
“For the other languages, I could manage with daily practice, but Mandarin required much more time,” he said.
Despite a slight slip during the Malay segment, he said the overall recitation went smoothly and expressed gratitude for the opportunity, noting that he was not the initial choice for the role.
“I was told I wasn’t the first name proposed, but during the meeting, my name was suggested and agreed upon. Opportunities like this are rare, so I made full use of it,” he said.
Suhaimi previously gained attention for reciting a doa in nine languages at a Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) convention last year.
However, he said this time he followed the organiser’s request for a shorter, more focused multilingual delivery.
— DayakDaily
