Consulate General Of Malaysia, Los Angeles

Welcoming of the new Consul General of Malaysia in Los Angeles, Mr. Nekmat Ismail by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles, 2 August 2011

The new Consul General of Malaysia in Los Angeles, Mr. Nekmat Ismail has been welcomed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors led by its Mayor Michael D. Antonovich on Tuesday, 2 August 2011. The ceremony took place at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in Los Angeles. There are five Supervisors under the Los Angeles County inclusive of Mayor Antonovich. In his short remark, Consul General Nekmat Ismail expressed his appreciation to Mayor Antonovich and the rests of the Supervisors for their warm welcome and hope that the good relation between Malaysia and the United States of America will continue to strengthen.

The ceremony was later followed by the presentation of plaque to Consul General Nekmat Ismail commemorating his appointment as the new Consul General of Malaysia in Los Angeles.

Meeting with Malaysian Students in Seattle

In line with the government’s efforts to approach Malaysian Community abroad through ‘Program Mendampingi Rakyat Malaysia (PMRM), Consul General Nekmat Ismail and wife attended a program with Malaysian Students in Seattle arranged by the Malaysian Student Department in Los Angeles on 28th December 2011.

About thirty Malaysian students who are currently studying at the University of Washington, Seattle attended the program. It was a casual dinner event hosted at Sharlimar Restaurant, located in the vicinity of the university and students hostels. They were mostly new students who had arrived around September 2011. Consul General Nekmat also briefed the students about the functions of Consulate General of Malaysia and the various government agency in Los Angeles i.e. Matrade, MIDA, Tourism and the Education Malaysia Los Angeles (EMLA) itself.

The opportunity to meet the students was indeed beneficial for Consul General as Seattle is one of the states under the jurisdiction of Consulate General of Malaysia in Los Angeles. Most of the students were not familiar with the function of the Consulate office and were very happy to have met Consul General and his wife. Being far away from their family in Malaysia, it was a blessing for them to meet Consulate official which has now become as part of their immediate family abroad should they need any consular assistance. Apart from meeting the students, Consul General also took the opportunity to make a familiarization tour around Seattle.

Apart from the above, Consul General Nekmat have also hosted a few programs with the Malaysian students and Malaysian communities in Los Angeles. i.e – Ramadhan Iftar, Hari Raya Celebration and a ‘Get Together’ gathering since his arrival in July 2011.

Iftar Hosted by Consul General Nekmat Ismail

Consul General Nekmat Ismail hosted two Iftar at the Consul General’s residence in the month of Ramadhan 1432 H. The first Iftar was held on Sunday, 7 August 2011. All Home Based Staff, Locally Recruited Staffs and the Malaysian Islamic Foundation of North America (MIFNA) Board Members and their families attended this event. Consul General also led the Maghrib, Isya’ and Tarawih Prayer during the event.

The second Iftar was held on Sunday, 21 August 2011. All Home Based Staffs and families as well as 40 Malaysian students around Los Angeles county attended this event. Consul General also led the Maghrib, Isya’ and Tarawih Prayer. The program was later followed by a short briefing session by Consul General and all other Heads of Department from MATRADE, MIDA, Education Malaysia Los Angeles and Tourism on their role at the Consulate General.

MALAYSIAN DAY

Perwakilan Los Angeles (Ladies Association of Consulate General, LA), with the support of the Consulate General and Tourism Malaysia, hosted a Malaysian Day at the Consul General’s Residence on 2 June 2010. More than 50 guests from the diplomatic and local community were treated to a slice of Malaysian culture, comprising a Malay wedding, a fashion show, exhibition of Malaysian craft and a lunch of sumptuous Malaysian food.

Mrs. Kamsiah Kamaruddin, President of Perwakilan, welcomed the guests to the new Malaysian residence. She had chosen the garden as the venue to reflect the open and warm nature of Malaysians. She was proud to share such a unique and diverse culture and hope that the glimpse afforded would entice the guests to visit Malaysia.

The arrival of the groom and his entourage were heralded by the beats of kompang and procession of bunga manggar, followed by tepak sireh, sireh junjung and hantaran. The two sides then exchanged pantun and bargained for the duit tol, much to the guests’ merriment and hilarity. The bride and groom were then seated on the beautifully decorated pelamin, flankled by two pengapit. The guests later participated in the merenjis ceremony and much to their delight were rewarded with bunga telur. The merenjis was a big hit with the guests, almost all participated in the ceremony. The guests also marvelled at the wedding accoutrements, which were all handmade by members of Perwakilan.

A fashion show was also performed, displaying the grandeur and variety of songket to the audience. Mrs. Kamsiah said she chose the lesser-known songket as its sumptuous beauty, elegance and grace deserved to be celebrated and shared with the world. Nineteen pieces of songket, ranging from the traditional and modern, were displayed. Many guests were enchanted by the songket, expressing surprise that Malaysia has such a beautiful fabric and yet has not marketed it as aggressively as batik.

The highlight of the day, however, was undoubtedly the fashion show by Perwakilan’s children, looking adorable in their baju kurung and baju melayu. The children later accompanied their parents for the family segment; showing how traditional garbs were worn by modern families. As the finale, Mrs. Kamsiah, the Consul General and family came out decked in their traditional fineries.

An exhibition featuring Malaysian crafts was held throughout the event. Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines and ladies of Perwakilan contributed the items. Some of the items were caklempong, rebana, wau, pewter, brass items, batik and pottery. Texts describing the items, as well as Malay marriage, from merisik to bersanding, were also displayed for the guests. Many appreciated the extra length taken to explain the items and the narration accompanying the events, as many were unfamiliar with them.

The guests were later treated to a delicious kenduri feast of home-cooked nasi lemak with rendang, fried chicken and sambal; fried meehoon, sago Melaka and ais batu campur. At the end of the day, the guests left with better knowledge of the beauty and uniqueness of the Malaysian culture.

FAMILY DAY

Perwakilan LA hosted its Family Day at Point Fermin Park, San Pedro on 5 June 2010. Families of officers and staffs from all Malaysian agencies in LA; the Consulate General, Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines; came together for a day of fun and games. Altogether there were 99 participants from 24 families; 18 Perwakilan families and another 6 were guests. The Park was an ideal place for the whole families with its sprawling green lawn, fresh sea breeze and breathtaking vista of steep cliffs and breaking waves.

The 24 families were divided into four houses; blue, red, yellow and white, the colours of Malaysian flag. Everybody came in their house colour, adding good-natured rivalry to the games. A number of games were held, for the very young to the young at heart. Games held were musical chair, water balloon toss, colouring contest, run with egg and spoon, feed your parent, three-legged race, hanging apple eating contest, gelek itik and golf putting. There were also trivia questions, surprise gift and lucky draw.

Blue House won the competition, followed by yellow, red and white. White, however, won the best dressed competition, with the winning family dressed in all white from head to toe; tudung to shoes. One member was even dressed in an umrah garb, much to the hilarity of others. Gifts were generously sponsored by Malaysia Airlines, Tourism Malaysia, Matrade and Perwakilan.

The participants were treated to a barbeque meal. A number of officers showed off their grilling skills, while Perwakilan members were working hard to ensure the smooth running of the games. Everyone chipped in, bringing a dish or two, in the true gotong royong spirit of Malaysians. It was a day of sharing food, games and fun with families and friends. It was a great success, with many reluctant to leave the carnival-like atmosphere of the day.

For more photos view Photo Album

other events will be updated periodically