Pelangai voter proud namesake of constituency

BENTONG - "When I was a child, I used to feel embarrassed that my name includes the name of the village.

"But as I grew up, to be honest, I can say that I'm proud of it," said Muhamad Anilzan Pelangai Ramli, a voter in the by-election for the Pelangai State Assembly constituency who shares the same name as the area.

Muhamad Anilzan, 38, hails from Kampung Jawi-Jawi, Simpang Pelangai, here.

He said that his father gave him his name, and he is the only one among his nine siblings with the name Pelangai.

"Perhaps because I grew up with my grandmother in Pelangai, my father named me after this place.

"When I was a child, I did feel a bit embarrassed. But my friends never made fun of me," he told Sinar.

The fourth child, who is a businessman, said that he is more comfortable being called by his nickname, Ijan, rather than Pelangai.

However, he also pointed out that the uniqueness of the name that he takes pride in motivates him to make it an identity recognised by everyone someday.

"As I grew up, I wanted to make this name a source of inspiration. I hope that one day, I can help this village again.

"Who knows, if I'm blessed with the title of Datuk, I want to be known as 'Datuk Pelangai'," he said.

He is also actively involved with a non-governmental welfare organisation (NGO).