Speaking to FMT, Edison Chua said that the most valuable thing he gained from the competition were nine friends from different countries and the knowledge he gained of their cultures.

“What I really enjoyed during the pageant week was the bond of friendship that we made and making friends from nine different countries as well as exchanging knowledge of our cultures,” he said. “Nothing feels greater.”

He found himself in a unique position as his ability to speak Mandarin, Malay and English enabled him to act as intermediary among the other contestants.

“As Malaysians, most of us are able to understand more than just one language and Malay is similar to the Indonesian language while at the same time, I also acted as translator for the candidate from Vietnam as he only understood Mandarin.

“The candidates here were actually quite surprised that I could do that. This made me proud to be Malaysian.”

The winner of the Man of the Year 2016 international male pageant was Karan Singhdole of the Philippines.

Chua’s costume won the Best National Costume award. Given the title “Guardian of Borneo”, it was designed by fashion designer Jeffie Jeff.