Bukit Kota PBB deputy youth chief Suhaimi Mohamad recited the prayer in Arabic, Malay, English, Iban, Melanau, Bisaya, Lun Bawang, Bidayuh and Mandarin, and said he took a whole month to practise.

Suhaimi, 37, whose five-minute prayer was his own initiative, said he wanted to showcase Sarawak’s linguistic and cultural diversity at the opening of the PBB Youth convention.

“I had never seen anyone recite a prayer in multiple languages at events like these. Sarawak is home to many ethnic groups and I wanted to feature as many languages as possible,” he said.

Suhaimi said he found Mandarin the most challenging language to take on, because of the vast difference in the pronunciation of words, Dayak Daily reported.

“I learned from my Chinese friends and local business owners,” he said, adding that learning the prayer in Lun Bawang was a breeze because he engaged with the community often.

PBB is the dominant party of the state’s ruling coalition, Gabungan Parti Sarawak.