“Who would have expected someone like me would be given the opportunity to serve the country despite my status as an prison inmate,” said Pak Wahab, 52. “Maybe to some my contribution may seem small, but it’s so meaningful for someone like me who is confined here.”

Pak Wahab was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 1999 for firearms possession.

He is responsible in making sure that his design patterns were translated using 4,600 silk threads to make silk fabric.

“Specially for the installation ceremony, I was asked to design the pattern based on the symbols of the state of Pahang and the moon and stars representing the state of Johor, taking into account the origin of the Raja Permaisuri Agong,” said Pak Wahab, who was moved by the trust given.

Pak Wahab, who hails from Sungai Buloh, said Tunku Azizah’s choice of flora and fauna was common knowledge, but when asked to design a new motif he simply thought she wanted something different.

“As it turns out, it is for a historic occasion. It took me almost a week to figure out how to bring the pattern to the thread, because the details of the elephant ivory and the star shape are very tricky.

“Each vertex needs to be calculated correctly. I started with a rough drawing on blank paper based on Tunku Azizah’s sketch, before drawing it back to graph paper for more accurate measurements,” he said.

Pak Wahab admitted to being nervous when he had to present the pattern to Tunku Azizah for approval, and throughout the production of the garment, Her Majesty had been present three times at a weaving workshop at Penor Prison to see the process.

Looking at Pak Wahab’s careful examination of each piece of yarn woven by his fellow inmates, many may wonder how long he has been doing the task, but the skill was learned only after ‘occupying’ Penor Prison!

“But I am fortunate to have always received the guidance of Tunku Azizah. She is well known for her love in Pahang woven fabrics … In fact, every time Her Majesty comes here, she will bring examples of cloth that she adores from within or outside the country.

“Her Majesty would ask me to examine the pattern and asked if it was possible to be woven. She also gave me books on design art, painting books and colour pencils that allowed me to create new patterns that came to mind,” he said.

Another inmate of Penor Prison, known as Abe, 32, was selected by prison management to weave three sets of yellow fabric and a set of ivory white to be worn during the ceremony, though he was considered to be relatively new in the weaving world.

The Machang-born inmate admitted he was shocked to learn that the textile was to be used on Tunku Azizah’s special day as he only had four years of experience in the weaving profession, compared to his seniors because there were 25 who could handle the weaving machine.

“The weaving process began in April and during the month of Ramadan, we were given the opportunity to be at the weaving workshop from 7am to 10pm. The process of weaving is a bit complicated as each piece of yarn needs to be calculated and if it is wrong, the yarn needs to be reset.

“The most complicated part is of course the top part of the fabric because it is heavily patterned and it takes two to three weeks to complete because I can only weave about six inches of fabric a day.

“For those who are impatient, they may not be turned off because for the four pieces of original yarn, we need to insert a piece of silver yarn to give it a more beautiful effect when worn,” he said.

Abe added that although his work was complicated, it was still rewarding when Her Majesty expressed her satisfaction with their work and the results to the warden, where a total of 60 prisoners at the Penor Prison trained in weaving workshops.

Abe, who is serving a 15-year jail term for sexual crimes since 2015, said he was told that the pattern of Tunku Azizah’s attire for the installation ceremony would not be woven into other fabrics to preserve its exclusivity and history.

Speaking about the specialty of the Pahang woven fabric which would be worn by Her Majesty, Abe said: “We do not have a television here but I still hope to have the opportunity to see pictures of Her Majesty don the fabric of our weaving.”