Baroness Warsi and the Duchess of Piasau

I hope none of you are thinking that I was welcoming Barack Obama last week at one of schools. I'm afraid it was a much lower key affair but an experience all the same! The mystery guest visiting Kampong Piasau last Monday was....(rolling drums)....Baroness Warsi! Who I hear you asking? Well I expect last week there were lots of people like me searching google to find out more about this lady. She is in the cabinet as the Minister for Faith and Communities and Senior Minister of State to Foreign Affairs. A Yorkshire Muslim lass from immigrant Pakistani parents.; right wing and a non-elected member of the cabinet. She was made Rt. Honourable Baroness Warsi in 2007. I could continue but you can look on Wikipedia too! Apparently she had asked to visit a project school which to me sounds unlikely but for whatever reason here we were in Kampong Piasau waiting for her arrival.. Piasau I hear you asking? Yes, the small kampong is a few kilometres from Kota Belud on the road that twists towards the mountains alongside the River Warin. It is a sleepy village  inhabited by wandering cows and water-buffaloes with an assortment of wooden houses on stilts and the amazing backdrop of Mount Kinabalu.

The Baroness

 







      
The school had been informed a week previously about “the visit” and during that week there had been a whirl of activity. The security guard shed had been painted; the toilets fixed; the grass watered, the satin curtains stapled; the plastic chairs hidden; the meeting room transformed ; the curry puffs made; the makan cooked and the invitations sent. The whole village was involved. “Why our school?” the headmistress, Betty, had asked. Which in reality was a combination of many factors. Firstly, Sk Piasau had been 3 years on the ELTDP and was happy to welcome David Kellaway to continue on the project for another 2 years.; It was rural and picturesque and secretly the real reason was because the Minister of Urban Wellbeing and Housing, who was accompanying the Baroness, was originally from Kota Belud.

The morning started early for all the teachers and helpers and despite a busy buzz of activity everyone seemed to be calm. The Sumazau dancers were keeping cool in the heat and the  Level 1 Action song performers were patiently waiting, having their make-up touched up as it melted in the sun. Parents from the kampong started arriving and more and more cars began filling up the padang.

Finally the siren of the police escort was heard and the Year 6 pupils lined up ready to welcome the Baroness to their school. The cars drove into the school and out stepped the Right Honourable Baroness Warsi, or Sayeeda to her friends, She wasn’t quite as we all imagined her to be. She was young, pretty and was wearing a pale pink punjabi. She charmingly talked to the pupils, doing her best to ignore the cameras clicking and made her way onto the stage followed by the Minister and deputy High Commissioner.

The welcoming show started with the Sumazau dancers followed by the Action Song performers. The children sang and danced beautifully and captivated the audience with the Baroness leading a spontaneous standing ovation. Then the speeches which by special request from Nigel were kept short - the Education Director, the minister and finally Baroness Warsi.She spoke firstly in Arabic and then talked about having several identities growing up as a Muslim with Pakistani immigrant parents in the United Kingdom. She appeared genuinely charmed by the warmth of her welcome and thanked the people and school of Piasau for giving her the wonderful experience of visiting their school.  Everyone warmed to her.

Next on the venue were the refreshments or "discussions"  in the school meeting room where satin and bows had transformed it into a palace. Being a little underling I was sat with Nigel and few other people from the foreign office and then suddenly the Baroness and company were off and I hastily texted a message to David the mentor , who was waiting in the class and before he got it, Baroness Warsi was in the class. 

She sat down, produced the collection of lovely books she had brought for the school and asked the pupils to choose a book for her to read. One of the girls was lifted onto the Baroness’s knee and the rest of the pupils listened intently while she read “How to catch a star”. We all sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and she talked for a short time with the mentee and then she was off and by the time I got round to the entrance again, the sirens had started and the Baroness and her entourage were on their way for lunch at the local restaurant of Mayang Sari.

The bemused parents!

It was all over and everything had been fine. We could all relax now and that is when the fun began! We all went and filled our plates with noodles and curry puffs, sat in the thrones pretending to be VIPs and I had endless photos taken with everyone in the village. They obviously decided to elect me as their royalty as no one else was left.  Fiona, Duchess of Piasau, yes, it has a sort of ring to it! Well I can honestly say that I would be very proud to have the title if it was on offer. Thank you everyone in Kampong Piasau – you were all wonderful.

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