PUTRAJAYA, Aug 26 (Bernama) — Residents in Precinct 9 here, are used to seeing Shamsurrijal Abdul Jamil faithfully washing his collection of Proton cars in front of his house on Sunday.

But the eye-catching vehicle is the Proton Satria GTi with the registration number ‘Jalur Gemilang II’.

Shamsurrijal, 57, said the car he affectionately calls ‘Jalur Gemilang II’ was the vehicle he used on his successful solo driving mission to over 45 countries in 2003.

For him, the car, painted in the colours of the Malaysian flag is a symbol of his love and patriotism for his country.

“Alhamdulillah, Jalur Gemilang II is still road-worthy and has no major problems. This car still uses the original engine and it is running smoothly,” he told Bernama.

Recalling his solo drive, Shamsurrijal said it was his fondest memory and sweetest experience as he is the only Malaysian who had succeeded in the mission with the car.

“During the expedition, I took the opportunity to highlight interesting facts about Malaysia to people abroad. They were excited to know about our country located in South East Asia.

“At that time, I wanted to promote Malaysia to the whole world by painting the car in the colours of the Malaysian flag,” he said.

He said, It was the right move since the vehicle would always attract the attention of onlookers when passing through the countries.

Nonetheless, he also faced challenging moments during the journey like bad weather conditions and different road conditions in various countries.

“However, I have always had the support of local people and was welcomed, as some even let me stay in their homes, for example, people in Bosnia-Herzegovina who appreciated what Malaysia did to help them during the war,” he said.

Shamsurrijal’s solo drive to 45 countries from Feb 14 to Nov 23 2003 kicked off in Johor Bahru and ended in Moscow, Russia. It took him 10 months to complete the journey.

But, unfortunately, for his return leg, Shamsurrijal was forced to leave Jalur Gemilang II in Russia because he had to rush home due to a family emergency.

“Despite being left unattended for months, Jalur Gemilang proved reliable as ever. A battery change was all it needed and the car was as good as new,” he said.

He said the story of the Jalur Gemilang II recently became a trending topic on social media after he participated in the Art of Speed 2022 exhibition held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) in Serdang, Selangor.

“The current generation may not know about the story of Jalur Gemilang II but after I participated in the exhibition, many young people became interested to know more about my journey driving the Proton Satria GTI,” he said.

Shamsurrijal said he intends to embark on another solo mission around the world using Jalur Gemilang II in 2025.

“It is a mission that I will undertake if my health and finances permit. I will definitely try. I have also studied the routes to take if I embark on this solo mission to drive around the world,” said the private sector employee from Selangor.

Shamsurrijal who is a father of three children has eight grandchildren. He also has a collection of other Proton cars including a Saga, Putra, Wira, Savvy, Suprima, Perdana as well as an X70.

“Proton is always close to my heart because this national car is comparable to foreign cars.

“My collection of Proton cars also translates my love for products made in Malaysia… we should be proud of Proton or Perodua,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency