A Crowned Advocate

Nority Bujeng is not one to be deterred in spirit; despite the many predicaments in her life, she continues to advocate for women’s empowerment and encourage women, especially mothers with special needs children, to adopt a business mindset. Recently, she returned from Vietnam, where she was crowned Miss Business Culture Global 2024 at the Miss Business Global (MBG) beauty pageant.

A mission for women’s empowerment

Life has always given Nority Bujeng lemons. Instead of being deterred, she embraces these challenges with courage in her pursuit of women’s empowerment. A strong woman who inspires many, Nority recently won the title of Miss Business Culture Global 2024 at the Miss Business Global (MBG) beauty pageant. Held in Vietnam from July 13-22, Nority, representing Malaysia, competed against participants from 21 countries.

Nority, clad in her Miss Business Culture Global 2024 sash and crown.

Although the competition final’s live broadcast was cancelled due to the passing of Vietnam’s general secretary, the organisers of MBG decided to hold a closed-door event for the participants.

“Despite not having a finale on stage and no broadcast, I still feel blessed as I was able to bring back a crown for my country, Malaysia, and my region, Sarawak. All this happened on Sarawak’s Independence Day — July 22. I feel happy that I was able to bring a small gift home to over 2 million Sarawakians and over 33 million Malaysians.”

Sharing further, the 47-year-old expressed gratitude despite the preparation for this competition not being smooth sailing, she managed to achieve a title. She also revealed that she has been overwhelmed by serious skin allergies since January 2022.

“I experienced bad skin conditions, massive hair loss, and redness on my scalp. On the day I touched down in Vietnam, my scalp was bleeding. Despite these conditions, I gathered my courage to continue my journey to raise the country’s flag, as it is not just about me but also my fellow Malaysians and Sarawakians,” she said, adding that this is her first international pageant competition.

With the competition seeing participants as young as 21, Nority felt that competing among the young, beautiful, and experienced girls was a challenge. Nevertheless, through her effort and perseverance, she was able to capture the jury’s attention during the pageant week activities and on the final stage.

To her, the secret to achieving this was simply being herself, as she brought out her inner beauty without trying to copy others.

“Trust your ability and talent; only then can you spark your inner shine. If anyone tells you that you are past your prime, show them that they are wrong. I believe that age is just a number, and it does not determine one’s ability or future.”

Among the many memories she gained from the competition, the best ones were the moments when the Vietnamese she met showed great hospitality. The gesture touched her, as she felt blessed to be cared for and loved by the people of the country she was competing in.

“When the competition was over and I had to return to Malaysia, one of the judges, Miss Ha, cried. She also asked for my address to send me a gift, which is an Ao Dai, one of Vietnam’s traditional garments. Another sponsor gave me many gifts to bring back to Malaysia. Overall, I am glad to have been able to showcase beautiful Malaysia through me to these Vietnamese.”

Crowned Miss Business Global 2024 in Vietnam.

With Miss Ha, one of the judges Nority has admired since the beginning of pageant week.

Inspired by the legendary Sinyarong Kijang

Nority has a 21-year-old autistic son Darren, who is currently studying fashion and dressmaking. With his skills and talents, Nority worked with him to create a national costume for the competition. A mother-son DIY project, she revealed that the costume — headgear, cawat, and skirts — are their creations, while the tikar bemban bustier and other accessories are not.

Based on the legendary Sinyarong Kijang, the last female warrior, she was inspired by her as she is from the Bakati of Sepauk, West Kalimantan, part of her Indonesian ancestry.

“I really adore Sinyarong Kijang because she was the only woman warrior in her era. I was only seven when I first heard her legendary story from my late grandfather. The story about her became hazy, and my grandfather passed away 20 years ago.”

Before the legend disappears, Nority decided to create a national costume so the newer generation can remember her.

“Sinyarong Kijang was not only a strong woman; she could also turn invisible and hide behind a bush. She also stood strong as she watched her sword fly and chop off her opponent’s head.”

The woman warrior eventually succumbed to Sudung Mak Pancer’s hands, and her skull was kept in a small ritual house called Dio Punggo in Bangkayang, Indonesia, along with 29 other skulls of the Bakati leluhur clan.

“She might be gone, but her stories continue to inspire me, as she is an example of women empowerment in her era.”

 Nority in her national costume, inspired by the legendary folklore character Sinyarong Kijang.

A role to preserve and empower

Coming from a minority ethnic group of Sarawak — the Rara Bakati — Nority revealed that she is the first beauty queen from this ethnicity. Therefore, she felt it was her duty to constantly create awareness of the 0.05 per cent of the population in Malaysia and the world.

Apart from that, through her pageantry work since 2019, she also raises awareness about getting strokes at a young age after her own survival from a brainstem stroke in 2018. With her experiences in the pageant industry, Nority realised that through the platforms provided, she could empower women in society to use their voices and be heard.

Nority

Among the pageants she has participated in are: second-runner-up for Mrs Sarawak 2019; Mrs Queen of the World International Malaysia 2020 — winner of the Inspiration Queen category — and second-runner-up for Mrs Grand Sabah and Sarawak 2022.

In her recent pageant competition, MBG, she advocated for women’s empowerment by encouraging women, especially mothers with special needs children, to have a business mindset.

“As a mum of an autistic child myself, I believe that having a business mindset can help these women use their skills, abilities, and talents to grow as future business leaders.”

Although the pageant is over, Nority continues to spread her advocacy. She believes that women can thrive regardless of any circumstances. In the future, she hopes to collaborate with organisations and government bodies to give motivational talks at schools or relevant events. Nority will also collaborate with Opar assemblyman Billy Sujang for future charity visits.

For all the support she has received throughout her journey, she thanked Mrs Sarawak pageant coach and director, Cassey; Dr Deborah Dawson; and Rujilin, the national director for MBG Malaysia, who trusted her ability in this competition.

Alongside participants from other countries at the competition.

Nority Bujeng’s advice for those who want to enter pageantry:

• Being disciplined is important: discipline during the competition, discipline while carrying the title, and discipline in fulfilling your responsibilities during the reign.
• Only by working hard can the dream be yours.
• Be humble. No matter how high you fly, never forget where you come from and who has supported your success.