JOHOR BARU: Thirty-eight year-old Yahya Sahid had a hard time looking for a songkok soon after the passing of Almarhum Almutawakkil Al-Allah Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail was announced on Friday. "I could not find the right fit. And the thing is most of the songkok shops in the city have run out of certain sizes," he said when met buying a songkok yesterday at Plaza Larkin.

Yahya, an employee at SM Teknik Johor Baru, said it was the least he could do as a Johorean to mourn the loss of his beloved ruler.

"As a Johorean, I am loyal to my ruler and I will grieve with the royal family," he added.

Since Saturday, Johoreans had been donning the songkok with a piece of white cloth wrapped around it for Muslim men; white tudung for Muslim women; and a black armband on the left hand for non-Muslims as a sign that they, too, were grieving. They could also be seen adopting their mourning attire while at work or leisure in a display of respect to the late sultan and his family.

The mourning period for the rakyat ends on Friday.

A songkok seller, Nely Asrinda Busamal, said people had been crowding her store to buy new songkok with straps of white cloth.

"The demand for the songkok has drastically increased. At the same time, I also sell black cloth as armbands for non-Muslims," said the 30-year-old while attending to her customers.

She also said many rushed to shopping malls and night markets to buy white tudung and songkok other than white baju kurung and black baju melayu on the night prior to the royal funeral.

Nely Asrinda's mother, Suharti Aziz, 60, who ran the store said despite the increase in sales, they had no intention to raise the price of their wares.

"This time around, it is not about business. It is about grieving the passing of our beloved ruler and to mourn a great loss with the royal family," said Suharti.

As for sisters Lee Kim Ngo, 51, and Lee Kim Lian, 52, putting on such attire should be considered as a responsibility among Johoreans following the passing of their ruler. Both described the late Sultan Iskandar as a great ruler and the people held him in high regard.