Late ASP Wilfred Gomez honoured with posthumous award
The late ASP Wilfred Gomez Malong was posthumously awarded the Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara medal by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) during a ceremony held here yesterday.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Dato Mancha Ata said the medal is to recognise Wilfred’s bravery during a battle with communist insurgents in Ulu Poi, Kanowit on June 20, 1973.
“Despite being largely outnumbered by the communist terrorists, Wilfred and two other police officers managed to fend off and emerge victorious in the battle,” said Mancha in a statement.
Wilfred was also awarded the Pingat Gagah Berani (PGB) from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1974 following the battle, making him the youngest person in Malaysia to receive the medal at the age of 24.
Born in Betong, Wilfred retired from the police force in 1980 and passed away on Feb 5, 2013 at the age of 63.
He was laid to rest at the Kampung Entingan cemetery in Kota Samarahan.
Receiving the posthumous award at the Sarawak General Operations Force headquarters was Wilfred’s son Isaac Alexander Gomez. Also receiving medals during the ceremony that started on Tuesday were 374 retired police personnel.
In the statement, Mancha called upon retired and former police personnel who are eligible for the award to register on the PDRM website.
“The award is for those who were not in service during the Emergency period between 1962 and Oct 17, 1990.
“Based on our records, a total of 1,767 retired personnel who are eligible have not yet come forward to receive their awards,” he said.
He added that since 2014, the Sarawak police have held 13 award ceremonies and handed out a total of 3,435 awards.
The recipients are made up of 2,340 retired police personnel and 1,075 police personnel who are still in service. Only 20 retired police personnel were handed their medals outside of the official ceremony due to health or medical conditions.