Losing a dear friend
Thursday�� March 2�� was�� for me�� a day to remember. On that afternoon�� I learnt of the demise of DAP Sabah chairman Datuk Stephen Wong Tien Fatt. My mind and my thoughts went back to those times we shared in DAP. Stephen was the deputy chairman while I was the secretary for DAP Sabah.
Stephen won the Sandakan MP seat while I won the Kapayan State seat in 2013. The infamous ‘Shanghai handshake’ led to our parting as comrades. An hour later�� another shock came with the news of the demise of my dear friend�� Henry Mogindol. Coincidentally�� Henry was the former DAP Sabah treasurer.
A few months after I reported for duty as a veterinary officer at Kapayan in 19��5�� Henry did not waste time to invite me to join his badminton team. They practised regularly at the Penampang Tun Fuad community centre. Later�� we took up golf by joining the Kinabalu Golf Club (KGC).
However�� years later�� he dropped off from all sports because of a back pain. Nevertheless�� he was so excited and looking forward to be an honorary member of KGC. Age wise�� he was qualified�� but�� unfortunately�� was barely short of a few months to qualify the 30-year membership criteria.
The Lions Club International became popular in the eighties. Sabah’s first Lions club�� the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu (Host) sponsored the Lions Club of Penampang. The club was chartered in March 19��5 with Henry as the Chartered President.
Henry was a senior accountant at the then Sabah Electricity Board (SEB). I remember the pool of membership were from the government civil service.
I was with the Veterinary Department�� the late William Pain (Customs and Excise Department)�� the late Freddy Lajanty (Education Department)�� Range Majikol (Education Department)�� Philix Laimon (SEB)�� Henry Ng (Penampang Council) just to name a few.
I retired from the civil service in 2000�� joined a USA-based conservation organisation and also became a partner in a veterinary practice. After leaving the NGO in 2006�� I joined Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘Reformasi’ movement - Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Penampang - and contested in Penampang in 200��.
Henry Mogindol was a true political comrade. He joined me in PKR (2007)�� followed me to DAP (2009) and Parti Anak Negeri in 2017. Our political fortunes were tied up to principles in politic.
Our civil service and NGO backgrounds had a great impact on how we look at politics.
Just like what my former PKR comrade�� Ansari Abdullah�� said to me: “There are gems and glasses in politics�� the electorates must know how to differentiate them”.
WhenHenrybecamethePresident of the Sabah Anti-Tuberculosis Association (SABATA)�� he brought me in to help the association at the Penampang branch.
As a veterinarian�� I saw the importance of eradicating tuberculosis (TB) in our community. Our involvement in the Lions Club had taken us to many parts of Sabah�� Sarawak and Malaya. We organised many TB awareness programs in Penampang. Henry became the president of SABATA and moved the association to greater height in terms of activities and fund raising. For his contributions�� he was awarded the ‘Anugerah Tokoh Sukarelawan Kebajikan 201�� (Lelaki)’ or ‘Distinguished Award for Exemplary Social Welfare Work (Male)’�� for excellent service to social volunteerism.
I was at his home when he showed me the award which was made of glass and was quite heavy. He opened a bottle of whiskey to celebrate his achievement. I was hoping that he would be awarded a Datukship so that we could open another bottle of cognac!
Just recently�� Henry and I had found time to travel together to Thailand�� the Philippines and the Holy Land. I am thankful to the good Lord for being able to convince his wife�� Ailin�� to join in the trip to the Holy Land. Ailin was not too sure if Henry could make the tough journey as he had a back problem. He had just recovered from a back surgery and was on a wheelchair for a while.
We joined Alicia Gomez’s Avasi Borneo November 201�� tour group and spent about 12 days experiencing the life of Jesus. To be in the Holy Land is a dream fulfilled. It was amazing to see Henry making the trip with ease.
The many videos�� photographs and personal contacts will always remind us of you. Goodbye my friend�� rest well in the Lord’s Kingdom.