Sweet memories of marriage to Kanang
KUCHING: Heroes too need love and affection and the late well-decorated war hero Datuk Temenggong Datuk Kanang Langkau was no exception.
When his first wife Helen Latai Ini died in 2011 at the age of 61, he grieved for her.
For a while he tried to get on with his life, but soon realised that he needed a companion.
After much contemplation and soul searching, he proposed to his late wife’s cousin Brawang Chunggot, 54, last year.
And yesterday, Brawang could not hold back her tears when she received a letter of condolence on the death of her husband from the Sultan of Selang or Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah which was sent through The Star Sarawak and Sabah editor M. Rajah.
In the letter, Sultan Sharafuddin conveyed his condolences to Brawang for her loss as Kanang was a good husband, a treasured national hero and an exemplary military man.
On Wednesday, Brawang received a similar letter from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is expected to visit her on Jan 28.
Relating their life together, Brawang said Kanang had told her that he came with a sincere and loving heart with the intention of taking care of her.
“He was really down when Helen passed away, and I was glad to be able to lift his spirits and give him some happiness during our marriage which, unfortunately, didn’t last long.
“I miss him and his jokes. The house is so quiet nowadays without him,” said Brawang.
Kanang, 68, a former member of the famed and fearsome Sarawak Rangers, died of a heart attack at the Sarawak General Hospital at 1.45am on Jan 3.
The widow said that moments before Kanang had the heart attack, he had asked her to join him for coffee around 11.30pm as he watched the news and football highlights.
“He was a fan of Barcelona Football Club and his favourite player was Lionel Messi,” she said.
“After coffee, he brushed his teeth and shortly after that he had difficulty breathing. He also said he had pain in the chest and was sweating.
“Before he passed out, he told me repeatedly that he would die and I massaged his shoulders to make him comfortable.”
Brawang said Kanang also loved iced lemon tea and could drink up to three glasses when meeting friends in coffeeshops.
“He enjoyed eating bak kut teh and meat cooked in bamboo,” she recalled.