Remembering Double Six (Part 3)

One for the album after the memorial service at the Double Six monument this morning. From left, front row: Datuk Chong Thain Vun's relative, KK Mayor Datuk Illyas Ibrahim, Datin Jikilin Binion, Datin Nancy Mojuntin, Datuk Edward Khoo, Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens, Juanita Salleh Sulong with her children, and Donald Mojuntin (far right).

A solemn moment...From right: Datin Jikilin Binion, Datin Nancy Mojuntin, Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens, Datuk Edward Khoo, Mayor Datuk Illyas and Juanita Salleh Sulong.

Toh Puan Rahimah paying respects to her late husband, former Chief Minister and former Sabah Governor Tun Fuad Stephens (the former Dato' Donald Stephens). After the tragedy in 1976, she replaced her husband as Kiulu Assemblywoman and became the first woman Minister in the Sabah State Cabinet under the Berjaya Government led by her husband's successor Datuk Harris Salleh. She remained Kiulu Assemblywoman until 1985 when she was defeated by a PBS candidate. Many of her Cabinet colleagues including Harris also lost in that historic election won by PBS led by Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan who succeeded Harris as Chief Minister.

A (literally) touching moment....Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens who is in her 70s gets a helping hand from Datuk Edward Khoo as she walks to the reception area after the ceremony. It reflects Khoo's filial piety and the present BN government's caring attitude. This is not surprising and most befitting as Edward's father the late Dato' Khoo Siak Chiew served in the late Stephens' Cabinet in the early 1960s. In other words, the 2nd generation Khoo was showing his respect to the Toh Puan as a son would to a mother.

Juanita (right), daughter of the late Datuk Salleh Sulong, gets acquainted with Datuk Edward Khoo while her Iranian husband looks on. She was less than 7 years old when her father was killed in the 1976 plane crash. Juanita met her husband while studying overseas many years ago. They are now back in Sabah for good.

From left: Donald Mojuntin, Edward Khoo and Rahimah Stephens having breakfast after the morning ceremony at Double Six Memorial. Donald, now an Assistant Minister, was only 11 years old when the tragedy took the life of his father. Befittingly, Donald won his father's former Moyog State constituency in the recent general election on an (new) UPKO ticket. His father first won Moyog also on an (old) UPKO ticket in 1967.

(For a larger view, click on the images.)