Sandakan, Tawau get new Presidents

KOTA KINABALU: Engineer James Wong was today appointed as the new President of the Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS).

Hajiji (left) handing over appointment letter to Wong

Ir. Wong, 53, took his oath-of-office before Sabah's Minister for Local Government and Housing, Datuk Haji Hajiji Haji Noor at the Ministry in Kota Kinabalu.

Ismail (right) receiving his appointment letter from Hajiji

He later took his pledge of good conduct (Akujanji) as a civil servant in front of the Ministry's permanent secretary, Datuk Haji Ujang Haji Sulani; witnessed by the Minister.

Wong taking his oath-of-office before Hajiji

Also present were Hajiji's assistant minister, Datuk Ghulam Bahadar Khan and deputy permanent secretarty, Haji Ahmadshah Talib.

Wong signing his acceptance of appointment

Wong, who has been the General Manager of the Sabah State Railway Department for the past 2 years, replaced MPS president Yeo Boon Hai who has been appointed the new Director-General of the Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council (DBKK).

Ismail taking his oath-of-office before Hajiji

It is a promotion for both Wong and Yeo.

Hajiji is the minister-in-charge of all the local authorities in Sabah including municipal and district councils and the Kudat Town Board but excluding DBKK which is under the Chief Minister's Department.

Ismail signing his oath-of-office before Hajiji

At the same ceremony, Ismail Hj Mayakob was appointed acting President of the Tawau Municipal Council. Both Sandakan and Tawau are on the East Coast of Sabah.

Ismail taking his Akujanji (Pledge)

He took over from Haji Salsidu Ibrahim who is now the Director of the State Government Printing Department. Ismail has been Salsidu's deputy before this.

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters, Hajiji advised the two new presidents to work hard and be people-friendly. He urged them to identify the urgent problems without neglecting the basics like cleanliness and garbage collection.

A group photograph with the two new Presidents

Congratulating the two gentlemen on their appointment, he however expressed confidence that they with their vast experience would be able to meet the people and government's expectations.

The 2 new Presidents - Ismail (left) and Wong

Conrad gets 6 months

Former Sabah Minister Datuk Conrad Mojuntin (pic) was jailed for six months by the High Court in Kota Kinabalu today for criminal intimidation.

The former State Minister for Culture, Youth and Sports under the former Berjaya government was jailed for criminally intimidating businessman Doughty Disimon, 30, outside the SJD Cafe & Sports at about 3.30am on Oct 23, 2005. behind the Public Bank in Donggongon, Penampang near Kota Kinabalu.

However, Judicial Commissioner Datuk Abdul Rahman Sebli allowed a stay of execution of the sentence pending appeal and fixed bail at RM5,000 with two sureties.

Abdul Rahman also fined Conrad, 60, and his nephew , David Mojuntin, 44, RM2,000 in default three months jail each for voluntarily causing hurt to businessman Chee Hee Fatt, 45, at the same place at 4am on the same day.

They paid the fines.

On Dec 17, the High Court allowed the prosecution's appeal and overturned the Magistrate Court's acquittal of the Mojuntins on all charges in March last year.

In allowing the appeal, Abdul Rahman held that the magistrate had seriously misdirected himself when he ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

The Mojuntins were represented by counsel Zahir Hussein Shah while deputy public prosecutor Salim Soin appeared for the prosecution.

Conrad is the younger brother of the late Kadazan leader Datuk Peter Mojuntin, the former Minister for Local Government and Housing who was killed along with the Chief Minister, Tun Fuad Stephens and two other Sabah Ministers in an air crash on June 6, 1976.

Stephens' 9-month-old Berjaya party had just won the State general election two months earlier, ousting the Alliance party (Usno-Sca) which ruled Sabah from 1967.

Conrad was chosen as Berjaya's candidate in the ensuing by-election in his late brother's constituency, Moyog in Penampang, considered the heartland of Kadazan nationalism since the early 1960s.

Upon winning, Conrad was made Assistant Minister for Finance before being promoted to full minister in the early 1980s. Berjaya lost to the one-and-a-half month old Sabah United Party (PBS) in 1985. Conrad was among the election casulties, failing to defend his Moyog seat.

Doughty is the son of former Sabah Housing & Town Development Authority (LPPB) general manager Sylvester Jomitod Disimon. The SJD Cafe, which has since ceased operations, was named after him. Now a retiree, Sylvester is the Chairman of the Penampang branch of the Kadazan Society of Sabah (KKS).

(Source: Bernama and Sikmading)

First Day of 2009

Today is Thursday 1 January 2009, the first day of the New Year. Hopefully, it's also the beginning of a Blessed, Prosperous and Fruitful year for all of us; especially you my beloved visitor.

As I begin to write this post, it's already past 10pm. By right, I should be in bed by now; considering the late night last night (or rather morning) to usher in the New Year. Plus the busy and tiring day that I have been through today. But then I remember my Resolution which is more or less an indirect promise to you my faithful visitor - One Post A Day! To break a new year promise on the very first day is - well, I leave it to you to think of the right word.

By right too, I should have been in Church first thing in the morning. Apart from being New Year Day, today is also an important day in the Catholic calender. May be not as important as Christmas Day or Good Friday, but the fact that it coincides with the first day of the new year makes it easier to remember and more significant.

Today is observed by Catholics the world over as Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Mother Mary has an important place in the hearts of or for that matter the daily lives of Catholics. They honour Mother Mary and ask her to intercede through the recitation of the Holy Rosary, another thing unique to the Catholics.

However, the time of the Mass coincided with the time I had to send my in-laws to the airport. In other words, not on purpose. Please forgive me, Mama Mary. My in-laws who are based in Ipoh, Perak were back on holidays this time of the year for the past 3 years. So last night, we held a New Year eve cum farewell party for them.

After my in-laws flew off, my wife told me to send my mother-in-law back to her hometown in Tamparuli. She is a Dusun Lotud in her 70s and sure has a lot of Dusun legends to tell. Will try to document one for you soon.

After coming back from Tamparuli, it was time to wash my car which was quite dirty. Lagi pun Tahun Baru bah. Kereta pun mesti bersih. While the car was being washed, sat down at Multibake/Delicafe next to Coffee Bean in Damai. Although they are a cake shop, they do have a few sofa seats for those who order drinks. I just wanted to try whether can receive 'free' wi-fi or not. After all, the coffee and tea served by Multibake cost only half of that charged by Coffee Bean next door. The verdict? Forget it, all got password one!

Spent whole afternoon trying to fix wife's desktop and printer. Result - late dinner plus tiredness and sleepiness 'carried forward from last night. Soon as I finish this post, will jump into bed. After all, tomorrow is the first working day of the year.

In conclusion, as always we look forward to the dawning year with much hope for something new and better. We also talk of resolutions. As the Filipinos say: "Bagong taon ay magbagong buhay" which means New Year, new life.

I leave you with a quote from the Bible: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the laws, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of His son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!". So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. - Gal. 4:4-7