KUCHING: If you take 40 minutes to walk a distance of 300 metres, you’re either slow (naturally or otherwise) or just taking your sweet time.
It was neither one for Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg who did take that length of time to walk that distance from one end of a longhouse to the other.
He was recently at 52-door Rumah Robert Ngumbang, Nanga Sebatu in Kapit where he launched GPS Zone 11 which comprises the state constituencies of Katibas, Bukit Goram, Pelagus and Baleh within two parliamentary constituencies, Hulu Rejang and Kapit.
The good problem for the chief minister that day was the longhouse was packed with supporters from end to end, and he was obliged to shake the hands with the people, many of whom saw him up close for the first time.
Now, back to the matter of walking speed; assume that a standard adult walking speed is 2.5 miles per hour (4 kilometres per hour), which is 1.11 metres per second, the standard walker would complete 100 metres in 90.1 seconds.
Abang Johari covered 300 metres, remember? Multiply 90.1 seconds by 3 and you get 270.3 seconds (or 4.5 minutes) – the time it would have taken him had he been a standard walker.
As it was, he took 40 minutes to cover that distance, 7.5 minutes per metre, all the while shaking hands. That would slow down anybody!
However, Abang Johari did not complain. In fact he was all smiles all the way all day because the hands that he shook were those of his and GPS supporters.
It was a situation that any politician would welcome any time. As some people would say, “A good problem to have.”
