Although I officially resigned as a commissioner in 2018, my last position being State’s Assistant Chief Scout Commissioner in charge of Media and ITC, I have never completely resigned from or left scouting.
This is because scouting is an integral part of me, or rather, I am an integral part of scouting.
Scouting holds a special place in my heart, and my scouting friends never hesitate to ask for my help, particularly when it comes to media and publication.
I first met my late scouting brother, Haji Mohd Said Bolhassan (better known as Pak Said), in 1979 when I was the KLM-27 group commissioner at Maktab Perguruan Rajang (MPR) in Bintangor.
He, whom I used to call Dato, conducted a one-day Woodbadge Part 1 Course at MPR. I participated in the course alongside college trainees, some of whom had no scouting experience, and a few were older than me, who were then 25 years old.
Throughout my Woodbadge and scouting courses, except for the National Training Course (NTC) for the third bead of the Woodbadge, which I completed in 1993 at Kem Sardon in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Pak Said was always there to conduct or assist in conducting the courses.
Our most memorable moment together was a three-night stay in one of Sri Aman’s primary schools, where a Woodbadge Course Part 3 was conducted.
This likely took place in the early ’90s before my NTC for the third bead of the Woodbadge. Before leaving Sri Aman, we went to the Tamu, where he acted as a ‘Dato’ and treated us to breakfast so that all the scout commissioners with us would address him as ‘Dato.’
The late Pak Said served as the ADC for the then Head of State, Tun Salahuddin. When he passed away in 2020, he was the Executive Secretary at the Scout Headquarters in Batu Lintang.
Thanks to our founder, Lord Baden Powell, scouting has introduced me to a great number of friends from across continents, people of all classes and creeds. This aligns with International Scout Law number four, which states that a Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts.
The scouting movement is open to people of all faiths, as well as humanists, atheists, and those without affirmed faith. Therefore, it must take into account the different religious obligations or non-religious beliefs of its members.
In 1969, I fulfilled my Tenderfoot requirements, including the swimming test, where we had to wear our Scout uniforms while crossing the Krian tributary, the Sebetan River, despite it being jammed with floating logs.
The presence of a female Canadian teacher, Miss Christine Grotefield, in her swimming suit, provided extra motivation to pass the test.
She was nearly six feet tall and left a lasting impression in rural Saratok. In 1969, at the age of 15, I even danced with her, with my nose between her cleavage.
She was the last available lady, as the rest were already taken by the seniors, and I was probably the only Form 2 boy attending the weekend dance organized by the Student Council, which charged an entrance fee of RM0.50 per person. One requested song cost 20 sen.
Years later, I proudly designed the mural for the school hall and was paid RM10 by our teacher, Senior Assistant Gramong Juna (now Datuk), for the excellent job I completed in three days. By the time I became the school principal in 1985, the hall was merely a faint memory.
Cikgu Ahmad, our Scoutmaster in 1969, did an excellent job training all of us. However, when the Malaysian Jamboree took place in Melaka in 1970, none of us were included in the Sarawak contingent for reasons beyond my understanding at the time.
I did not have the opportunity to be tested for my Second Class skills and remained disconnected from scouting throughout my secondary and tertiary education.
It was only a decade later that I reconnected with the scouting movement when I was appointed as the Group Commissioner upon starting my job as a lecturer at Rajang Teachers College in rural Bintangor (formerly Binatang).
It was during this time that I came to know Richard Riot Jaem (now MP and former Minister of Human Resources Malaysia, Datuk Seri Dr Richard Riot Jaem), who served as the Regional Scout Commissioner for Sarikei Division while holding the position of Divisional Youth and Sports Officer.
Throughout my scouting journey, it was always ‘Dato’ Haji Mohd Said bin Bolhassan who became my good friend and mentor, even during the tenure of the late Chief Scout Commissioner Dunstan Melling Undau.
He reignited my enthusiasm for scouting and promised me the FOURTH bead as an international trainer, which he referred to as the scouting equivalent of a PhD.
Many, including the late Haji Said himself, thought that I resigned from scouting out of disillusionment for not receiving decorations.
This is not true because, in 2016, I was bestowed with the Ahli Bintang Kenyalang (ABK) by Governor Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. When I became a scout leader, receiving decorations (medals, etc.) never crossed my mind.
It was more about enjoying my innate connection to nature, having been born in a rural setting surrounded by the croaks of frogs and toads, the calls of birds, and the shrieks of monkeys.
So, naturally, when others received honours and medals, I accepted that I had not done enough but was surprised and grateful for my ABK award in 2016, just five days after my 62nd birthday.
As for the grounds on which those medals were granted, I am not privy to that, neither do I have any hint, nor do I care.
But awards are given if your name is put forward with strong support, and I am sure this must have to do with having the right connections, even if the recipient does not necessarily deserve the award.
I was in the best position but never asked for it over the years because the Scouts Council president, Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, a friend I have known since 1975, and the former chief commissioner, the late Dunstan Melling Undau, who was my cousin and close friend, held those positions.
However, because awards had been eluding me for decades, I just carried on doing my best. Again, I am thankful for the 2016 award.
Most scouting leaders are given a Letter of Merit from the National Chief Scout for a job well done, which I never had the privilege of receiving.
I simply worked hard without thinking of any reward. It was more about the satisfaction of having achieved something rather than receiving a reward.
Nevertheless, I remember being recommended for state awards since 1982, despite having achieved nothing except for some questionable paperwork that I was happy to support with just a simple signature.
It was no surprise that those awards were out of reach, and all the signatures supporting those recommendations were forgotten by 1989 after I had started three new scouting districts and revitalized at least three others.
The Executive Secretary at Scout HQ in Batu Lintang should have the records and could check which senior scout commissioner has a record surpassing or at least equaling my accomplishments in starting three scouting districts.
I am glad to see that a few leaders trained and led by me from those rural districts are now doing well, with several holding state appointments and serving as district commissioners themselves. These individuals truly deserve recognition, but I am not familiar with the details regarding decorations.
The late Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr Sulaiman Daud signed the award document for my only scouting award, the Pingat Perkhidmatan Baik (Silver Medal Meritorious Award), in 1992, which was almost two decades overdue.
This was a significant jump from the basic award, namely the aforementioned Letter of Commendation with a yellow-white-yellow bar, whereas mine had an overall green bar, the second lowest award.
So, when I attended the NTC a year later (in 1993) in Cheras, I proudly wore my single bar. None of the other course participants had any service bars, except for a Sea Scout leader who had his uniform adorned with a single yellow-white-yellow bar.
Scout leaders should primarily be concerned with providing their best services, and my conscience is very clear regarding the services I have rendered. The records are there to be scrutinized by anyone who has access to them. In my resignation letter, I stated that I resigned as a commissioner but not from scouting. This letter was written two years after receiving my ABK award.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
