A Poem of Praise for me as a Warrior.

I found this beautifully written poem of praise in Iban language for me as an Iban Warrior and for the deeds I have done.

PANTUN PUJI LT KOL ROBERT RIZAL ABDULLAH PGB (B)

(Written in Iban language)

 

Kira enda lebu ga nuan,

ke bulih gelar Raja Berani

laban ulih nyapai bintang besai

ke ngasuh nama nuan pegari tingi gegeyai nadai mandung.

Endang enda lebu ga karung mengada nuan suba,

ke bisi tebunsa nangung pemerinsa

mai nuan dalam pengelama keleman 9 bulan.

Laban penatai nuan di dunya endang di anti 

sida Keling enggau Bunga Nuing.

Di kemata lalu basa sida Laja seduai Bunga Jawa.

Endang di intai ka sida Sempurai,

lalu timang sida Kumang seduai Indai Abang.

Di indung sida Lulong Indai Mendung

ari Gelung ke nyingit nyinggong daun sabang.

Ke endang berimbai enggau orang Panggau di menoa jela Isang.

Tang dalam maya nya, dia Tutong, 

Tuai orang di Gelung pen sama bisi ga nutong ka Setawak

Nebah dumbak maya nuan ka mencelak

Mula iya meda dunya,

Ambi semua Petara sama bela nemu

Nuan bisi datai ngagai dunya landai kitai diatu.

Tang dia enda mukai-mukai deh indai karung

Mengada enggi nuan bujang melisa,

Tak enda berasai mabun laya ningal ka dunya

Maya nuan beguna serta ngiga alai meraya,

Lalu maya nuan tetengok ka tusu ai madu enggi iya.

Tang Petara endang amat bisi ngemata ka nuan ungal wai,

Ke alai Bunsu Sempandai seduai aki kitai Bujang Serangkang Kirai 

Bisi datai mai ka nuan pemakai 

awak ka nuan tau besai mansang nyingkang tau bejalai.

Dia deh nuan lalu udah tejapai ka tangkai nyiur undang

Ke merundai labuh tejuntai,

Lebuh nuan ke enggau orang nyarau ranyai  

di manua Nunok Ulu Serpan di madang paya maram

Ke di wan bunsu Antu Kamba, Endu Dara Sia

Ke berumah di Paya Maram Semadang,

Ke ngembuan jelu Pusa Itung ke bekungkung baruh dagu,

Lalu ia tu meh ke bepemai ka Tajau Rusa bebungka Sengang.

Lalu laban nuan ke di kemata ke Petara

Di pandang aki kitai Lang Sengalang Burung,

Ke diau di tuchung langit landung,

Ke baka tudung seraung tangi payung langit.

Kedua agi laban iya tu meh menyadi Ini Manang Bali 

ke betelaga baruh rekung, menyadi biak Aki Lang Sengalang Burung,

Laki endu Yak Talun Kupak, Silai anak Runggang Jejabung.

Nya alai ungal,aku pen sama baka nuan meh suba

Ari Batalion ke-8 Rejimen Renjer.

Lalu tedinga ka nuan bisi pegari nama anak lelaki

Lebuh nuan tejapai ka Bintang Berani PGB,

Laban nuan udah mutus berani,

Tajam ati anak lelaki,

Tebunuh ka bala munsuh bansa komunis.

Nya alai ke penudi iya, ngajih nuan gerai nyamai,

Gayu guru nguan menoa lantang senang nguan dunya.

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban.

Lang Ngindang

*****************************************************

This is the translation into Bahasa Malaysia 

PANTUN PUJI  LT KOL (B) ROBERT RIZAL ABDULLAH PGB 

(Terjemahan dalam Bahasa Malaysia)

Kira tiada sia-sianya engkau,
yang memperolehi gelaran Raja Berani,
yang mampu mencapai bintang tinggi,
yang menyebabkan namamu dikenali,
dipandang tinggi tiada penghalang.

Sememangnya tiada sia-sianya kandung ibumu,
yang pernah menanggung kesakitan dibebanimu genap Sembilan bulan,
kerana kehadiranmu sememangnya ditunggu oleh Keling dan Bunga Nuing,
diperhati dan dihormati oleh Laja dan Bunga Jawa,
memang diintai oleh Sempurai,
lalu ditimang oleh Kumang dan Indai Abang,
dan digendong oleh Lulung Indai Mendung dari Gelung,
yang nyingit nyinggung daun sabang,
yang berdekatan dengan Orang Panggau di kediaman Jela Isang.

Pada masa itu Tutung ketua Orang Gelung,
turut bersama memukul gong dan menabuh gendang,
semasa engkau membuka mata kali pertama melihat dunia,
supaya semua Tuhan mengetahui yang engkau telah hadir 

menduduki dunia kita sekarang.

Tetapi, secara tiba-tiba tanpa diduga,
Ibu yang melahirkanmu Bujang Melisa,
meninggal dunia tatkala engkau memerlukannya,
Ketika engkau mencarinya untuk bermanja,
Ketika engkau berkeinginan menyusu air madu miliknya.

Namun Petara senantiasa memerhatikamu,
Di mana Bunsu Sempandai dan Bujang Serangkang Kirai,
Turut hadir memberkatimu dengan makanan,
Supaya dirimu mampu membesar, melangkah dan berjalan.

Oleh kerana engkau yang dilindungi Petara Perang,
Aki Lang Sengalang Burung,
Yang mendiami puncak langit,
Yang seperti tudung saji topi payung langit.
Kerana Dia adalah saudara Ini Manang Bali

Oleh sebab itu kawan,
Aku dahulu pun sama sepertimu,
Dari Batalion ke- 8 Rejimen Renjer,
Lalu terdengar yang engkau anak lelaki yang ternama,
Semasa engkau tercapai Bintang Berani PGB,
Kerana engkau memang berani,
Anak lelaki yang tajam hati,
Mampu membunuh musuh komunis.
Oleh sebab itu, aku doakan engkau sihat walafiat,
panjang umur, dan senang hidup di dunia.

REGISTRATION OF SARAWAK RANGERS VETERANS ASSOCIATION APPROiVED BY THE REGISTRAR OF THE SOCIETY.

We were in a delima.

With the approval of the new Veterans Act 2011 by Parliament, all registration of Armed Forces-related bodies will have to go through the Veterans Council, headed by Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Department or Jabatan Hal Ehwal Veterans ATM (JHEV ATM).

Implementation, however, seems to be delayed and no one knows exactly when it will function.

I cannot wait. SRVA needs to be registered immediately - if it cannot be done through the Veterans Council, then we will have to do it through ROS, in Kuching, Sarawak. A lot of pending jobs are depending on this approval.

That was exactly what we did. Within a week, our application was approved on 31 May 2012. SRVA's company registration number is 1082 - 12 - SWK.

Now we are shifting on to the next higher gear. We will have to convene our first Annual General Meeting in order to elect a Committee to steer the Association for the next two terms (4 years). At the same time and to save time and efforts, we will have to officially launch SRVA for the general public to know. This entails a big  amount of money, which we do not have at the moment. We need in the range of RM85k to foot the expenditure to bring in about 300 ex Iban Trackers, ex Sarawak Rangers and ex Malaysian Rangers from their various long houses in Sri Aman, Sibu, Song, Kapit and Miri to Kuching in order to attend the two functions that may be spreaded over two days.

APPEALING FOR DONATION
We are therefore appealing for donations from kind Samaritans. Please send your donations to Bank CIMB account number 1441 0064 075 528 (Robert Rizal Abdullah). Info me by sms/email at 6012 2751171 or rizalbob@gmail.com/ after you have credited your donation. Thank you.

Forming Love Taiping Club (Kelab Cintai Taiping)

Out of the sheer desire to unite Taipingites and to help the Local Municipal Council to keep Taiping town spick and span had prompted the founder, Lt Col Robert Rizal Abdullah PGB (Retired), to form Kelab Cintai Taiping (KCT) in facebook on 26 March 2012.

Started with a few family members, it soon grew very rapidly. Within a month, membership had reached 2000 - a figure we are very proud of. Even many Taiping groups that were formed earlier couldn't reach the figure we had attained in such a short time. Syabas KCT.

The first get-together and a brief meeting was done on 29 April 2012 at the Coronation Pool. It was the first time that many of the members had seen and met each other. For some it was a reunion.

A protem Committee  was formed with the founder, Lt Col Robert Rizal Abdullah (Retired) unanimously elected as the Protem President. Full list of the Protem Committee Members are as follows:

President:                            Lt Col Robert Rizal Abdullah PGB (Retired)
Deputy President:                Cikgu Bakar Ali.
Secretary General:               Cikgu Manaf
Assistant Secretary:             Cikgu Latifah Nordin
Treasurer General:               Puan Shirley Idris
Assistant Treasurer:             Puan Harizan Haniff.
Committee Members:          Cikgu Sivanathan Vello
                                           Lt Cdr Rosli Ahmad TLDM
                                           En Azham Hasim
                                           Zul Annmedia
                                           Puan Norliza Din
                                           Cikgu Aeinid Abdullah
                                           Raja Aimin Zulaikha Raja Malek
                                           En Ashruf Khan

We are in the process of making arrangement to register KCT as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). Once we are registered, KCT will elect a new set of Committee Members to lead it for the next 2 terms, through its first Annual General Meeting (AGM).

The Passing of a Dear Friend.

Death is always unpredictable. It can come unexpectedly. Even the most healthy can fall victim. One need not be sick to die, as shown by a dear friend, Anthony Belon - a friend. a relative and a schoolmate.


He was known to have no ailment and he was quite fit for his age. He must be about 60 years old and had just returned from a long jungle trekking into an Indonesian long house just across the border of Sarawak to do some missionary works.


I met him at a mini reunion organised by Datu Adi Badiozaman, just for me, when I came to Kuching on 23 November 2011. In fact he made a very recent entry in his blog dated 26 December 2011.

In the picture on the left, Anthony Belon is sitting in the centre.

Left to Right:        Datu Adi Badiozaman, me, Mrs Patrick Panai (Anne Tze), Thomas Iboh, Dr Dayang Mordeana, Peh Her Seng (of the burning film projector fame in Tanjong Lobang School in the 60s), Patrick Panai, a close friend since School days and Abdul Rahman Abdullah (a few years my junior). Anthony Belon is not in the picture as he was a little late. We were all from Tanjong Lobang School. Dayang and Rahman are the junior ones who went to Tanjong when it became Tanjong Lobang College in the 70s.


May I take this opportunity to offer my heart-felt condolence and sympathy to the family of the late Anthony Belon. I hope they can find strength in this trying and sad moment. May his soul rest in peace.


I was told he died of dengue fever and pneumonia at Ampang Puteri Hospital, KL on 2 January 2012. His body was flown back to Kuching on 3 January 2012.

ORBITUARY TO ANTHONY BELON

 

We received the sad news today

that a dear friend has passed away.

We are struck dumb

wishing it was a false alarm.

 

As more news trickled in,

uncertainty turned into reality.

We have to accept God's ways

to charter our lives and destinies.

 

It seems yesterday that we were talking,

sharing, laughing, arguing about nothing.

Wasn't it only yesterday we reminisced the tanjong days?

An era in our lives that we'll cherished always?

 

Why O why you leave us so sudden?

We'll miss you at the many mini reunions.

We'll miss your dear company.

Your jokes made us laugh in glee.

Good bye Jang Tony - good bye forever.

You have preceeded us to see our Maker.

May you find the elusive peace and harmony.

May you be rewarded in a life of eternity.

You'll live on in our hearts.

You will be forever remembered.

Though our eyes will see you no more - that's certain.

Our hearts can see you through the impenetrable curtain.