"Killerz wuz 'ere" at the ground breaking ceremony of Asrama Donni - 15 May 2009

The moment we stepped away from the site, I had one quick glance at the board. What a surprise, someone had actually vandalized it with a note “Killerz wuz ‘ere !”. I wonder who that was. I have not seen those ever since we left Kulim.
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SMK Tun Fuad Stephens is situated in the village of Kiulu, some 60 km from Kota Kinabalu, near Tamparuli. From our hotel in the city, the journey took approximately an hour. Halfway through as we started to enter the rural highlands, we were able to see the beautiful aerial view of the countryside. Killers also took the opportunity to stop midway to take group picture against the breathtaking backdrop of the peaks of Mt Kinabalu. Driving further, we could see the rushing torrents of the river that flows down from Mt Kinabalu, teasing us with what’s forthcoming as we planned to go river rafting in the afternoon. I simply couldn’t wait to experience that for the first time!

We soon arrived at the school where the school communities headed by the principal Pn. Martha Bongkok were already waiting. Pn Martha has such a pleasant and jovial personality. She appeared cheerful and happy, her face beaming with anticipation as she greeted the “Killerbatch” – one by one as we step down from the van. She seemed excited to see Raja Ali for the first time, as she remarked with astonishment at how youthful he looks. Too bad she didn’t mention the same about the rest of us! She must have imagined some old, ferocious looking faces in the Killers as the name denotes. I think we can’t blame her for that.

We had an amazing reception by the students and staff of the school as we walked into the hall. The students performed beautiful welcoming dance complete with traditional drums. It was not only me, but as I turned to fellow Killers, they too seem immensely absorbed by the delicate movements of the dancers. Some of them hardly blink their eyes, with mouth slightly open, almost salivating. It was just beautiful. As I was watching the young boys and girls dancing on stage, I thought about how they must have rehearsed and practiced just for us! I think most of us were very touched at how seriously they take our visit.

We were then shown a short video presentation – sort of a day-in-a-life of the students of SMK Tun Fuad Stephens. It was quite interesting and at the same time disheartening to see. Unlike the school children in most part of the Peninsular, schooling in this remote area of Sabah is a real ordeal. The biggest challenge confronting many of the students there is in negotiating and walking for long hours to and from school in thick forest which harbor hazards of all kinds. In my mind the question that linger is how these children are expected to cope with the rigorous school curriculum and at the same time have to contend with the daunting task of walking such long distances. To those who were lucky to be given a place to stay in the hostel, they have to struggle with the cramped condition of the hostel and at times, deal with water shortages. Some of the boys in the video were seen carrying water from the nearby river back to the hostel for washing.

In her speech that follows, the Principal took her time to expound on the hard realities that the school has to deal with in order to accommodate over 1200 needy students. She did so perhaps to justify why the school should deserve the contributions from the Killerbatch. I think the school is blessed with the combination of dedicated personalities in the Principal and Mr Josiah who head the school PIBG. Their relentless efforts to seek for funds from whatever connections they have, finally paid off when Sabah Credit Corporation chose the school to receive the pledged funding from the Killerbatch. For that they were thankful to both the SCC and the Killerbatch, and their appreciation was evident from the way they had meticulously planned the ceremony to welcome us.

When Raja Ali finally took the stage, he was visibly distressed and his voice rattled. His mind was obviously disturbed by the video presentation and the principal’s testimony of the hardship that many of the students there have to endure. He shed tears as he relates the sad story of Donni which inspired him to initiate the project. I can’t blame him, even my throat felt tight as I was trying hard to conceal my emotions and maintain my “machoness”. He went on to honour the teachers whose dedications extend beyond the four walls of the classroom. He singled out Cikgu Teh as an example of a teacher who has helped impart positive values to many of his students including the Killerbatch. Again, he choked while extending his gratitude and giving standing ovations to Cikgu Teh and the teachers. I was beginning to get worried over the repeated “chokiness” for fear that he would collapse from oxygen deprivation. Luckily he knew his limit well and ended his speech soon after.

We then proceeded to the proposed site of Asrama Donni for the ground breaking ceremony while Cikgu Teh stayed on with the students where he conducted a motivational session. While walking to the site, I kept thinking that the whole thing seems so surreal. 30 years ago it would have been unthinkable that one day the Killerbatch would come as a group to do ground-breaking for a worthy cause such as this. Back then in Kulim, it wasn’t ground breaking, but more of rules-breaking that the guys were good at, anything from smoking to numerous post lights-off rendezvous. But today, Killerbatch do ground breaking for Asrama Donni. This surely is a special moment for us.

At the site, the school has erected a board to signify the occasion. Datuk Vincent signed the board on behalf of his organization and Raja Ali represented the Killerbatch. Then it was time to perform the ground breaking. We were handed six spanking new spades elegantly decorated with red ribbons by six cheerful girls from the school. Datuk Vincent and five of the Killers grabbed the spades and post for pictures, and then proceeded to break the ground. It felt so good, never mind that we couldn’t dig more than an inch into the soil as it was as hard as rock!

The moment we stepped away from the site, I had one quick glance at the board. What a surprise, someone had actually vandalized it with a note “Killerz wuz ‘ere !”. I wonder who that was. I have not seen those ever since we left Kulim. I thought people don’t do that “wuz here” thing anymore. My bet is on the Killer who was “first time visiting Borneo!”. But that's just my guess.

Back at the school, Cikgu Teh was still preaching to the students. I never had the chance to listen to Cikgu Teh doing his motivational talk before, so I compel myself to stay on for a while. He drove the kids to giggle with the story of a boy who had to choose between marrying his girlfriend and the one his parents chose. I was too amused as I listened that I forgot the point he was trying to make with that story. What a shame. But I think it had something to do with the message he often relayed, about being a problem solver as oppose to finger pointer when faced with predicaments. I sure hope that the students get that important lesson.

Another point that he conveyed was how important it is to learn about “computer”. The world has evolved greatly as what we see today, and that has much to do with the advancement in computer sciences. So he said it is imperative that the students learn as much as possible about the technology – and as a start – use it as a communication tool. So he threw in an easy challenge to the students; simply to send him an email. I thought that was a brilliant idea. By doing so the students will not only show that they had indeed put in some efforts to locate the facility and at the same time getting them to do what he wanted them to – familiarize themselves with the computer.

I sure hope that by now some of the students had responded to the challenge, as did the Killerbatch as we conquer the roaring rapids of Kiulu River later that afternoon.