By Mary Chin
Photo shows Masidi, accompanied by Rina and the organisers, getting a close-up view of one exhibit on Tun Musa during his tour of the JCI Intan Golden Jubilee Gallery.
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister II and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun graced the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Intan Golden Jubilee Celebration at the Pacific Sutera Hotel on Friday night.
The Honorary JCI Senator was impressed with the JCI Intan Golden Jubilee Gallery, one of the highlights of the celebration, particularly the segment on former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman (now Tun and the Head of State), portraying his role in the empowerment of women in Sabah during his tenure from 2003 to 2018.
In 2006, Tun Musa was the first to make a donation to the charity box in aid of Seri Murni Crisis Centre, an institution for abused women and children, run by the Good Shepherd Sisters. That year, JCI Intan initiated the ‘Women’s Rights Awareness : Seri Murni Crisis Centre’ Project in collaboration with the Good Shepherd Convent in Kota Kinabalu to raise funds for the Centre’s needs.
One of the 50 exhibits depicted Tun Musa’s presentation of the Tokoh Wanita Award (Eminent Woman Award) to JCI Intan founding leaders and past presidents. Among them were JCI Sen Datuk Adeline Leong and JCI Sen Datuk Christine Vanhouten while JCI Sen Datuk Amisah Yassin, who received the Outstanding Woman Award, was appointed as a member of the Sabah State Legslative Assembly in recent years. Other Tokoh Wanita from JCI Intan were its Patron, the late Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens (Sabah’s first woman minister), the late Datuk Ariah Tengku Ahmad (Founding Member & Sabah’s first woman Deputy Chief Minister), JCI Sen Datuk Nancy Ho and JCI Sen Datuk Zahra Ismail.
The Down Memory Lane Gallery also featured Masidi’s support for the chapter’s environmental project in the early years of the New Millennium, and support from former State Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew (Sabah’s first Chinese woman Deputy Chief Minister) during her tenure, apart from showcasing the contributions of founding leaders and past presidents, which paved the way for them to foray into the international arena.
Charter President JCI Sen Jovinia Solibun, who hails from Penampang, founded the Sabah Women’s Organisation (Pewasa) in the seventies. She also represented Sabah in the Kuala Lumpur-based National Advisory Council for the Integration of Women in Development (Naciwid), giving her the rare opportunity to represent the country in UN meetings and those of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) overseas.
Leong became the first Malaysian woman to head a municipal council in the country, culminating in her appointment as Head of the Malaysian Mission to Taiwan (2016-2018). Vanhouten, who promoted Malaysia internationally as a member of the Malaysian Senate, later founded the West Coast Rural Women Development Organisation (Desanita), while Ho, who founded the Sabah Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Association (Swepa) in the early nineties, was later elected as a member of the International Inner Wheel Board of Directors. Zahra, who served as President of Pewasa for 23 years, was also a National Vice-President (East Malaysia) of the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO).
Celebration Organising Chairman JCI Sen Chai Moi Len is a veteran hotel Human Resources practitioner with extensive global experience as far as Europe and the Middle East, having last served as Director of Recruitment, China, with Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. Subsequently, she was appointed as the first lady Executive Director of Outward Bound Sabah (OBS) in Kinarut, Papar.
Exhibits also shed light on the formation of Malaysia’s pioneering all-ladies JCI organisation – JCI Intan, then known as Kota Kinabalu Jayceettes in 1975 – and officially renamed JCI Intan after its affiliation to JCI via Junior Chamber International Malaysia (JCIM) in 1976. Notably, this chapter produced five national presidents, namely Leong, JCI Sen Li Yo Wei, Solibun, JCI Sen Arlena Awang Chee, and JCI Sen Teresa Alberto. Leong and Alberto did not rest on their laurels but went on to serve as JCI Executive Vice-Presidents. Also on display were media reports highlighting the organisation’s leadership training programmes, community service projects, and beneficial activities over the last five decades.
Accompanying Masidi on his tour of the gallery were Assistant Minister of Women, Health and People’s Wellbeing Datuk Rina Jainal, Solibun, Chai, JCI Malaysia National President JCI Sen Vincent Leng, and JCI Intan 50th President Cynthia Jintian Lasimbang.
