KOTA KINABALU – The presence of Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens has always been a big part of the Double Six commemoration each year.
However, the 91-year-old’s absence during this year’s memorial, following her passing on March 14 due to a heart attack, has left a void for many Sabahans and especially her family members on this historic day.
The widow of Tun Fuad Stephens made sure all of her children got ready early for the memorial, said daughter, Rahimah Stephens.
“She would be calling everyone. She was the one who told us we gotta leave by 7am.
“This year, we’re all a bit late. I recall, she was the one who was always keen on attending the memorial.
“Still, all of us are here, my sister (Fauziah), my cousins, my children. Actually, I don’t know whether it is still going on this year (the memorial). It is usually one of (the VIPs) who would turn up each year,” she said.
Unlike the past years, where the wreath is laid by the late Rahimah, the Stephens family decided to allow her eldest grandson, Johari Loke, to lay a wreath on his grandfather’s memorial.
Rahimah was described as a generous woman who had served as Sabah’s community service minister and also had been the state’s first woman to be appointed to a minister’s post.
The family members of other Double Six victims who also laid wreaths today were Datuk Donald Peter Mojuntin, the son of the late Datuk Donald Mojuntin; the grandchildren of the late Datuk Chong Thien Vun; and Datin Jikilin Binion, the widow of Datuk Darius Binion.
Today marks the 46th anniversary of the Double Six tragedy which saw the airplane carrying Sabah’s fifth chief minister Tun Mohd Fuad Stephens and six other state ministers crash, killing all on board.
The Double Six Monument was erected on the exact spot of the fatal crash. – The Vibes, June 6, 2022
