Hj Hasbullah Latiff and Hj Manap Rahman with their wife respectively are in KL and I must meet them. When I was in Kota Kinabalu last, Hj Hasbullah really took care of me and I must reciprocate. Both these acquaintances was first met when I performed the umrah and followed with a trip to the Land of the Pharaohs in 2008.
I took along a bodyguard, Pak Long Mustaffa and I met the two gentlemen at the Palace Hotel at Jalan Masjid India. It is a very convenient Hotel that smacks in the middle of a shopping area a favorite spot for the ladies. It was nice to meet Hj Hasbullah the Panglima Sabah and Hj Manap. We went out for a drink at the nearby Restaurant and during the casual conversation Pak Long Mustaffa recalled to the two Sabahan that he was serving as a Marine Police in Sandakan in the 70s. Suddenly, Hj Manap realized that he had met Pak Long Mustaffa before when this Marine Police from Malaya was looking after late Tun Mustapha’s yatch and speed boat at the Marina. The world is definitely small and one too many Mustapas involved here.
The Ladies came back from their shopping spree and joined us. The Ladies took their lunch and the four gentlemen adjourned to the Hotel to take our wuduk as Friday prayer was just about to begin. We went to the nearest Mosque, Masjid India. I was surprised the congregation was large and I took a place by the verandah. I smiled to myself when the “khutbah” (sermon) was in Tamil as it is Masjid India. That was the second time I ever performed my Friday prayer at Masjid India and for Hj Hasbullah it was his first time. My first was way back in 1963 when I first landed as a student in Penang.
We then had our “nasi briyani” lunch at Insaf Restaurant at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Regret that I was unable to invite my Sabah guests to my residence as I have a prearrange trip to Indonesia. Hj Hasbullah and wife would continue his Peninsular Malaysia visit to Penang on Sunday and then straight home to Kota Kinabalu.
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