I lost a friend again.

Closed to midnight on 24 February 2012 I received a call from Haji Sabuddin from Port Dickson that Haji Mustaffa Che Din had passed away at Parit Buntar Hospital in Perak at about 2130 hours.

Haji Mustaffa Che Din was my ESSO colleague from 1966 to 1974. He was attached to the Ammonia Plant Unit and I was at the Refinery. His younger brother, Saruji Che Din was my batch mate at Technical Institute Penang. Haji Mustaffa himself was educated at Technical Institute Penang from 1960 – 1962. He was my super senior and I did not get to meet him at TI Penang. He joined ESSO Refinery Port Dickson and was sent to Philippine for training for the newly constructed Ammonia Plant. He was the start up team for the commissioning of the first Ammonia Plant in Malaysia in 1966. I got acquainted with him when I joined ESSO Refinery in 1966.

I did not recall when I last met late Haji Mustaffa Che Din but I did speak to him over the phone sometimes in February 2011 when his brother Saruji back in Malaysia from Germany was at his residence in Nibong Tebal. I heard Haji Mustaffa Che Din had a stroke but slowly recovering.

To my astonishment, Saruji Che Din himself called me around 0100 hrs on 25 February 2012 informing the demise of his elder brother. So happened, Saruji is currently back in Malaysia. Saruji was at the Hospital at noon on 24 February 2012 and Haji Mustaffa Che Din was his usual mood except that he had problem lifting his hand. He encountered a second stroke.

Though Haji Sabuddin, Sharo and Haji Musa travelled all the way for the funeral, I was unable to join them as they left early morning for Nibong Tebal from Port Dickson.

I remember Mustaffa Che Din with his NB 2810 blue Vespa during the ESSO days. Since he had a beard, we nicknamed him, Mustaffa Janggut as there were two (2) Mustaffas in ESSO at that time and the other Mustapa, was me.

Since retired from ESSO PD, Haji Mustaffa went back to his kampong Sungai Kechil Bandar Baru, Nibong Tebal to set his permanent base and concentrate on his orchard and agricultural farming.

Haji Mustaffa left a wife, Hajjah Hartini Ahmad and only four (4) sons.

It is a sad moment to lose a friend but this is something that we cannot run away, the reality of LIFE. Each and every one of us will eventually be called upon to face Almighty Allah. There is no escape. The demise of a colleague is a moment we have to assess ourselves. We can also recall the happy and the sad moment that we shared with someone that you acquainted. The clock is also ticking for us and when our time is up, not a second would be delayed.

Mustaffa……….I enjoyed your philosophical conversations and I always remember you for that.

Haji Mustaffa Che Din was buried at Sungai Kecil Muslim Cemetary, Bandar Baru Nibong Tebal at about 1130 hrs. May Almighty Allah bless his soul and gather him among the mukminin.

Alfatihah…….