Abdul Ghani (third right) receiving the Maulidur Rasul award from Head of State Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Juhar Datuk Haji Mahiruddin while Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman (fourth left) looks on.
Ananglangka
KOTA KINABALU: The city’s first mayor, Brigadier General Datuk Haji Abdul Ghani Haji Abdul Rashid, received this year’s state-level Maulidur Rasul award yesterday.
Abdul Ghani, who was appointed as the mayor in 2000, pioneered the modernisation of the local authority’s administration,
The father of five was born on October 17, 1947. He received his primary education at a government primary school and subsequently at Sabah College from 1962 to 1969. He furthered his studies at Universiti Malaya, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Anthropology.
Abdul Ghani started his service in the public sector as the state’s relations officer in Kuala Lumpur, and went on to become the director of RTM. He also served as president of the Sandakan Municipal Council and the Tawau Municipal Council.
He was the permanent secretary of the Local Government and Housing Ministry and also the Ministry of Infrastructural Development, before he became Kota Kinabalu’s first mayor in 2000.
Apart from his long list of service and contributions to the public service, Abdul Ghani is also well known for his love of sports which spans from equestrian, boxing, tennis to tae-kwon-do.
Despite having retired from public service, he still actively dedicates his time and service as the president of the Sabah Equine Association and Sabah Shooting Association, among others.
He was awarded various titles and medals, including the Ahli Darjah Kinabalu in 1976, PGDK in 1986, Kesatria Mangku Negara in 1996, Jaksa Pendamai in 1997 and the Pahlawan Angkatan Tentera in 2002.
Meanwhile, a Sandakan-born mother of five, Dr Hajah Ananglangka Mad Kassim, was selected as the female recipient of Maulidur Rasul 1434H award.
Ananglangka obtained her primary education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Karamunting and her secondary education at SMK Sandakan. In 1977, she enrolled into Maktab Perguruan Gaya and other teachers training colleges around the state.
She contributed a lot of her services to the state’s education industry not only as a teacher but also as a motivator, facilitator, mentor, tutor, counsellor, speaker, as she had presented thesis and journals at the national and international levels.
Ananglangka was also a committee member of the Sabah Women Advisor Council from 2006-2008 and was awarded the Bintang Kinabalu in 2007, Excellent Service Award in 2003, and the Anugerah Aspirasi Pascasiswazah in 2011, among others.
Both Abdul Ghani and Ananglangka received the awards from Head of State Tun Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Juhar Datuk Haji Mahiruddin. Also present was Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman.
Meanwhile, Mindanao-born Uztaz Haji Abuhuraira Abdurrahman received the Special Award of this year’s Maulidur Rasul celebration.
Prior to dedicating his service to Sabah in 1974, Abuhuraira obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in the Arabic Language from the University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
Among his significant contributions were conducting a special comparative study on Islam and Christianity in Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem, as well as in various community works, religious and educational talks.
He had recently been appointed as the religious advisor to his country of origin, to the Moro Mindanao government. His wife received the award on his behalf yesterday.