Catherine (third left front), Maria (right front), Dainna (second left front), Hajiji (centre front), Safar (second from right front), Othman (third right front) and other guests at the installation dinner.
KOTA KINABALU: Catherine Yen took over from Maria Othman as the chairlady of the Sabah branch of the Royal Institute of Surveyors, Malaysia (RISM) at its 31st Annual cum Installation Dinner in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.
Catherine was installed by the national vice-president of RISM, Dainna Baharudin who represented its president, P. Tangga.
The guest of honour was Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hj Hajiji Hj Noor.
Also present were organising chairman Hj Safar Untong who is also the new deputy chairman of RISM Sabah, and State Land and Survey Department director Datuk Hj Osman Hj Jamal who was made a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), an international professional body.
Othman was presented the Distinguised Membership by the chairman of the Malaysian Board of RICS, Kwan Hock Hai.
Reading the citation for Othman’s award was the chairman of RICS Sabah, Datuk Kenneth Yen, a senior surveyor who is the father of Catherine.
According to Kenneth, the Fellowship was in recognition of Othman’s contribution and long service in the surveying profession in Sabah; rising from a district surveyor to head the State Land and Survey Department.
Meanwhile, Hajiji in his speech said the State Government appreciated the contribution of the surveying profession in the development of the State. He likened the surveying profession to one of the four legs of a chair, without which the building or construction industry would be handicapped.
He also took note of the fact that both the incoming and outgoing chairpersons of RISM Sabah are ladies, describing it “women power”. He added that it was in line with the position of women in Sabah, where even the new State Attorney-General is also a woman.
At the event, Hajiji also launched RISM Sabah’s latest project – the Kota Kinabalu Open Street Map Competition in which five secondary schools are taking part.