Dato Gerawat Gala
MIRI: The Sarawak government will erect a memorial at the Heroes Memorial Park in Kuching to honour Ngalinuh Bala @ Kilah Ratu, who was one of the nation’s highest gallantry award recipients.
In stating this, Mulu assemblyman Dato Gerawat Gala said the state government would arrange for a special ceremony slated for this in Kuching, and Ngalinuh’s family would be invited to the event.
Born on Jan 1, 1941 in Kampung Pa’lungan in Bario, Ngalinuh entered the police force on Jan 14, 1961, and retired as a sub-inspector at Miri District police headquarters on Dec 31, 1995.
He received the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (SP) from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on July 6, 1972 in honour of his courage and bravery in defeating the communists during an ambush at Jalan Ulu Oya in Sibu on April 29, 1972.
The hero passed away on June 23 in Miri Hospital due to lung complications.
He was laid to rest in the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) Cemetery of Kampung Lusut in Miri, upon request from his family.
Gerawat represented the Sarawak government at the funeral.
In his eulogy, Gerawat said Ngalinuh’s life and services would always be remembered, and the man himself would always be regarded as ‘an outstanding son of Sarawak’ and be remembered as a hero and a legend of the Kelabits, the Orang Ulus, the Dayaks and Sarawakians’.
“Ngalinuh was a man who never surrendered or submitted to his enemies in fighting for and defending our state and country,” he said.
Etim Bajim – now the sole surviving Sarawakian SP recipient, who fought alongside Ngalinuh in the Jalan Ulu Oya battle 48 years ago – was also present at the BEM Canada Hill Church on Friday to pay his last respects to his comrade.
The two were among the 29 SP recipients in the whole of Malaysia since the award was created and gazetted in 1960.
The SP is the highest in the list of the Malaysian Federal Ranking of Awards, and it is conferred upon eligible Malaysians who have shown ‘supreme courage and bravery in extraordinary and highly dangerous situations’.
In recognition of Ngalinuh’s exceptional services and sacrifices for the country, the Sarawak government honoured him with a state funeral.
Meanwhile, Gerawat disclosed that it was Ngalinuh’s dying wish to have his housing lot in Kampung Lusut to be issued with a land title.
“The government is very much aware of Ngalinuh’s desire to have the land title for his house in Kampung Lusut. I am pleased to inform that the Land and Survey Department has confirmed that Ngalinuh’s house is within the Kampung Lusut Reserves, which were gazetted in 2016 – the land title to his house would be issued together with those for other houses across Kampung Lusut.
“I will personally see to it that the land title to his house would be issued and given to his family,” he added.