Unveiling the Man Behind Pantai Damai

POLITICS aside, Pantai Damai assemblyman Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi is a father, photography enthusiast, medical doctor, and a man who aspires to help people. He embodies a calm, composed nature alongside an immense dedication to his community, as evidenced during a tete-a-tete with New Sarawak Tribune recently.

NEW SARAWAK TRIBUNE: What are your top three destinations you wish to travel to and why?

Abdul Rahman: I would like to spend more time in South Africa. This is because there are a lot of good things that my friend who has been there shared with me, especially about the beautiful scenery, beautiful countryside, and like us in Sarawak, they are multicultural, multi-ethnic, and so forth. I think the history of South Africa is very interesting. The second country has to do with something related to what Sarawak is doing. We try to make sure that our environment is clean by venturing into lowcarbon capture usage. There’s one country in the world that has already achieved what we call a ‘zero carbon emission’ and that is Bhutan, in the Himalayas. So, it will be interesting to know what they have been doing and what is happening in Bhutan. The third country will be a more historical one. I just went to Istanbul (Turkey) about four months ago, just for a short trip. But they told me that I should have been to other parts of Turkey because it’s very historic and there are many other interesting places because it is a big country. So, these are the three countries I would like to visit: South Africa, Bhutan and Turkey.

What is your hobby, and what do you like to do during your spare time?

I played tennis for about 20 years until about 10 years ago when I stopped playing and I am now doing something more relaxing. I joined my friends cruising with motorbikes. Not a big bike, about average size. Sometimes, we cruise to Telok Melano, but not far, then we go to Sematan, and sometimes to Samarahan. Nearby my place in Kuching, we go cycling around the main road in Petrajaya. The other hobby I have is photography. I’ve been having this passion for photography since I was younger. Actually, it was because my father was a photographer at the Sarawak Museum. When I was younger, I was exposed to all types of cameras. I like to sometimes take pictures of my children, the birds, mountains, and rivers. 

Have you ever thought of giving up and wanting to pursue another field instead?

I was a general practitioner, and I had a medical clinic that I ran for about 19 years before I became a politician. When I was in my clinic every day, seven days a week except for half days on Sundays, I wished that I could have a job outside of the clinic, beyond the four walls. When I was given the opportunity to work in politics, this was a great time for me to get out of the clinic and help a wider range of people. It changed drastically from having one, two, three, or four to everyone outside because, as a YB (elected representative), everyone is your patient. There are more things to do and more chances to help the people. I think it’s something better than just sitting in my clinic. But, of course, after a while, when you are doing your job as a YB, with all the work responsibilities — not that we’re complaining — but the job is never-ending. I do wish sometimes to go back to the clinic and just treat patients, one, two, three, four, five, etc. However, this is a golden opportunity, to be given the chance to be elected as a YB, and I really enjoy my work. 

What is your favourite motivational quote and why?

‘If you have today, don’t wait for tomorrow.’ In other words, it means don’t delay whatever you have. Decide immediately, make wise decisions for yourself, and for the good of the people around you. You have to solve it today. Don’t wait for tomorrow because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. It has been with me for about 20 to 30 years and it really became a catalyst that pushes me to finish my job. Any responsibility, any assignment given, I try to finish as soon as possible. It really helps me be more disciplined.

If you could have any superpowers, what would they be?

I would like to have an aura whereby, if anyone looks at me, be with me, or talk to me, he or she will like me. You can’t force people to like you. I’ve been trying for many years, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s not just to please you, but that person can just feel comfortable with you. If you ask me to be a superhero like Superman, Aquaman, etc. it’s impossible for me because it’s something fictional. So, I want to answer your question by sharing something that is possible. I think it’s something good for everyone to be nice to people. You won’t lose anything by being nice to people.

What’s something that you wish more people would know about Pantai Damai?

We have beaches and beautiful surrounding nature reserves, mangroves, greenery, mountains, and so forth. We’ve been engaging ourselves with the people to get involved with the tourism sector as well. For visitors and tourists visiting Kuching, one of the places they can visit is Pantai Damai. It is because what we have cannot be found in other parts of Sarawak and even Malaysia — beautiful mountains, Santubong, Damai beach, etc. We are also promoting ecotourism in Telaga Air. If people want to see nature, it’ll be Pantai Damai. We have minimal physical development, so that the environment is not being disturbed as it is better that way since Pantai Damai is located in the urban and sub-urban area. Under the policy of our state government, emphasised by our Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, we must preserve the nature that we have as much as possible. These are the things that I would like to promote and tell the world about Pantai Damai.