Nazirul Hakeem A & Efna ARS
Ex-UBD Student Representative Council memebers and some of the late Azahar Sulong's friends reciting
Tahlil and Doa Arwah at his grave at An Naim Cemetery.
Friends of the young officer cadet, 19970 PKDT Mohd Azahar Sulong, who lost his life in Friday's
helicopter crash, have expressed their shock in losing a close friend.
The late Azahar Sulong was the Chairman of Residential College Organisation (RESCO) intake 2008/2009,
ex-committee member of the Student Representative Council of UBD as well as a former member of the
UBD Table Tennis Club.
He was described by his friends as a great leader and a team player who was willing to do everything he
could to help his colleagues.
According to one of his childhood friends, his body was buried at around 2.30am yesterday at the An Naim
Cemetery in Anduki.
A group of his UBD friends was also at the cemetery yesterday morning to pay their last respects and to
recite tahlil and Doa Arwah for the late Azahar Sulong.
Most of them expressed their shock at the news of the helicopter tragedy and his demise.
The late Azahar Sulong, the second child in the family, was a born leader, kind-hearted and much more.
"I still remember his words to me before he was selected to be in the 8th intake of the Officer's Cadet
School (OCS)," said one of his friends.
"He told me that, 'as soon as I enter the OCS, I will help my family, especially my parents, to renovate our
house, just so it could accommodate my siblings and my parents.
"I want to make our new home as a place where we, as a family can gather together, and strengthen our
bonds'.
"As a friend, he always tried to make people happy.
"He cared about people's feelings and never failed to share what he had with whoever was with him. And
he always forgave people for their mistakes.
"Three years of being around him at Universiti Brunei Darussalam revealed to me a person who was
humble and hard to forget."
In an interview, one of the late Azahar Sulong's friends who paid his last respects at the Anduki cemetery,
Afiq Ahmad Mahmud said, "I was shocked when I first heard the news, and I did not believe it. When I saw
the (casualty) name list that was spread in Brunei, I saw my friend's name. I was speechless and felt very
sad."
When we visited his residence at Jln Parak, RPN Kg Panaga, we were immediately touched by the sorrow
of the family.
Relatives and close friends offered kind words, prayers and warm embraces to the grieving parents and
siblings.
The shock of the sudden demise of their beloved son and brother still affects the family and we hope that
they will find the strength to face this challenge.
The late Azahar Sulong was a strong willed-person who had an optimistic view of life.
According to the Belait Fire and Rescue Department, its Labi station was on standby on Friday night for a
call from RBAF requesting their assistance.
Postings are on the social media, particularly Facebook, to express grief and condolences for the demise of
the fallen heroes, especially among former UBD graduates whose friends died in the tragedy.
It reminded us that life is so fragile that we can never expect what will happen next.
Borneo Bulletin SUNDAY - July 22, 2012.
