TIME heals almost everything. That was the word of wisdom imparted to me by an older Sandak native while having a coffee with him in Bandar Leila.

He told a story of survival during the final years of World War 2 as food was scarce, living in constant fear and the loss of his mother to an Imperial Japanese “Zero” that cut her body in half.

He was there as a schoolboy, lining the street, waving the Union Flag, welcoming Prince Charles to Sandakan.

He made his money during the timber era in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He showed me his 40-year-old Rolex watch.

He bought it for about RM2,000, back then you only needed a few notes; as we had the RM1,000 notes then. He saw his childhood friends make their fortune, move out and settle in Hong Kong or the US and start over again.

We were talking about the current post pandemic, recession, inflation, and the current state and federal governments.

I was feeding him with my anxieties on multiple fronts. The Sulu claim on Sabah and 40% pay increase for the Sabah government.

“It is only RM5.6 million,” Chief Minister Hajiji Noor said. Sandakan is becoming a dying city and we are right in the middle of it.

Our children have become a stunted generation with no means of employment or moving forward. PAS, like always, will start calling for the ban of OktoberFest from August, right up to its date in October.

“With all of this hullabaloo, what will happen to us and next?” I said.

He sipped his coffee and called out for another glass: “Kopi O kurang gula”.

He said, you know back then his father was working as a stevedore in Old Slipway. Back then, he would get one meal a day and an opium to smoke.

Whatever coins he got from various odd jobs, he would allocate some to try his luck at the gambling parlour in Jalan Dua.

He proceeded to calm me down and said what he had experienced in his childhood.

In comparison today, we are much more comfortable riding the storm so to speak, but you need to be vigilant and know the source of the problems.

Worrying about it will not make it better, or scare the other party as these people are thick skinned with narcissistic tendencies.

The lewdness of these people acting and managing the situation is just appalling. We, the people, are to blame by voting them in office that see our democracy hijacked with their changing of allegiance.

All of these are for reasons that we cannot comprehend now, but the cosmos and karmic ways are doing their part.

Our part, he said, is to survive the storm ahead. Ride it and do not fall into the cracks. Help each other, your neighbours and your family.

Help small businesses to survive by buying their produce and food that they cook. It was prepared with full of love and attention.

To those business owners, please pay your supplier invoices on time. Let the business activity circle around Sandakan, we take care of each other.

His final words are: do not be greedy and stay away from gambling. Take the joy in helping and giving, build your pieces of heaven.

No one can take that away from you.

Vote wisely, and give the mandate to the party that truly fights for our rights.

Happy weekend, everybody. – July 29, 2022.

* Remy Majangkim reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.