April 10, 2012

Zainal Abidin Matasan : A Star from Kampong Wireless Miri

I have never known a friend who has so much zest for life at the university. As we poured over our books and studied hard...he was hanging out with friends to cheer the depressed and the lonely. But mind you he did graduate and reached the highest ranks in the corporate world. He was a great leader and a high achiever and he devoted his entire working life to serving Petronas to the best of his abilities.
Zainal Abidin Matassan
I have not met amongst my friends who would bring all the old black and white photos he had (and enlarged) to One Utama (KL) Starbucks  to show my children how great his school (Tanjong Lobang) was...and how much my children's father was a good friend to him since primary school. And he  patiently and teasingly asked my children to identify their father ..in the class...and they were just little boys in Primary Five!!He was such a "good uncle" to them...They asked "He is a real CEO? an MD? He is like you know an enthusiastic prefect!!"....At the top of his career he still had that heart of a good neighbour...And he ordered cakes for me... He said...never mind..have the tiramisu..don't worry about your weight...I was never a loser in his eyes.


I have not met a guy who loved all his school mates more than himself and for as long as 50 years....in 2010.10.10 he was already a little ill..but he made it to the GREAT REUNION..but in a very unlikely event and against his wishes he had to be admitted to the MCMC in Miri...He had such a great sense of generosity that he would foot every bill if possible!! No one had to wash the dishes when he was around...he even asked the doctor if he could sneak out to attend the reunion dinner!!



to all my friends who  will miss him...

These are the last photos I took of him...and his buddies..who were with him when he was discharged from MCMC.....

He loved all his friends...and all of us loved him.. WHAT A GUY11

May his soul rest in peace.



A Star has gone out from our universe....he will be missed.

May his family and loved ones be comforted by the great memories he left behind

On behalf of EX-Tanjong Google Forum world wide I would like to extend our condolences to his loved ones...every one who knows him will mourn for him and pray for him in our different ways.

9 comments:

William said...

May his soul rest in peace.

parali moor said...

Yes indeed a great guy. first met him when I was at PMGC Brunei and regularly on golf course at KGM. Met him at Kerteh when he was attached there. He never failed to send regards to me through his good close friend Hj Anas Hj Latif a Brunei Officer from Brunei Petrol Unit. Allah love him more, may his soul rest in peace. Alfatihah. A. Wayne

The Observer said...

what a loss. this is really sad news. god bless his soul.

Lee Yoong Yoong said...

RIP, Matassan.

Anonymous said...

He and his wife were our haji mates in 2003. He made the trip less tiring and more enjoyable. Always ready to offer a helping hand with that contagious smile and laughter of his!

Last met him about 2 months ago for dinner at Jakes. He had ribs, and what he couldnt finish he tapau home.

Honored to be classed as his friend.

To my old friend, you will always be on my mind. Whenever I`m down I`ll think of you and your zest for life!

We will meet again my friend, that I`m sure. You are in good hands now. Its time for that rest that you so much deserve.

God bless

Anonymous said...

RIP, my dear friend and also my ex-Petronas Basketball Team manager

Anonymous said...

We knew him since the time he was working in Hanoi (2002). Then i moved abroad working and i lost the contact with him. Over the time i was trying to search for him on internet (typing his full name, but what a shame i type "Matassan"). In 2011 i called Petronas in KL and i said i was looking for him if he was still working there, the staff picked up the phone and said no, there is no body like that used to working here. I think she didn't know then i gave up that time, i would search again until today when i typed his full name, how deeply deeply sad to hear so, Rest in Peace Matasan. We missed you in Hanoi and we will be missing you forever. You were such a good foreign friend, instructor and inspirator for us all over the years.

Al-Bana'mah Family said...

Really missed his happy go luck attitude.... was in an emergency situation back in 2005 in Singapore, where I had to leave for the airport very early in the morning and the hotel experienced a network breakdown. So called Zainal from the airport and he agreed to do the check-out for me. As my room were paid for by the Government, the outstanding was for local phone calls....20 cents! For years ... he kept remaining me of the 20 cents debt, no matter what. All in all, the event brought the two of us even closer. A friendship that was forged a few years earlier in Siem Reap... true to his kindness, he was at that time doing things to help the host, even to the extend of buying the plastic name holders for table when he found out the host didn't have enough.

Al-Bana'mah Family said...

In the final years of his service with Petronas, he was tasked to look after ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE). He did his works very well and with full dedications. He won respect of not only his friends in ASCOPE but also from other international energy bodies including IEA, APEC etc. I recalled he once told me... Tan Sri Hassan Marican said 'I am more an ASCOPE Man rather than a Petronas'. Yes, you were both my friends, you were both.

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