By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Nov 3: The late Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing had many facets — he was a strong believer in education, a humorous father, a doting grandfather, a durian lover, a not-so-talented cameraman, a nature enthusiast, and a bookworm.
This was the portrait that Masing’s five children—four daughters and a son—had painted of him when delivering their eulogies to their late father today.
Anna Sulan Masing said Masing was a firm believer of learning, constantly gaining knowledge and this was vividly seen in the way he had made sure his children got the best education.
“The way he encouraged us kids to live our lives, to go out into the world and explore, seek our own paths and to always have adventure.”
Describing Masing as an inspiration, another daughter Rachel Lian Masing said their father had instilled in them the power of education through his life of persistence and determination, as well as his intellect.
“He taught us to love books. I am sure like all dads, he had his own dreams about what we would do with our lives but he never made us feel that we were doing anything other than making him proud.”
A third daughter, Karen Julan Masing, told those present that Masing had supported many other children by applying for scholarships on their behalf and supporting them with financial aid, sometimes even out of his own pockets.
“There was no publicity because my dad did not believe in highlighting such personal contributions,” she said during the funeral wake for Masing at the Association of Churches in Sarawak, Jalan Stampin here today.
Masing’s children shared many other fond, heartwarming memories of their father: Anna’s recollection of Masing’s always blurry photos of his pet birds, Rachel’s nostalgia over Masing and his beloved farm, Karen’s reminiscence of the pink headset that made Masing viral during a Zoom meeting, and son Ashley Layo Masing’s redefinition of home without Masing.
Masing’s youngest daughter Emma Maria Masing said:
“It is the small things that I will miss: The way I would call for him when it was dinner time; the silence we shared at the farm whilst we drank coffee; the cheesy action movies that I would put on for him which he always fell asleep to; the way he came to mind when I watched an interesting documentary or picked up a good book.
“I miss his smile and his scratched-up glasses he would always complain about but still wear because he couldn’t find the other pair. The looks he would give us from afar that I pretend I didn’t notice as to not embarrass him.
“I remember his laughter and the shake of his head when my jokes went a little too far for his comfort but the one phrase I will remember the most is ‘I love you kids’.
“He was a man worthy of praise and a man humble enough to shyly deny them.”
Masing passed away on Oct 31 at the age of 72 at Normah Sarawak Medical Centre due to heart complications. His latest Covid-19 test results were found to be negative. He had previously tested positive for Covid-19 on Sept 28.
Following the funeral wake which is scheduled to end at 2pm today, Masing’s remains will be taken to Nirvana Memorial Park, Kuching.
He is survived by his wife Puan Sri Dato Corrine Masing, two daughters and a son. He has two daughters from an earlier marriage.
Born on March 5, 1949, Masing had served as Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak under the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem and current Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg since May 2016.
He was also the Sarawak Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development since 2016.
Since 2004, he also helmed Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) as its founder and its first president until his passing.
He held the Baleh seat for eight consecutive terms since 1983. — DayakDaily
