Thursday May 3, 2007
North Pole venture a good lesson
PENANG: A group of former Mat Rempit now know the value of teamwork, having just returned from the North Pole Free Fall Expedition.
Norafandi Noordin, 24, who has given up illegal motorcycle racing, is the first to admit that the Mat Rempit culture is individualistic in nature.
“When we went to the North Pole, we were exposed to the spirit of comradeship. We prayed and worked in a group until we successfully completed the national mission,” he said during a thanksgiving dinner hosted by Batu Maung assemblyman Mansor Musa on Tuesday.
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National pride: The 30.48m long and 15.24m wide Jalur Gemilang seems to dominate the landscape at the North Pole when it was unfurled by the team on April 23. It, together with the Umno flag, were the biggest flags carried to the region. — Bernama |
“Miraculously, the wind abated, making it possible for us to proceed with our mission to skydive 90 degrees to set new world and national records,” he said.
Norafandi and fellow team members Mohd Saifol Nizam Dorani, 19, and Mohd Syafiq Akmal Trisno, 19, received a heroes’ welcome when they returned home tto Penang. They were among the 12 Putera Umno members who were former Mat Rempit in the mission.
The team parachuted from 1,828m to the North Pole at 4.20am local time (10.20am in Malaysia) on April 23.
Norafandi, the oldest Putera Umno in the group, said they had pleaded with Putera Umno chief Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim not to abort the mission after the Russian authorities warned them not to proceed because of the strong wind.
“Fortunately, Datuk was sporting and allowed us to stay on. We prayed hard, and we are glad our prayers were answered. Alhamdulillah,the mission was a success,” he said.
Mohd Saifol Nizam said they embarked on the expedition for the love of the country.
Mohd Syafiq said the mission had changed him and he believed he was now a better person.
“Even the Mat Salleh (foreigners) saluted us for completing the feat. I want to continue skydiving and hope to do so in Australia for my next attempt,” he said.
Mansor said he was proud of the trio for having accomplished the mission.
“They have set a good example and will be going to schools to give motivational talks. They have shown that it is possible to change for the better as long as we have the determination,” he added.
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