Real-life hero: Sjn Mazlan showing his medal after receiving the PGP for his bravery where he saved two lives, at the Penang investiture ceremony held at Dewan Sri Pinang in George Town, Penang. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
Soldier jumped off Penang Bridge to save two people and was rewarded for heroism
GEORGE TOWN: He had the fear of the sea trained out of him, so when he saw that two people had fallen off the Penang Bridge, it was a small matter – for him – to dive down and save them.
Soldier Sjn Mazlan Abdul Rahman from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment stopped his motorbike in the middle of the bridge while riding to the mainland on Jan 15 when he saw many people stopping and looking down.
“I took off my shirt, shoes and socks. I put my phone, wallet and other personal effects on my motorcycle.
“I dived feet first, because that was how I was always trained to dive to avoid head injuries,” Sjn Mazlan recalled after being conferred the Pingat Gagah Perwira (PGP) yesterday in conjunction with the 75th birthday celebration of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak.
This rarely-given medal is for those who demonstrate extraordinary courage and bravery in the face of extreme danger to themselves.
On entering the water, Sjn Mazlan could straight away see the two victims.
He saw a woman to his right struggling. He saw a man to his left, about 3m away, still floating but unconscious.
He rushed for the man first, grabbing him and then kicking in the water for all he was worth towards the struggling woman.
After having a firm hand on both victims, he aimed to somehow reach the nearest bridge pier and haul them to safety, but the tide was low, the pier was too high above and there were no anglers on the pier to assist.
Big risk: Sjn Mazlan rescuing a victim at the Penang Bridge. — Screencap from Royal Malaysian air Force
“So I held on to them and treaded water for 40 minutes,” he said.
It did not end there; jellyfish began attacking.
Sjn Mazlan was stung continuously on his torso and back, and there was nothing he could do but to endure the pain and keep kicking into the water to keep himself and his two charges alive.
Fortunately, a fisherman’s boat came and they were hauled aboard.
He was fatigued beyond any level he had known, but he looked around and saw the woman crying while the man was still unconscious.
Ignoring his screaming muscles, he crawled to the man and began mouth-to-mouth cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the boat, making the man breathe again.
On the fateful day, he was a corporal, and the Army made him a sergeant for his deed, on top of gifting him Pisau Tentera Darat, a symbolic and finely-made survival knife.
Sjn Mazlan, 35, is the only recipient of the PGP in Penang this year.
Speaking to the press after receiving his medal, the soldier admitted he had no idea how he could help the two victims before he dived after them.
“But I can swim and I am trained, so I wanted to do everything I could to help them,” said the father of two young boys, who is also a sports coach in his battalion.
Sjn Mazlan is one of the 1,346 recipients of the state awards, medals and honours.
Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang topped the list, receiving the Darjah Utama Pangkuan Negeri (DUPN), which comes with the title “Datuk Seri Utama” – the highest state award given to anyone in Penang.
Expressing his gratitude, he said he was touched to receive the title.
“It is a nice feeling and kind of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri to bestow this award on me. I am grateful and appreciate this gesture,” he said with his family chiming in that they would celebrate it with a family dinner.
The ceremony which began yesterday will resume from Tuesday to Thursday.
