KOTA KINABALU: As the eldest son of Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, Brigadier General Al Hambra Tun Juhar is probably the most exposed to his hectic life since his father's initial foray into politics.

       The 38-year-old was used to seeing his father flying back and forth between Kuala Lumpur and Sabah to attend parliament as Kinabatangan MP, as well as deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat back in the 1990s.

       "He had multiple roles to play as a politician. He would spend three months in Kuala Lumpur when Parliament convened for a sitting.

       "During those three months, he travelled every single weekend back home to Sandakan where we lived back then.

       "Every Friday, he will fly in from KL, transit in Kota Kinabalu before he can continue his flight to Sandakan (there were no direct flights plying the KL-Sandakan route then). On Sunday, he would fly back to KL again.

       "This was his routine every single week for three months, and he did this for two terms as the Kinabatangan MP from 1990 to 1999," said Al Hambra, sharing his father's dedication to both family and career.

       Even when the Dewan was not in session and his father was back home, the time was used to travel to Kinabatangan and meet his constituents, he added.

       "I still remember when I was small, people would come to visit our house almost every single day and night," said Al Hambra.

       Brought up with a mentality of giving back to the community, Al Hambra now helms Yayasan Nur Jauhar (YNJ), founded in 2012 by his father and mother, Toh Puan Norlidah R.M Jasni.

       The foundation's mission was to help the needy and the unfortunate in Sabah, and being the eldest son in the family, he was tasked to lead YNJ as the chairman to help realise his father’s vision of helping the unfortunate.

       When asked what important lessons Tun Juhar imparted to him and his three younger siblings, Al Hambra said,"Humility and compassion. These traits have helped me so much in leading the YNJ as a charitable organisation.

       "Having humility and compassion not only enables you to help others, but makes others feel comfortable with you as you are approachable."

       He gave an example of a mission where they installed piping for clean water supply for a single mother in Kampung Likas in the past, who was bedridden and had four children.

       Asked how things have changed for the family since his father was appointed the 10th Yang di-Pertua Negeri more than a decade ago (January 2011), the eldest son said they were still very much like any other family.

       "There is definitely protocol that has to be followed when you are the Head of State but as a family, we are still an ordinary family.

       "The only difference is our father is a public figure and as the Head of State, he has tight security around him.

       "So wherever he goes, he has an entourage, a security detail that has to follow him. I would say the biggest difference is you have less privacy as a family," he added.

       Asked what his father was really like, the eldest son said, "You would be surprised, despite his serious face and appearance, he is actually a very funny man who likes to joke around a lot.

       "Most of the guests who visited Istana Negeri for a courtesy call with him were nervous initially, but once they started conversation, he often made them burst into laughter," said Al Hambra, saying this was what his father normally tells him.

       When asked if he was interested in following his father's footsteps into politics, Al Hambra said he did not see himself qualified as a politician.

       "I would leave it to someone who is more capable than me.

       "Joining politics is actually to be a public servant. You are tasked by the people to serve their needs to your utmost capability.

       "A good politician will tend to their rakyat’s needs. But as for now, I am comfortable in helping the needy and the unfortunate in the capacity as YNJ chairman and also Commander of 507th Askar Wataniah Regiment," Al Hambra said.

       He and his siblings, however, do share other similarities with his father, who is known for his strong passion for arts such as music, photography and painting.

       Al Hambra said he was an active musician when he was in secondary school, until his university days.

       "During a certain period in my life, I was really passionate about photography where I was even hired as a photographer for a few weddings and I also did some editorial shoots for some small magazines back then.

       "My younger sister is a very talented singer who also plays a little bit of music herself, but she is a full-time housewife now.

       "My younger brother is very passionate about film making and he has chosen to be a filmmaker as a career and is doing quite well.

       "My youngest sister has a talent in drawing and painting and is now completing her studies in digital animation," shared Al Hambra, indicating that the apples did not fall far from the tree.