It Was Exactly Forty Years Ago Today That I Remember My Late Father Slumped On The Stairs Next To The Table Where The Dial Phone Was Placed.
It Was Dark In The Evening With The Sound Of Crickets In The Background While We Were On Standby For Our Daily Updates From My Sister Hasnah.
She Was Instructed By Our Late Father To Be At The Hospital In Between Classes To Report On The Tun's Condition In London. The Public Phone By The Clinic Was Almost Hers That Week As She Was The Only One Hogging It.
(Being An Outsider Having No Access Whatsoever To Anyone In The Entourage, "Reporting On The Tun's Condition" Meant To Inform Us Of Any Development Taking Place In Or Around The Clinic Regarding The PM At The Time, Not Relating To His Medical Records).
We All Sat In The Dark On The Stairs At The Residence For A Good While Crying After My Sister Delivered The Devastating News Via A Reverse Charged Telephone Call From London.
Radio Television Singapore (As It Was Known Then) Confirmed It On The Very Next Tv News Broadcast, Hours Before Dato' Hussein Onn Appeared On Radio Television Malaysia, With The Official Statement.
I Remember It Vividly Being A 12 Year Old Boy, I Guess I Cried More So That Night After Seeing My Father Cry For The First Time Ever In My Life.
We Were All Sad To Hear The Passing Of A Man Whom I Can Safely Describe Today As The Greatest Prime Minister Malaysia Has Ever Produced, Who Was Called To Return To Our Maker Way Before His Time In The Book Of Mortals.
In The Midst Of The Deafening Silence In The Next Hour After The Revelation Of His Passing, I Silently Remembered When My Father Received A Note From Him Cautioning The Former For Sending Him A Humidor With Cigars Inscribed With The Initials. "TAR ", In Fear Of It Being Claimed By Tunku Abdul Rahman To Be His. It Brought A Brief Smile To My Face Thinking Of His Wit And Light Humour.
We Thank The Late Tun Abdul Razak For Appointing Our Late Father As Ambassador To The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark And Sweden While Offering Him United Kingdom As His Last Posting Which My Father Respectfully Declined After More Than A Decade Heading His Majesty's Mission Abroad.
But Most Of All, We Thank Him For Placing The Very Foundation On Which Malaysia Developed And Stands Solidly With Much Pride Today.
May The Soul Of Abdul Razak Bin Hussein Rest Peacefully Amongst The Truest Of Muslims By The Sight Of The Almighty, And Be Granted By Allah Swt, His Intercession On The Day Of Judgement.
A Visionary Leader Was This Gentleman,
ReplyDeleteWho Served The Nation And Led His Fellowmen.
Country First, All Else Came Next,
Against The Clock He Knew No Rest.
He Came To Pass Before His Time,
In The Book Of Mortals That Did Not Rhyme.
In Debt Are The People Whom He Served,
For His Allegiance, Unwavered Nor Swerved.
May You Rest In Peace Abdul Razak Hussein,
With God's Will In Paradise, Might We Meet Again.
TPH Jumat Esq
14th January, 2016.