ON being asked to contribute an article on my friendship with Raja Nazrin during his school and university days in England, initial apprehension as to whether I could recall events from forty years back was quickly overcome by the opportunity to share a glimpse of Raja Nazrin’s little known early years. As I began to write, I was surprised how the memories of past events floated easily to the surface of my mind as though they happened only yesterday.
“Little did we realise then that being seated next to each other on the plane would mark the beginning of a lifelong friendship.”
I first met Raja Nazrin in the early 1970s. We were on the same flight going back to London. He was just 14 years old and I was not much older at 16. He was headed for The Leys School, Cambridge and I was going to Malvern Boys College. Both are public schools in England (in England, “public school” actually means private school). Little did we realise then that being seated next to each other on the plane would mark the beginning of a lifelong friendship.
As we were in different schools I do not have any stories to share about his time in school. However, as our schools were both public schools I can imagine how school life would have been for him. I am sure he began school in England shy and bewildered amidst the unfamiliar surroundings. It would have been difficult initially to adjust to the different culture, food and even the English weather. School days would have been fully occupied with classes and games. I can just picture him eagerly walking to his classes clutching his books, his mind thinking of how to conjugate Latin verbs, or how William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, or what caused Hamlet to be so indecisive. Latin, English history and Shakespeare were some of the staple diet of subjects taught in public schools.
“Raja Nazrin played rugby for his school and was known for his prowess as a winger — fast and nippy and quick to capitalise on the slightest opportunity and score a try.”
English public schools provide a well-rounded education in many fields, academically, artistically and sportingly. They also seek to build character and leadership qualities. Additionally, boys are made to feel a sense of duty and responsibility to society. Games were much a part of this character-building. It was believed that games would instil a sense of confidence, fair play, endurance and courage. Raja Nazrin played rugby for his school and was known for his prowess as a winger — fast and nippy and quick to capitalise on the slightest opportunity and score a try. Some of the other traits that The Leys School would have helped develop include critical thinking, independence, confidence, impeccable manners and courage. To quote the playwright, Alan Bennet, “a public schoolboy should be acceptable at a dance and invaluable in a shipwreck.”
We were young and inquisitive. It was the 1970s, the decade of student uprisings, the hippy movement, long hair and pop music. The young were challenging the established order and a sense of rebellion was in the air. It was in this atmosphere that we spent many hours together, either in restaurants, cafes or walking in the park discussing politics, economics, philosophy and other booming issues of the day. We listened to pop music. The 1970s was a time of some of the greatest pop singers. We listened to songs like Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son”, Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence”. These songs are forever etched in our minds and whenever we listen to them today, the sweet memories of youth would come alive. We also had our share of attending parties and appreciating the charms and mysteries of the opposite sex. The 1970s was also the disco era, as exemplified in the movie “Saturday Night Fever”. It is not known by many that Raja Nazrin is a stylish dancer and when he is on the dance floor, he would move with great panache. It was not unusual too at that age to fall in love, to fall out of love and to fall right back in love. As the saying goes “youth comes but once in a lifetime”. Moreover, Raja Nazrin is endowed with good looks, irresistible charm and an impressive demeanor, which gave him an overwhelming advantage over me!
From the time he was young, it was clear that Raja Nazrin loved life in all its manifestations. He enjoyed both the intellectual side and the physical side of life. He has an open and wide-ranging mind that was never constrained by any preconceived ideas or intellectual straightjacket. I recall that one of Raja Nazrin’s favourite books was “On Liberty” by John Stuart Mill. The main tenet of this book is that individuals should be free to live and act as they wish to the maximum extent possible insofar as they do not harm others. The book is also 1 a plea that, in general, people should be left alone by government, however well-meaning the govement, and not be told how to lead l their personal lives.
During the holidays we would invariably visit the bookshops in London such as Hatchards, Foyles and Dillons University Bookshop (now known as Waterstone). He would spend immeasurable hours browsing and choosing his books. His choice was fairly eclectic but most common would be books on economics and history. Thus, it is not surprising that for his degree, he chose to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) and was successful in being admitted to the prestigious Worcester College, Oxford University. This was and still is a popular course for students seeking a liberal arts education and many politicians and cabinet ministers in England are PPE graduates.
“Even in those early days Raja Nazrin was interested in the concept of the mle of law as being indispensable to a civilised society.”
Even in those early days, Raja Nazrin was interested in the concept of the mle of law as being indispensable to a civilised society. He subscribes to the belief that it is necessary to protect individuals fiom arbitrary arrest. In countries where the govemment is not bound by law, the individual has no such protection. In addition, many of the evils of a totalitarian regime are made possible when the ruling political party govems above the law. The rule of law also means that the judiciary should be independent and that any accused must be given a fair trial.
Philosophy was a favourite topic for discussion. Raja Nazrin was particularly interested in the book History of Western Philosophy by Benrand Russell. He used to carry a copy around that slowly became torn and tattered due to overuse. We talked about the western concepts of truth, ultimate reality, nature of knowledge, notions of right and wrong and how to live a good life. All these concepts are familiar to any student studying westem philosophy. Raja Nazrin believes in the essential goodness of man. This can be seen in his tolerance and patience in his dealings with people. He never speaks ill of anyone.
One of our favourite activities was to take a stroll in Hyde Park. It ‘ was a peaceful place away from the roar of the city. It was also free! As f we were students, any activity which did not cost money was obviously attractive. Even now, on our joint trips to London we ofien make what I would call a “pilgrimage” to Hyde Park. Hyde Park has hardly changed and as one writer said “we change, we age, we stay or move away and, in time, we end. The park, however, endures.”
Another of Raja Nazrin’s favourite activities in his youth was watching games, particularly football and rugby. At that time, this was limited to watching them on television but since then, he has been to ‘ several World Cup football and rugby matches in far-flung destinations such as Japan, New Zealand and France. Being passionate football fans, it would be remiss of me not to also mention that we both support Manchester United and our moods would change depending on the result of a game involving Manchester United. We have been through the barren years in the 1970s and 1980s as well as the trophy-filled years in the 1990s and 2000s under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Of the many trips we have made together, the one I have the clearest memory of is our trip to East Berlin in 1972, during the height ‘ of the Cold War and before the unification of Germany. To get to West Berlin, we had to drive through Communist East Germany, past barbed wires and border patrols. We were driven to East Germany by a German friend called Friederich or Fidi for short. He was studying law and working as a translator with the Malaysian Embassy in Bonn.
He was a typical German — intense and passionate but yet disciplined and logical. He represented the contradictions of Germany — a country that has produced so many outstanding composers, writers and philosophers but was also responsible for so many atrocities during the Second World War. It was obvious that Fidi and those of his generation were still grappling with their sense of guilt.
We got through the East German checkpoints and entered West Berlin where we took in the Brandenburg Gate, the Victory Column, , the Unten Den Linden street and the Tiergarten Centralpark. We also toured the Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard where modem life under a capitalist system included movie theatres, shops, crowd-filled cafes and restaurants and nightlife shimmering with dazzling neon lights. As we also wanted to explore communist East Berlin, we crossed the wall at the famous Checkpoint Charlie. The crossing itself was suspense- filled as we had to walk past watch towers bristling with stem-looking armed soldiers. In East Germany, we could not help but notice an atmosphere of backwardness and dullness which underscored the stark contrast between the two states and the two political systems in Germany. We met some residents of East Berlin and they were very interested to talk to us as we must have appeared “exotic” to them. They truly enjoyed the encounter as it provided them a rare chance to meet people from faraway places since travel for them was almost completely prohibited.
“His friends range from the wealthy, the powerful, the eccentric and those down on their luck.”
Conversations with Fidi during the trip were a source of delight as one topic afler after another flowed easily, from one to the other and sometimes back again. We were dazzled by how knowledgeable he was, as our talks ranged from the Third Reich to the music of Wagner and the life of Goethe. Fidi came to visit us in Malaysia two years ago and we had a wonderful time talking about the past and discussing the present. Time had not dulled his wit or reduced the breadth of his knowledge. Sadly, he revealed that he was suffering from cancer. He died a year later, at the relatively young age of 60. It was a reminder of how transient life is. One of his poignant parting words to us was that “a good friend is hard to find, hard to lose and impossible to forget”.
Raja Nazrin has fortunately been imbued with the priceless gifi of friendship. He makes friends with consummate ease. He has cultivated and kept friends throughout his life — thus adhering to Dr. Johnson’s maxim, “Friendship should always be kept in constant repair”. He has always kept in touch with his friends, even the ones far away. His friends range from the wealthy, the powerful, the eccentric and those down on their luck. He shows individual concem for all no matter what ‘ their age, rank or status.
“His Royal Highness has many other virtues but the most outstanding is his courage.”
His Royal Highness has many other virtues but the most outstanding is his courage. Courage has always been a quality central to his l character. He always speaks his mind without fear of the consequences.
1 His courage can be seen in some of his addresses where he asserts the i role of the monarchy in modem times and also on the shortcomings of l some politicians.
I It is remarkable to see the trajectory of his life from an executive l with Petronas to Raja Muda and now, Sultan of Perak. His Royal Highness makes no fuss about his sense of duty — it is simply second nature to him. He sets high standards for himself. His work schedule will increase now that he enters center stage. Understandably, he may have less time for his friends. However, my consolation, and it is a considerable consolation, is that Perak will have a Sultan with all the necessary qualities to be an outstanding and shining example for others to follow.