CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak remembers the last time his father said goodbye before going off on a “holiday” to Europe from which he never returned.
Nazir, the youngest son, was only 9 years old when his father, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, died of leukaemia on Jan 14, 1976.
While being enormously proud of his father’s dedication and achievements, sometimes, he also feels deprived of his time and attention.
“As the youngest son, I already had the least amount of time with him. And my last few years with him were also his busiest,” he told the New Straits Times recently.
When Nazir was a little boy, his father was a leader of a fledgling new state trying to cope with the May 3 tragedy. He cherished the few moments he spent with his dad.
He recalled one occasion when Razak studied his school report card and calculated the percentages from the marks, which came up to more than 90 per cent.
“My father congratulated me and said that I could do better. His message was that I should always strive to do better even if I’m already doing well,” Nazir said.
He also distinctly remembered the night Razak returned from China and how delighted he was with the success of the mission.
“Imagine if he had known how important and powerful China would become, and that his mission had sealed a long-term, special relationship with that country, which is today a subject of envy.
“When Razak was diagnosed with leukaemia, none of his family members knew how serious his illness was until just a few days before he died.
“In my case, I did not know until he passed away. I last saw him at the end of November 1975, before he left for his final trip to Europe.”
Nazir liked to think that he shared his father’s sense of what was right and wrong, and the need to address any mistakes whenever he could.
“I know I surprise many people when I speak my mind on national issues, but when I reflect on his struggles for the nation, I think I would have let him down if I did not lend my voice for important issues on which I have a credible view.”
In the special commemorative seminar at the Royale Chulan Hotel here today, PNB chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid will launch his book entitled My Recollections of Tun Abdul Razak.
Nazir said any one who sought to understand HIS FATHER must appreciate the context of him being the leader of a new nation with unique challenges.
“Through it all, he never lost his moral compass or sense of mission in building a nation.
“Today, he has been gone 40 years and yet, he retains the respect of Malaysians from all sides of the political spectrum because he was selfless in his pursuit of what was best for our country,” Nazir said.