KUALA LUMPUR: The late Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman's name may not ring a bell for the young generation but a township, located between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, has been named after him as a tribute to Malaysia's second deputy prime minister's significant contributions to the nation.
Today (August 2), a programme will be held at Dataran Merdeka here in conjunction with this year's National Month celebration to commemorate and appreciate Dr Ismail's services to the country. Organised by the Communications and Digital Ministry, the event is set to be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this morning.
Dr Ismail was known to have had a unique agenda for Malaysian politics, race relations and how the average Malay, Chinese, Indian and members of other communities should conduct themselves in taking the nation forward.
In fact, Malaysian politics may have been very different today if Dr Ismail had not succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 58 on Aug 2, 1973 – he was at the prime of his political career then.
Narrative behind 'The Reluctant Politician'
Meanwhile, some 17 years after the publication of 'The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time', Penang Institute executive director, Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng, is still grateful he was given the opportunity to author Tun Dr Ismail's biography narrating the life journey of the great leader and his nation-building efforts that left an indelible mark on the nation.
Edited in collaboration with Tun Dr Ismail's eldest son Tawfik Ismail, the book was published in 2006 by the Singapore think-tank Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, now known as ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Recalling the moment when he was assigned to write Tun Dr Ismail's biography in 2005, Ooi told Bernama that then ISEAS director, K. Kesavapany, wanted to publish a series of books focusing on particular leaders.
"I was the person who came to his mind to write Tun Dr Ismail's biography since I also wrote various political and historical materials and had an interest in Malaysian history.
"Tawfik decided at that time, at the instigation of his old friend Ambassador Verghese Mathews, that his father's private papers should be given to us. The papers were also kept in the ISEAS library, which is one of the best in the world for Southeast Asian studies. It was a good place to preserve those papers."
Ooi completed the book within a year and a half after he was assigned the job by ISEAS. The 311-page book has eight chapters and is divided into two parts titled 'Merdeka or Medicine' and 'Remaking Malaysia', providing a comprehensive narrative of Dr Ismail's political career from the 1950s until his passing in 1973.
Besides relying on the late deputy premier's private papers – comprising parts of an unfinished autobiography, correspondence and reports he wrote while serving as ambassador to the United States – and secondary sources for the biography, Ooi also interviewed some of the people who had worked with Tun Dr Ismail as well as his family members, close friends and contemporaries such as Tun Musa Hitam, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Lee Kuan Yew who knew him well.Ooi said his interviews with people like the late Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew and Hong Kong-based Malaysian business magnate Robert Kuok were very important for the project as their views, not only on Malaysian politics but on Tun Dr Ismail, were very objective.
"I travelled all the way to Hong Kong to interview Robert (Kuok), and made several trips back and forth between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore while writing the book.
"We researchers want resources but we don't want too much of it. Fortunately, Tun Dr Ismail's private papers were not too voluminous and not too limited. They came in about five plastic bags so I could actually go through all of them properly," he said.
Forgotten
Unlike Malaysia's first and second prime ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj and biography, Tun Dr Ismail was a "man who stood by principles. Asking him to use his political power to help you would be tantamount to putting yourself in jail!"
Ooi said Tun Dr Ismail did not tolerate any form of corruption, even if it was just a small gesture from some people he had helped in the past.
"There was an incident when a Chinese couple, both farmers, brought vegetables to his door but he angrily chased them away. Because Tun Dr Ismail believed that corruption always started with little things," he said.
Ooi added that having been born with a heart ailment, Tun Dr Ismail valued physical exercise and took up walking and hiking whilst studying medicine in Australia.
"I personally think that for people to do that (walking and hiking) in isolation, it is considered a character-building experience. It allows one to think alone and get to know oneself, which means becoming a contemplative person," he said.
Acting Prime Minister
Tragically, Tun Dr Ismail's journey was cut short when he passed away in August 1973 while serving as acting prime minister. The nation mourned his untimely death which left behind a void that would be felt for years to come.
Nevertheless, his compassionate and visionary leadership will continue to inspire future generations, encouraging them to embrace the values of integrity, unity and selfless service to the nation.
"Tun Abdul Razak made him (Tun Dr Ismail) his deputy in September 1970 and the two would share the painful fate of knowing that one or the other might suddenly die in office.
"According to Robert (Kuok), Tun Dr Ismail knew that his time was not long and was thinking of resigning due to his health while Razak was ready to go to Ottawa (Canada) to attend the Commonwealth (Heads of Government) meeting.
"However, his heart failed him on Aug 2, 1973, while he was the acting prime minister when Razak was in Ottawa," Ooi said, adding that if Tun Dr Ismail had lived longer, he could have gone on to become Malaysia's best prime minister. – Bernama