KUALA LUMPUR: Former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief, Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, fondly recalled securing an exclusive interview with the late Tun Daim Zainuddin in the 1980s.
Kadir reflected on the period when Daim was emerging as one of Malaysia's most prominent young corporate figures.
At that time, Kadir said Daim was deeply involved in representing the government within the construction and property development sectors, particularly through his work with the Urban Development Authority.
"I became interested in him and decided to find out more (in 1982). In 1983, I succeeded in securing an exclusive interview with him for my newspaper, Business Times.
"There weren't many journalists focused on economics. He spoke about economic matters, and I was able to write sensible pieces about the economy," he said.
As the years passed, Kadir said whenever Daim had important economic information that he believed the public should know, he would pass it along to him.
Their friendship, Kadir said, spanned four decades, lasting until just a few months ago, when he last saw Daim, who by then was already frail.
"I was lucky to work with Daim. He had vast knowledge, and with his experience, he could explain complex matters, whether politics, law, or economics, in a simple and interesting way. I learned a lot from him," he said.
In addition to his business work, Kadir remembered Daim as a man of great generosity.
"He was a philanthropist. He quietly funded mosques, schools, and student organisations, and he even built homes and educational facilities for tsunami orphans.
"He was a very charitable person, but he preferred not to publicise his charitable work," he said.
Kadir said former two-time prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had sensed that the economy could worsen.
Dr Mahathir then appointed Daim as his finance minister, despite Daim not having any prior political experience.
Kadir said Daim played a crucial role in guiding Malaysia through the 1986 recession, and under his tenure, the economy began to recover.
However, despite his successes in government, Kadir said Daim was never truly content.
"He was a businessman at heart and had always wanted to return to the corporate world.
"By the early 1990s, with the economy performing well, he left government service and resumed his business ventures, but this time, he expanded internationally.
"He learned from an earlier lesson that it was risky for him to run businesses in Malaysia while holding a government position, so when he returned to business, he mostly did so abroad," he said.
Kadir said Daim invested in places like Indonesia, Eastern Europe, and parts of Africa, pioneering what Mahathir had always envisioned - Malaysian businesses expanding internationally.