Thank you well wishers

BigDog then as a small pup, slightly before the 1969 racial riots in PJ

Today, is a day which I arrived as a small pup at the Assunta Veternary Hospital, Jalan Templer, Petaling Jaya slightly over forty years ago. A renown vet Dr RS McCoy (now an anti nuclear activist), did a caesarian on my mother as I was found to be suffocating in the chamber. It wasn’t three days later then she discovered that her first born pup was still alive (under special care).

Now, I have developed into a rather large canine. So many people are affected with some of my barks and digging in the yard (but not to bury a bone!) but none got bitten yet.

From the bottom of my enlarged heart and above the liver which already shown signs of ciorrhosis, I would like to express my utmost sincere appreciation to all the wishes I received in commemorating my arrival here on God’ earth, in this land. May God Al Mighty bless all who wished me well and may you all be under His watchful eyes.

I would like to wish HRH Sultan Ahmad Shah ASl Mustainbillah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Al Muadzam Shah of Pahang for sharing the same day with me. The United Nation charter was also passed in San Franciso, sixty four years ago today.

I am thankful to God Al Mighty for his blessings. Again, million thanks and friendly woofs.

Biggum Dogmannsteinberg

Southern most city in continent Asia

24 October 2009

Another tribute to Tahir Majid

I dedicate today’s posting to a great Malay professional, Prof. Hj Mohamad Tahir Abdul Majid. A chartered surveyor, chartered builder and arbitrator by training and profession, Tahir was called to be with Allah s.w.t. today, sixteen years ago.

Tahir and then a little pup still, circa 1968

Tahir was a kampung boy from Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan who made to England and came back as a trained professional at the times where a typical Malay youth would not even complete secondary education. He worked with Public Works Department (Now known as JKR) and later a partner of  a private practice, Juruukur Bahan Berakan.  He left private practice to join MARA was formed in 1965. When MARA Institute of Technology (then ITM, now UiTM) was formed in 1966 uunder MARA, then Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein who is also Minister for Rural Development asked him to form the Arhictecture School in ITM. He sacrificed his own potential prosperous professional career (there were so few QS then, let alone Malays) and gladly accepted and took the challenge.

It was his effort that the Architecture School (now known as Fakulti Senibina, Perancang dan Ukur – FSPU) grew and earned its prominence. Personalities like Ezrin Arbi (from Indonesia who later became a QS professor at UTM) and Hijjaz Kasturi (from Singapore and became the principal of the highly acclaimed architecture firm bearing his name) were invited to beef up the technical teaching staff at the times where there were so few technical professionals in the country, especially amongst the Malays. Many Malay boys and girls, predominantly from the rural areas and under developed Malay heartland, who were unable to make it to even sixth form then (in the sixties and early seventies), were given opportunities to technical training at diploma level. This was as a preparatory for further studies, mostly in technical universities in the UK, Australia and USA. As such, the gap of professional Malays in the technical field against the Non Malays were narrowed. In the sixties, so few Malays made it to Universiti Malaya, the only university then.

Tahir later was promoted to Dean of Academic Affairs (now UiTM Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs). With his network and hardwork, ITM graduates were accepted to more universities abroad at the time where UM would not even consider ITM graduates. This could be explained as many of the teaching staff in UM then were Non Malays, predominantly Chinese. In fact, the Engineering Faculty in UM in the late sixties and early seventies were known as ‘Butcher House’ to Malay technical students. So few made it through.

As the Dean of Academic Affairs and later Deputy Director, his focus on developing ITM went onwards to other courses like mass communications, accountancy, business studies and banking, law and public adminsitration, statistics and computer science, hotel and catering, estate management and valuation, plantation management, applied sciences, library and information sciences and even fine arts and graphic design. The growth of ITM and the welfare of the students was his passion. I clearly remembered he took me to visit the fine arts department in ITM Dungun in 1977. It was my first trip to the East Coast. ITM students then were like his much younger brothers and sisters.

It was true blue towering Malays like Tahir and the ITM technical teaching staffs who strategically proven that the Malays could equally earn technical competency if given the opportunity, at the times where there was no New Economic Policy (NEP) and quota system to the universities. After the formation of NEP, Tahir worked closely with agencies like MARA and shipped more ITM graduates  abroad. As a result, the gap between Malay and Non Malay technical professionals has been narrowed significantly. 

Tahir went on to serve the nation. When he left ITM as a long serving Deputy Director in late 1982, he was invited as the visiting examiner to Tunku Abdul Rahman College (TARC). Being an external examiner helped the credibility of the technical diplomas awarded by the MCA sponsored technical college, meant for the Chinese. He also promoted the growth of the profession to all Malaysians, when he was the Institut of Surveyor Malaysia President. He was also appointed visiting professor of quantity surveyor to UTM. He was selfless to see the profession grew, despite he could personally benefitted immensely with his qualifications and experience. Till present, so few Malaysians have his qualifications.

Tahir would have been 79 today, had he still been with us. I am not sure on how he will think of me as a SOPO blogger, considering his late father was a political writer and printer, since the 1930s. However, he would have been very proud to see where UiTM and his former students have been. Of course, the number of Malay professionals in architecture, engineering, survey and building science, especially those who had their early tertiary education and training in ITM would really struck his emotions. The fact that the FSPU is named after him, Kompleks Tahir Majid (the only other building in UiTM is named after a person. The first was the library, Perpustakaan Tun Abdul Razak) is an illustration of his immense contribution is recognised.

Even after sixteen years, he is sorely missed. May Allah s.w.t. bless you, Pak Long.

BigDogDotCom is two years old…..

 

BigDogDotCom celebrated its two years in operations minutes ago. With over 745 postings, 10,000 comments and two million visits, we at BigDogDotCom would like to express our utmost sincere gratitude and appreciation for the support and attention that everyone have given us these past two years.

The first posting after announcing BigDogDotCom is live online was about Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s boldness in challenging the West during the 3rd Perdana Global Peace Forum in February 2007.

The past year, a lot had came and passed, here in bloggosphere. BigDogDotCom  gained even mainstream media’s attention. However, the proudest moment for us here at BigDogDotCom is when we managed to attract the attention on Hashim Hussain Yaacob’s plight. The little effort we did, we managed to alleviate his condition, even for a short while.  That posting managed to get his Old Putra buddies to raise a substantial amount of money to help him, who was in dire needs. Unfortunately, Hashim was called to be with Allah s.w.t. on Thursday 12 February 2009.

Special mention is accorded to chedet.com (now chedet.cc), Rocky’s Bru, MyKMU.net, KMU Utara, KMU Selatan, KMU.net.my, Malaysia Today.net and Another Brick in the Wall.

Again, two million thanks to all!

BigDogDotCom is exactly a year old

At 4.56pm today, BigDogDotCom is exactly a year old. Exactly a year ago, BigDogDotCom published an article , “Siapa berani mencabar Barat selepas Dr. Mahathir?”, as a sum-up of Perdana Global Peace Forum III which was concluded slightly over a week earlier in PWTC. Also former UMNO President’s Tun Dr. Mahathir’s landmark call in Johor Bahru for UMNO ‘not fear pre-mature leadership changes’.

Since the first article, BigDogDotCom has posted altogether 381 articles. Many were uploaded into several political portals and websites and one scoop was actually uploaded into a French Navy website and tranlasted into French.

This blog had its first anniversary celebrations at The Loaf, Harbour Park, Pantai Kok, Langkawi.

We would like to express our utmost sincere gratitude and appreciation for the interests and support that have been given to us.

Thank you, all.

In memory of Mustaffa Dapat

Allahyarham Mustaffa b. Dapat (b. 21 October 1964, d. 28 August 2004).

Mustaffa Dapat was born to a former British Army employee, Dapat b. Selamat. He grew up in Kampung Stulang Baru, Johor Bahru, Johor and attended Larkin School. His father by then became a Postman at Bukit Panjang Post Office, Bukit Panjang, Singapore while his mother run an eatery stall in Larkin.

Later he attended MARA Junior Science College, Kuantan, Pahang (1977-1981). He went to Oklahoma to study engineering but later transferred to Ohio University in Columbus, Ohio and earned a bachelor in aeronautical engineering in 1986.

He came back to Malaysia during the first economic recession. After his mother passed away in 1987 to stomach ulcer, Mustaffa enrolled in the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) KD Pelanduk as a Cadet Officer. He graduated and commissioned in 1989 as the best cadet officer and earned the golden sabre from HM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong, beating more than a dozen ex RMC cadet officers in his intake.

He was initially destined to be trained as the engineer for the RMN’s Air Wing KD Rajawali. However, still as a Sub. Lt., he was sent to Royal Australian Navy submarine school near Sydney in 1992 instead. He earned his ‘dolphins’ in 1993, the first RMN officer to be certified as submariner, along with Lt. Abdul Rahman Ayob and Senior Petty Officer Suhaimi after the training in an RAN Oberon Class submarine.

His track record was so impressive that the RAN, through Australian MINDEF, requested their Foreign Office to ask MINDEF, through Wisma Putra for Lt. Mustaffa to come and serve for another tour of duty, in the RAN submarine squadron. During this time, he participated in a submarine exercise with the US Navy.

 

 

After serving ten years of short commission service, Mustaffa left the RMN in 1997 due to economic reasons. He joined ATSC Sdn. Bhd. and served as the Project Manager for the MiG 29N maintenance program, based in TUDM Kuantan, under former RMAF Brig. Gen. Richard Robless Sr. He later joined Rajawali Aerospace Sdn. Bhd. as a General Manager, also following Robless.

In 2001 when Perimekar Sdn. Bhd. put up the bid for the submarine project, Mustaffa was employed as a consultant to the project. He later joined Perimekar as a Project Manager and facilitated the project management during the lengthy technical negotiations between DCNi, Thales (now Armaris), Perimekar and the RMN. The contract was signed in June 2002 for the acquisition of two Scorpene Class SSK submarines. By then, LTAT through Boustead Bhd. was a 51% shareholder of Perimekar.

Mustaffa was sent to Cherbourg, France in December 2002, to facilitate for the Perkimekar’s contract to ensure the RMN Submarine Project Team’s work supervising and monitoring the construction, testing and commissioning of the two submarines are fully completed, according to the contract.

In late July, Mustaffa fell ill due to viral fever and was admitted to the Louis Pasteur Hospital, Cherbourg in early August. Five days later he was transferred to another hospital in Caen where he remained for the next two and half weeks. Within that time, it was diagnosed that Mustaffa suffered a rare penicillin allergy called ‘Steven Johnson syndrome’. He went into a coma and eventually just before six a.m. Saturday, 28 August 2004, Mustaffa Dapat died never regained consciousness.

His body was bathe and kapan (covered with burial shroud) at the Caen mosque and was taken to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport on the afternoon of Monday 30 August 2007 and was flown back to Kuala Lumpur onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH 021 at noon, national day of 2004. His remains arrived in KLIA on 5.30 am 1 September 2004, accompanied by his wife Masniza Mansor, his 8 year old son Muhammad Faza Aiman, his three month old baby Misha Elyssa, Puan NorAishah M. Nasri (wife of Deputy Leader, Submarine Project Team Capt. Rosland Omar), his best friend and fellow submariner (who also represented the RMN), Cdr. Abdul Rahman Ayob and Perimekar manager based in Cartagena, Spain, Anuar. Lt. Cdr. Zulhelmi Isnin and Lt. Cdr. Baharuddin Md. Nor was there at KLIA to receive the body and those who accompanied the remains of Allahyarham Mustaffa Dapat.

His remains was taken to Masjid Kampung Chempaka, Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya and later was interned at Kampung Tunku Cemetery that noon. Relatives, former colleagues from the RMN and the Defense Attache’ of the French Embassy of Kuala Lumpur were there to pay their respect. So was representative of DCNi and Armaris.

Mustaffa Dapat would have been forty three today if he was still with us. His passing was missed by the entire submariner community in this country, especially the RMN. I remembered specifically in LIMA ‘01, during breakfast at Awana Porto Malai, former Chief of Navy Laksamana Tan Sri Ilyas Md. Din (then Fleet Operation Commander Laksda Dato’ Ilyas Md. Din) said to me “Mustaffa’s departure from the Navy was a great loss to us but later proven to be a great service to the nation. He would one day made Chief of Navy had he stayed on and served”. So did former RMN Inspector General Laksmana Pertama Danyal Balagopal confirm the same point, separately.

Adieu, mon kapitan.

A year after Tun Dr. Mahathir returned from Europe

Today is exactly a year after former Prime Minister and UMNO President Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad returned from a long trip summer holidays in Europe. It was the first time Malaysians get a chance to meet him after his stinging attack against ‘The Level Four Boys’ and issues pertaining the cancellation of the Scenic Bridge project in Johor Bahru and Proton at an event organized by various NGO and streamed via broadband by Malaysia Today.net, at Kelab Century Paradise, Taman Melawati, near Kuala Lumpur on 24 June 2006.

His open criticism against Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership, management and decisions at Kelab Century Paradise to a crowd of 1,000 was a landmark speech. It attracted so much attacks in return from the Government, including Cabinet Ministers such as Dato’ Seri Nazri Aziz and Dato’ Khaled Nordin.

He and wife, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd. Ali arrived from Stansted Airport, North London via a chartered jet at Petronas Private Terminal, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz International Airport, Subang at 9.30 am and was met by close personal friends.

Outside the gates of the terminal, over 1000 well wishers and supporters gathered, some with banners and special printed t-shirts were issued. A Malay political portal, MyKMU.net had organized this welcome back session to show that the rakyat still in very much support of Tun Dr. Mahathir and the issues that he has been vehemently highlighted. Some noted political bloggers like Dato’ Ron, Dato’ Kadir Jasin, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Rocky and Sang Kelembai were also present.

I was one of the persons organized the welcome back session. Just before Tun Dr. Mahathir stepped out of gates of terminal, someone asked whether my Enterprise could be used as a platform for Tun Dr. Mahathir to speak to the well wishers and maybe talked to the waiting press, since it has a sunroof. I summarily agreed and repositioned the Mitsubishi Pajero V6 Pajero, named “Enterprise”.

When Tun Dr. Mahathir stepped out at 10.10am, he walked to a very anxious crowd who eagerly wanted to see him up close and walked down the road about 100 meters to the awaiting Enterpise which was repositioned almost to middle of the road. He climbed into the back seat and I asked him to stand up through the sunroof and he did. The crowd cheered as he waved, with a sunshine smile. I later asked him to stand on the backseat so that he was perched higher and he did and started waving more to the eager crowd.

For the next fifteen minutes, he addressed the crowd and talked to the press, including foreign bureaus who send their reporters. He was beaming and gleaming with glee, as he never thought that there would be supporters to welcome him home.

Blogger Gerbang Ruhanie, Dato’ Ruhanie Ahmad passed to Tun Dr. Mahathir his latest book, “Mahathir Menyinga” at the end of his speech on the Enterprise. It was about the cancellation of Scenic Bridge.

The last time I smsed Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir was 12 hours earlier, who sent Tun Dr. Mahathir of in London. He said his father did not expect anyone to be at the airport to welcome him home, since he considered himself as ‘orang pencen‘. However, Dato’ Mukhriz challenged me “Now, would you prove him wrong?”.

I did. We all did. And Tun Dr. Mahathir was definitely pleased people like me proved him wrong.

*Some of the photos were taken from Minaq Jinggo Photopages

Leadership and loyalty

We live in a very complicated world today. Some trespassed into volatile borders carelessly and conveniently make inaccurate and shallow interpretations, probably out of pure or almost near ignorance, based on virtues and universal values deemed acceptable in its plurality and diversity. A trait of an undisciplined mind.

So there shall be disagreements. There shall be disputes. There shall be off tangent stance. There will be comprehension lost in transition. Then there should be respect. A point where opposing minds withdraw with full distinction earned. A gentlemen’s duel saved for another day.

And there had been ‘other days’, before.

Unfortunately there will be people who get lost in transit. They survived the shelling. They leave feeling betrayed. ‘Collateral damage’, some said!

Then there will be the interesting part. A test of loyalty. A test of respect. A test of camaraderie. Loyalty is a virtue that I admire and value. Leadership is about willing to be tested for loyalty. Leadership is about a test of wisdom. Leadership is about a test of decision making. Leadership is about the test of trust and confidence. Most important of leadership is to gain respect, trust and loyalty, one must prepared to reciprocate.

Today I have been put on this test, again. I have been here before. So I took the choice that I am expected to make; compromise my heart and go with the wit. I went with the principle of being a sub-ordinate.

I believe in the US Marine Corp motto “Semper Fidelis“, ‘Always Faithful’. A ship is a good platform to learn about ‘leadership and loyalty’. A good platform to learn about faith, wisdom and wit. A good platform to learn about team, teamwork and team spirit.

Leadership is the key to any organisation. Sometime, we have to change leadership pre-maturely (that’s what Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad urged UMNO, in Johor Bahru, 10 Feb 2007). Bad leadership will be detrimental to the sub-ordinates, the ship and the journey. But not today, not for me. Today we must show strength. Today we must show, we work well in the ship. Today, we carry on sailing into uncharted waters.

Today, I chose to listen to the leader!

Down old school memory lane

I was back in my old school today. All week friends have been calling and messaging non stop. I was rather indecisive. After Friday prayers yesterday, I made a decision to go.

I woke up at quarter past six and later drove all the way to North Johor. Some juniors in my old school organized an “Old Students Day” and hosted a lunch at the old main hall.

After grabbing a tall latte and a sugared donut from Starbucks, I rushed to the nearest tube station to pick the Alumni Secretary General up and we waddled our way, in the ever trusted ‘Enterprise’ down south. Of course, we chatted and talked nonsense, all the way (like our usual long distance trips!)

We arrived just before eleven. We heard the Alumni Deputy President giving his off-the-cuff speech, representing Dato’ Mukhriz Mahathir, who was unfortunately double-booked. Dato’ Mukhriz was very disappointed to discover that he was double-booked for today and I knew he tried his best to wiggle out of it to be with us in Muo. Unfortunately, his commitments prevail.ed Lately, he has put a lot of effort back in developing the Alumni he led.

I was amazed. The Dewan Dato’ Onn has been fully air-conditioned now!   Wow. That’s nice. I entered through the right front door, glanced through the hall top to bottom all the way to the back. I waddled all the way to back to see a table full of my contemporaries, waving for me to join them.

I still can’t believe it. I looked at it from all the way back to the front. It was nice and cosy. The AV was also fantastic. The reminiscence of the old past flashed before my eyes. I recalled how in September 1982 I sat for my SRP and November 1984 sat for my SPM, there in the same hall. It wasn’t as cosy then but that was the hall where I wrote all those lines to earn me 6As and a rather good school certificate.

There are so many changes. Apparently, the Government air-conditioned the Dewan Dato’ Onn when HRH Tunku Mahkota Johor made my old school one of his major stop in last year’s Kembara Mahkota Johor, which has grown very popular with the rakyat. MARA built our school sixth in the series, with limited budget and resources in the late seventies. This was part of the eradication of poverty through alleviation of the Malays education level program, prescribed under the New Economic Policy (NEP). The school was provided with bare minimum. When in opened its doors in August 1981, it had 13 science labs and three wooden dorms. By January 1982, the contractors completed 15 more classrooms and five more wooden dorms and April 1982, this multi purpose hall, the library and lecture theatre were used for the first time. Now that more resources are available, they built more classrooms and better dorms made from bricks and concrete.

The lunch was rather good. I had the pleasure to have lunch in the same table with my former teachers. Two of them are now principals in two different colleges. One retired as a Director of College of Higher Education. He thought me fourth form math and was also the Vice Principal then. Another went to teach in a university. The lady who fussed for me, ever since 1982 is now an Assistant Director of a MARA Department in Kuala Lumpur. We talked about a lot of issues. I am glad we had the opportunity to chin-wagged, over a meal. We are now friends.

My corner is by the orange door. It was breezy and easy access.

I toured around the school. I went to my old classroom. It’s a form four class now. It used to be my Homeroom for three years. I had a feel at the corner where I used to sit. I recalled the day the late Musak Mantrak taught me and developed interests in politics, through the perspective of history. I remembered my first observation of a General Election. It was Dato’ Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s first mandate. Musak also asked us to watch this new-kid-on-the-block, Anwar Ibrahim. I remembered Musak said “This man was arrested because he demonstrated to the allegations that someone died in Baling due to starvation. Watch closely what he will do to the people of Baling now that he is in Government!”.

I did. I remembered what Musak said. Musak is no longer with us. So is Jami Mohamed, my former Scouts Master. Jami was an English master.

In retrospective, I now treasure every single values that our masters tried to inculcate in us. Now I understand why we were fussed with the pettiest rules and regulations. I had some of the best masters an aspiring nationalist hoped to be. Without doubt, I had masters who were nationalists themselves. I clearly recalled our late Chief Cook shouted at his people “I will not allow these kids, who will be our future, left hungry at our watch!”, every time we turned late for dinner after a good game on the fields. Pak Mustapha, a retired Royal Malay Regimental Sergeant Major would whip something up for us, immediately after Maghrib, before we went for prep classes. Boys will be boys, and according to him, at no cost, they should miss any meals!

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My Tun Dr. Ismail hostel was here. Its now gone! Note the arch and path to the entrance of the gone hostel.

The congregation later proceeded to the Surau for the ‘Career Talk’. I took this opportunity to tour the school further. I saw the site of my old dormitory. It has now disappeared. I also saw the old dining hall. It has now abandoned. Apparently the old dilapidated wooden dorms were torn down and newer ones built. I was almost teary eyed. I guess, everything has been left to memory now. Memory how I spent 3 years 4 months in this campus. There are no traces of my existence except for the memory. The memory, now I am left to treasure.

In no way, shall I betray the fondest of memories of my old school and friends. The science projects we experimented (outside of our syllabus). The camping trips we had. The games we played. The trophies we won. The agony of defeat. The friends we made. The brotherhood we bonded. The pledges we took. The scuffles we fought. The prizes we received (especially when one had to salute one’s dad for it!). The songs we gigged. The plays we staged. The dances we choreographed. The movies we shown. The debates we argued. The contests we competed. The ‘Homeroom Projects’ were undertook. The ‘Projek Anak Angkat’ in the Felda scheme for two weeks. The Gunung Ledang we scaled. The beaches we swam. The first newspapers we published. The first photos we shot and developed. The puppy love we ventured. The teenage hearts we broke!

We were a team. We had teams. Countless times we cheered for our teams. We had ‘Jalan Lasak’ when were were only fifteen. The ‘Jalan Lasak’ we walked (back from Pekan Nenas in Pontian all the way to Bakri in Muo, 160 km in four days and night – we slept on school grounds along the way) under the scorching sun at mid-day and heaviest torrential storm in the evenings. It was a test of our spirit. It was pure espirit de corp.

After all the re-living adolescence all over again, its time to come back to reality. We hugged and parted at half past five. It was so nice to have met old friends and old teachers.

One the way home, I tapau-ed some much talked about Mi Bandung Muo for my Sayang

A tribute to Tahir Majid

I have to record this tribute to a dear uncle. His name is Mohamad Tahir Abdul Majid. Two days ago, was his birthday. I was too busy because both of my parents were hospitalized, so it totally slipped my mind.

Tahir Majid was born on 7 April 1930 in Seri Menanti, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. He was a grandson of the Kadhi Besar to the Yam Tuan Besar Negeri Sembilan and the eldest son of an anti establishment printer (my grandfather was arrested by the British and Japanese, several times for printing nationalism materials – no blogs then!)

He received early education at Seri Menanti Malay School before he enrolled into Tuanku Muhammad School in Kuala Pilah. After World War II, he continued his education at King George V, Seremban.

He obtained first grade in his school certificate exams and wanted to do medicine. However, he can’t afford it and he was fortunate enough to be given a place to study at Technical College (TC) in Kuala Lumpur.

His grades were so good whilst in TC, they gave him a scholarship to study quantity surveying at what is Reading University in 1950. Upon graduation, he pursued to sit for the Royal Institute Chartered Surveyor (RICS) exams and worked in London. He also sat for the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB) exams at the same time.

He came back to Malaya in 1960 and was the first Malay chartered surveyor, along with Dato’ Abdul Rahim Abdul Rahman, (now Executive Chairman, Rahim & Co). He joined Public Works Department while Rahim was in the Valuation Department.

1965 he left to start the firm of what it is today, Nik Farid & Loh. He was one of the very few chartered surveyors in town. Things were going good for him.

In 1966, the Government decided to form MARA Institute of Technology (ITM), under the recently passed MARA Act. Tun Razak, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in the Rural Development had personally asked Tahir to set up the Architecture School (in ITM). He gave Tahir two weeks to consider. He had known Tahir since their days in England.

Two weeks later Tahir went to see the DPM. He sold of his firm and gave up a RM five thousand a month pay to start and develop the Architecture School of ITM. Tun Razak was very surprised. He thought Tahir would just design the programs, draft the syllabus and nominate a candidate.

He was very dedicated in this new project. There were not enough professionals to teach this new school. So he went around looking for the right personalities, even abroad. He managed to get big names like Hijjaz Kasturi from Singapore (now a renowned architect) and Ezrin Arbi from Bandung (retired professor of QS in UTM) to develop the programs and gave credibility to the courses offered.

Bureaucracy is always the culprit to development. When his first students received their scrolls in 1969, JPA did not recognize ITM Diplomas. So the diploma holders in QS, architecture and engineering find it very tough to get a job. ITM graduates can’t be admitted to neither UM nor UTM. However, Tahir Majid worked out a special scheme with MARA to ship these people abroad. British Universities suddenly were accepting these graduates, direct into second year.

That created a chain reaction. Soon Australian universities did the same. Of course, American colleges. The admission into some of the good architecture and engineering schools in England because the graduates were simply, “Harry’s boys”. The Malaysian Government suddenly realized that almost all Dean or Admission Tutors at British Polytechnics offering these course were Tahir Majid’s contemporaries.

Being his students means that most admission tutors validated the standards of syllabus and teaching in ITM. Therefore, admissions into second year programs in polytechnics such as Central London, City, South Bank, Oxford, Brighton, Southampton, Portsmouth and University of Reading, Herriot Watt, Stirling, Norwich and University Collge of London were assured and seamless.

He even ensured that other courses in ITM maintained and enjoyed such benefits from his professional and casual relationship amongst the professional bodies in Britain. For example, since the late 60s, accounting courses in ITM enjoyed the auspices of the President of ACCA to be one of its external examiners. I personally saw this, in 1983 whilst on a trip to London, how the President and past Presidents of RICS had very high regard for him. They all know him as, “Harry Majid”.

He diligently served ITM for 15 years, as the Dean of Academic Affairs (now known as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic) and Deputy Director since Tan Sri Arshad Ayub’s time up to Prof Dato’ Nik Rashid tenure. He had a lot of hand in developing ITM in Sabah, Arau and Dungun. Tahir was the person instrumental to dissolve the ITM students’ demonstration and hostage taking in 1974, because he gained the students’ trust and respect.

He retired in 1982 and started his private practice. Later, he became a professor in UTM and also a consultant for YTL Corporation.  He managed to earn six professional qualifications in quantity surveying and building sciences. He also remained a visiting tutor and an external examiner to TAR College for a very long time.

In recognition to his vast contribution in ITM and profession, En Ghaffar Baba, then Deputy Prime Minister in 1993, dedicated the ITM School of Architecture, Planning and Survey (KSPU) as the Kompleks Tahir Majid. It is the second building in ITM being dedicated to a person. The first is the library, which is called Perpustakaan Tun Abdul Razak.

Tahir Majid died on 18 July 1993, after painfully battling liver and throat cancer for over a year.

Until today, no other person in Malaysia managed to obtain Fellowship to professional bodies such as RICS (UK), CIOB (UK), MIS (Mal), FICA (UK), AIQS (Aust) and AAACE (US), at the same time.

Parents in hospital

I have been running in limbo, for almost a week. My parents are both taken ill. Since last Monday, they have been brought to see my physician, at Damansara Special Hospital, twice. They did not do better. Infact, my father’s condition worsened. So on Thursday, I took him to see my cardiologist (the physician was on emergency leave). He was admitted. Since mother wasn’t well either, so I got the doctor to admit her as well. It better that she also gets 24 hours medical care.

My father complained of severe pain in the head. And when he saw the doctor since last Monday, his blood pressure shot up. So they suspect my father is suffering from hypertension and gave him the medicine to bring his blood pressure down. Mother is in for bronchitis. She is treated with asthma medications.

However, after few days, his pain got worse and the hypertension medicine is unable to bring his pressure down. Then they got the ophthalmologist to check on him. She said nothing is wrong with his eye. Then they got a neurologist to examine him. They did CT scan and MRI and found nothing. Now, they say it is an uncommon migraine and they are giving him four painkillers to relieve him from the suffering. However, it is not doing that well. He is still in pain and now, he is feeling nausea (because of the painkillers). His vision is slightly impaired.

However, Mother has improved. Since they took a suite, my brother and sister and their respective troops are with them, almost daily. So sometime, it’s like a circus in there. We brought home cooked food for them at every meal and of course, I get to eat the hospital prepared cuisine (Hey, its kinda good, okay!). The atmosphere of little ones squabbles over crayons and M&Ms, actually is a therapy to both of them.

Yesterday, two of his sisters visited. That brought them joy. I saw how my father was talkative, after almost a week. I purposely not tell anyone but my siblings he was in hospital for the first few days because I knew his pain was severe and I don’t think he’d appreciate any visitors, even kin when he is in that unbearable and annoying pain.

I hope the consultants (cardiologist, neurologist, ophthalmologist and radiologist) can accurately diagnose him and give him the right treatment.

P/S I managed to finish Syed Akbar’s book and its great that there’s wifi at KPJ’s hospital

P/S II: Thanks for the kind thoughts and words, expressed here or through other medium. Thanks to my dear friend Bernard Khoo who offered prayers whilst attending Mass on Easter Sunday. To the catholic bloggers that surf this blog, I wish everyone a good Easter Sunday and may we have ever lasting peace and harmony, for the betterment of mankind (of course, womankind as well – I am trying to shed my sexism!)