ON APRIL 23 last year, that’s 2006, former deputy prime minister Tun Ghafar Baba died.
On that day, I’ve posted a brief write-up on my old blog — now no longer active and soon to be deleted — about the man who for the most part of his life was known only as Encik Ghafar Baba. He had never been a Datuk nor a Datuk Seri prior to his Tunship. He was just that — a plain Encik Ghafar Baba or Mr Ghafar Baba.
In the the 60’s when the salutation “Encik” was still spelled in the old Malay language, he had also been addressed as Inche’ Ghafar Baba.
At one time when he was visiting my home state Sabah — that was during the opposition Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government — he had announced a RM500 million new hospital in Sipitang, a district nearly 200km southwest of Sabah.
“Bermiliun-miliun (in the millions),” was how he had said it. The opposition, no doubt, had a field day mocking his super modern hospital.
As it turned out, the modern hospital did come into being. The cost still running in the millions but it was quite far from the half-a-billion mark.
His rise in politics was an erstwhile example of how a grassroots politician shot to become almost the most powerful man in Malaysia. And he had not the high education to propel him into that position.
Tun Ghafar, a man you would probably not call handsome, was aware of his lack of formal education but he was gracious in accepting the fact and be content with it.
As a young adult in the late 80’s — that time I was still pursuing tertiary education at the University of Malaya — I attended a launch of the Minggu Kesenian Melaka 1986 (Malacca Arts Week 1986) organised by the Za’ba College.
In his speech he had said: “Saya tak sekolah tinggi macam awak semua tapi saya boleh kata saya juga terpelajar seperti anda semua dalam dewan ini. Awak nak tahu sebabnya? Sebab saya ada double Barchelor of Arts degree. (I may not have the high education like all of you but I can say that I am as educated as you are. You know why? Because I have double Bachelor of Arts degree)”.
When his audience sat in silence, he continued, “Tengoklah nama saya, ada B.A. B.A. Itu sudah dua sarjana muda (Look at my name, it has B.A.B.A That’s two bachelor’s degree)”.
The audience broke in applause. Vintage Ghafar.
He needed not mention his other “high” education — his wealth of experience, learned and obtained directly from the university of life.
Tun G had his share of life in the country and he would be remembered now as the man he truly was — a humble man, a father figure and a leader who made no small contribution to nation building.
He was indeed the million-million man. Rich in humility and kindheartedness. That is how I would always remember him.
