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Sunday, January 11, 2015

Vendatta and Abuse of Power: Syed Kechik and the Politics of Sabah

by Din Merican
I recommend this book which is a historical account of the politics of Sabah. It is also about the trials and tribulations of, and injustices suffered by, Tan Sri Syed Kechik bin Syed Mohamed Albukhary.
Syed Kechik
The late Tan Sri, as I knew him in 1950 or thereabouts when he  had just returned from the United States after graduating from University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), was my hometown (Alor Setar) hero.
He and Dato Senu Abdul Rahman were sailors in the merchant navy which brought them to Los Angeles.  Upon arrival in California, Dato Senu and Tan Sri Syed Kechik became students and upon their return home with their respective degrees, they were intimately involved in pre-independence  UMNO politics and went on to play prominent roles in government. Both were role models of self made individuals of my generation of Kedahans.
Dato Senu A RahmanDato Senu (left) was a Minister and diplomat(As as an exchange student, I met him in 1963 when he served as Ambassador to West Germany), while Tan Sri Syed Kechik was advisor to then Chief Minister of Sabah, Tun Datu Mustapha.
I grew up with his younger brother Syed Salem. I am admire him for his dedication to set right the record of his late brother.
The book is an interesting and gripping account of a dedicated Malaysian who became a very successful businessman in his own right. It is a story of true grit. I congratulate Dato Syed Salem and Dr. Shaari Isa for this excellent account of the trials and tribulations of Tan Sri Syed Kechik.

Vendetta and Abuse of Power by Dr. Shaari Isa

Vendetta and Abuse of Power by Dr. Shaari Isa is a chronicle on injustices suffered by a towering figure in Malaysia’s early nation building history, Allahyarham Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Syed Kechik bin Syed Mohamed Albukhary. It is also an analysis of the results of litigations spread over a 34-year quest for justice firstly by him, and later by his younger brother, Syed Salem Albukhary.
Syed Kechik was asked to go to Sabah by the Federal government to bolster the federation’s territorial integrity of Malaysia as we know it today. He was the centre’s point person sent to reign in break-away belligerences among the two large Borneo partner-states of Sabah and Sarawak during the earlier years of the Malaysian federation following the separation of Singapore in 1965. In Sabah – an east Malaysian state he called his adopted home – he introduced wide-ranging socio-economic reforms to reengineer social needs and energise the state’s economy.
Today, every Malaysian in Sabah, young and old, can still enjoy the countless benefits from his enduring legacy. Despite such significant contributions, Syed Kechik became the target of a vengeful political ploy. His opponents branded him as an outsider ravaging Sabah’s timber resources. He was accused of manipulating the then Sabah’s de facto ruler, Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun for personal enrichment.
KL00_170114_BUKUThe new political party’s battle-cry to have him expelled from Sabah during 1975-1976 was surreptitiously led by the then Head of State, Tun Fuad Stephens, and openly spearheaded by Datuk Harris Salleh in this Party’s Manifesto. A barrage of slanders and efforts on character assassinations were levelled against Syed Kechik. He was vilified as Sabah’s No. 1 public enemy.
The new Berjaya Party-led state government quickly removed him from his job as the first and only Honorary Director of Sabah Foundation which he was instrumental in establishing to provide primarily better education facilities for students in Sabah and to promote Malaysian consciousness amongst the people. He was relieved of all official positions. They attempted to strip him of his immigration status as a permanent resident of the State of Sabah as well as his state Datukship award.
Through his unyielding spirit and diligence, Syed Salem finally succeeded in restoring his elder brother’s honour and dignity as portrayed in this book, and additionally accomplished the seemingly impossible task of redeeming the justice they had been battling for more than thirty-four long years.
 http://www.mphonline.com

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