RECENTLY my status on Facebook read "You have to go when you have to go", which some thought was an attempt at tautology or cryptic humour on my part. Actually it was both. But it was also a simple statement of my personal belief.
Perhaps to back this up, I can relate a personal experience of the events that led to the resignation of Tan Sri Dr Mohamed Said Mohamed as mentri besar of Negri Sembilan in 1969. He served the state government for 10 years, that is from 1959 to 1969. He was also my father.
Said was never a career politician as many are these days. He joined politics late in life when he was persuaded by Tun Abdul Razak Hussein to stand as the Umno/Alliance candidate at the country's first general election. He became the state representative for the Linggi constituency and became the state's first elected mentri besar.
Being from the Bugis enclave of Linggi, Said was never popular with the majority Minangkabau Umno members from Sungei Ujong, Kuala Pilah, Rembau, Jelebu, Johol, Tampin, etc. Neither did he endear himself to the Minangkabau chieftains of Negri Sembilan. However, his non-Malay MCA, MIC and even DAP colleagues had the highest regard for him, not only because he was a well-known doctor in Seremban but also because he was known as a well-educated, fair and honest man.
As political greed and ambition would have it, his rivals in Umno conspired against him reporting to the then prime minister that Said was not an effective Umno leader. One of the reasons given was that that he had not built a state Umno building. In actual fact he had built an Umno building for Seremban.
Said knew that his time was up when his own compatriots turned against him at a hurried meeting with the prime minister. He did not have the desire or inclination to rebut the false accusations. He politely turned down Tengku Abdul Rahman's kind gesture of offering him the post of minister of health. The mundane reason cited was that he did not like the socio-political life of a federal minister and the fact that he would have to travel throughout the country at his age. He was all of 62 years in 1969.
The real reason was that he wanted to continue serving the Linggi constituency, not having developed his backward kampung much for fear of being thought biased towards his kampung relatives or having vested interests.
Many people thought at that time that he had done the right thing. Refusing the more glamorous post of a federal minister is not easy. The promise of better perks, remunerations and wide socio-political networking attracts many especially ambitious politicians.
As a daughter, I am proud that my father Said resigned on principle and is remembered by many today for having done so. I am thankful it is not said of my father that he overstayed his welcome or as the Malays would say "Hidung tak mancung pipi tersorong-sorong".
I hope that my recent resignation from an important post will be seen in the same light
Datuk Halimah Mohd Said
Kuala Lumpur
Perhaps to back this up, I can relate a personal experience of the events that led to the resignation of Tan Sri Dr Mohamed Said Mohamed as mentri besar of Negri Sembilan in 1969. He served the state government for 10 years, that is from 1959 to 1969. He was also my father.
Said was never a career politician as many are these days. He joined politics late in life when he was persuaded by Tun Abdul Razak Hussein to stand as the Umno/Alliance candidate at the country's first general election. He became the state representative for the Linggi constituency and became the state's first elected mentri besar.
Being from the Bugis enclave of Linggi, Said was never popular with the majority Minangkabau Umno members from Sungei Ujong, Kuala Pilah, Rembau, Jelebu, Johol, Tampin, etc. Neither did he endear himself to the Minangkabau chieftains of Negri Sembilan. However, his non-Malay MCA, MIC and even DAP colleagues had the highest regard for him, not only because he was a well-known doctor in Seremban but also because he was known as a well-educated, fair and honest man.
As political greed and ambition would have it, his rivals in Umno conspired against him reporting to the then prime minister that Said was not an effective Umno leader. One of the reasons given was that that he had not built a state Umno building. In actual fact he had built an Umno building for Seremban.
Said knew that his time was up when his own compatriots turned against him at a hurried meeting with the prime minister. He did not have the desire or inclination to rebut the false accusations. He politely turned down Tengku Abdul Rahman's kind gesture of offering him the post of minister of health. The mundane reason cited was that he did not like the socio-political life of a federal minister and the fact that he would have to travel throughout the country at his age. He was all of 62 years in 1969.
The real reason was that he wanted to continue serving the Linggi constituency, not having developed his backward kampung much for fear of being thought biased towards his kampung relatives or having vested interests.
Many people thought at that time that he had done the right thing. Refusing the more glamorous post of a federal minister is not easy. The promise of better perks, remunerations and wide socio-political networking attracts many especially ambitious politicians.
As a daughter, I am proud that my father Said resigned on principle and is remembered by many today for having done so. I am thankful it is not said of my father that he overstayed his welcome or as the Malays would say "Hidung tak mancung pipi tersorong-sorong".
I hope that my recent resignation from an important post will be seen in the same light
Datuk Halimah Mohd Said
Kuala Lumpur