Puan Sri Salbiah Abdul Hamid bids farewell as the hearse bearing the mortal remains of her husband, the late Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, departs for the cemetery. – Picture by Choo Choy May
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 - Today was a sad day for Umno as party leaders mourned the death of Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, the controversial former government strategist and Information Minister, who died this morning. He was 71.
Several Umno and top government leaders including the country’s fifth Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi all expressed sadness over what they described as a great loss to Umno when they came to pay their last respects to Mohamed, known affectionately as Tok Mat, at his house at Bukit Damansara here.
“As fellow party members, his death is a great loss to us in light of the services he has given to us in Umno and also his contribution to the struggle for the nation,” Abdullah told reporters after reciting his last prayers for Tok Mat.
Tok Mat, being the longest serving Umno and Barisan Nasional secretary-general, had always been loyal to his party despite the major crises Umno endured throughout its existence, said Abdullah further.
In the last months of his life, Tok Mat wrote a book entitled “Umno: Akhir Sebuah Impian” which many thought would be a tell-all book, detailing what went on in Umno and the souring relationship between him and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Many in Umno even believed that the book was meant as a hatchet job on Dr Mahathir.
But, ever the gentleman, Tok Mat said at the book launch in October that he had no quarrel with the fourth prime minister. He said then that he wrote the book because of love – love for the party and love for the country.
Dr Mahathir, however, failed to reciprocate the gentlemanly gesture Tok Mat had displayed. The former prime minister did not turn up at his funeral today.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a one-time protege of Tok Mat's, in defence of his mentor, said the latter’s good deeds were always misinterpreted and that much of the advice given in his book were indeed out of love.
“When we had dinner two weeks ago, he told me to read the book and reflect ... although the hatred towards him was at its peak at the time, his book was all about his love for the party, how he wished that Umno would be healed and return to its roots of serving the people,” he said.
“We share the same birthday, Jan 4 and we also share the same wedding anniversary date, March 26,” said a teary Zahid. He then told reporters that his mentor’s death is felt most by him given their close relationship in the past.
Meanwhile current Information Minister Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, who is an old friend of Tok Mat's, said the latter’s death was not merely a great loss but that he was someone who is “irreplaceable.”
“He has always been a leader who believes in the importance of fighting for his countrymen and that the spirit of the struggle must always come from the heart,” said Rais.
Rais was among the many government and Umno leaders who had come to pay their last respects to Tok Mat. Others included party vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, former Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin and Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.
Rais said that while he was saddened by his friend’s death, he was at the same time happy to note Tok Mat had died a painless death.
According to Tok Mat’s wife, Puan Sri Salbiah Abdul Hamid, her husband had passed away at about 8 to 9am. She discovered his death when she tried to wake him up.
“But he never responded. I checked his hands and they were cold ... that’s when I knew he had passed away,” she told reporters. She appeared calm and composed.
Tok Mat had been struggling with his health and has referred to his last few months as “borrowed time.”
His wife when asked to comment on her husband’s death gave a small smile and said, “he died a peaceful death, Alhamdullilah (I am grateful to god).”
His body was taken for final prayers at the Omar Al-Qhattab Mosque here at 4.50pm and he was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery at 5.35pm.
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