Razak Yang Saya Kenali /The Razak I Knew

 Tahun 1965 merupakan kali pertama saya melihat Tun Abdul Razak Hussein secara berdepan. Ketika itu saya baru berusia 18 tahun. Seperti ramai penduduk di kampung halaman saya di Banting, saya amat kagum dengan kehadiran beliau.

Tun Razak datang ke Banting untuk merasmikan ibu pejabat UMNO Bahagian Kuala Langat. Pada masa itu Banting hanyalah sebuah pekan kecil luar bandar, tetapi pada hari tersebut seluruh bandar menjadi meriah. Orang ramai memenuhi jalan-jalan untuk menyambut ketibaan beliau. Tun Razak tiba dengan menaiki Land Rover terbuka dan diberikan sambutan yang begitu luar biasa. Penduduk berebut-rebut untuk bersalaman dengannya.

Saya juga cuba mendekatinya tetapi ditolak ke belakang oleh orang ramai. Namun saya sempat melihat beliau dari jarak dekat. Apa yang masih saya ingat hingga hari ini ialah beliau kelihatan lebih segak dan berkarisma daripada gambar-gambar yang saya lihat di akhbar dan majalah.

Takdir menentukan bahawa enam tahun kemudian saya menjadi seorang wartawan dan berpindah ke Kuala Lumpur. Walaupun ketika itu saya masih wartawan muda, editor saya menaruh keyakinan terhadap saya dan sering menugaskan saya membuat liputan acara yang dihadiri Tun Razak, manakala acara besar biasanya dikendalikan wartawan yang lebih senior.

Pertemuan kedua saya secara dekat dengan Tun Razak berlaku ketika beliau melawat Institut Penyelidikan Getah Malaysia (RRI) di Jalan Ampang. Di situlah saya mula memerhatikan keperibadian beliau dengan lebih dekat. Apa yang paling mengagumkan saya ialah sifat beliau yang sopan, lemah lembut dan mudah membuat orang lain berasa selesa.

Namun di sebalik sifat lembut itu tersembunyi seorang pemimpin yang amat tajam pemikirannya. Ketika sesi taklimat oleh pegawai kerajaan, kami para wartawan dapat mendengar soalan-soalan kritikal yang beliau ajukan. Jelas sekali beliau seorang yang sangat teliti dan sentiasa mahu pegawainya benar-benar memahami tugas masing-masing.

Sepanjang kerjaya saya sebagai wartawan, saya banyak kali membuat liputan mengenai beliau. Ada satu ketika saya mendapati beliau kelihatan letih dan agak perlahan daripada biasa. Ketika itu tiada siapa mengetahui sebab sebenar. Pelbagai khabar angin tersebar dalam kalangan wartawan, tetapi tiada siapa berani membuat spekulasi terbuka. Hanya kemudian barulah negara mengetahui bahawa Tun Razak sebenarnya menghidap leukemia sejak tahun 1969.

Apabila dikenang kembali, mungkin inilah sebab beliau bekerja dengan begitu gigih dan penuh kesungguhan. Walaupun sedang sakit, beliau dikatakan bekerja lebih daripada 18 jam sehari. Jadualnya sentiasa penuh dengan pelbagai temu janji dan mesyuarat berturut-turut. Pada pandangan saya, beliau merupakan antara pemimpin paling rajin dan berdedikasi yang pernah dimiliki Malaysia.

Beliau benar-benar mahu memajukan negara — dari segi ekonomi, sosial mahupun pendidikan. Beliau menangani masalah secara sistematik dan merupakan seorang yang bijak menilai kebolehan manusia. Pada saya, inilah kekuatan terbesar Tun Razak: beliau tahu memilih orang yang tepat untuk tugas yang tepat. Ramai pemimpin selepas beliau gagal dalam aspek ini.

Salah satu kenangan paling manis saya bersama Tun Razak ialah ketika beliau datang ke Pulau Pinang pada 1 Januari 1974 untuk meletakkan batu asas KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak). Saya berada di sana membuat liputan acara bersejarah itu. Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang ketika itu, Tun Lim Chong Eu, bersama ramai kenamaan turut hadir.

Pada waktu itu Pulau Pinang sedang menghadapi kesukaran selepas kehilangan status pelabuhan bebasnya. Projek KOMTAR dirancang sebagai pemangkin baharu untuk menghidupkan semula ekonomi negeri. Dalam sidang media selepas majlis tersebut, Tun Razak menjelaskan bagaimana projek itu akan membawa kesan ekonomi yang besar dan membuka peluang baharu kepada rakyat Pulau Pinang. Ia merupakan satu detik bersejarah yang saya saksikan sendiri. Itulah antara keistimewaan dunia kewartawanan.

Tun Razak terus dihormati sehingga hari ini. Satu peristiwa yang tidak dapat saya lupakan ialah ketika beliau meninggal dunia, seluruh negara berkabung termasuk seorang tokoh yang tidak dijangka — gangster terkenal Kuala Lumpur ketika itu, Botak Chin. Beliau dikatakan begitu tersentuh dengan pemergian Tun Razak sehingga menghantar kalungan bunga menggunakan beca ke rumah Allahyarham. Peristiwa itu menunjukkan betapa besarnya penghormatan rakyat terhadap beliau.

Dan sememangnya Tun Razak mempunyai senarai pencapaian yang amat besar serta masih memberi manfaat kepada negara hingga hari ini.

Beliau menubuhkan PETRONAS bagi mengurus dan melindungi kekayaan minyak negara. Selama beberapa dekad, PETRONAS telah menyumbang berbilion ringgit kepada pembangunan negara.

Beliau juga melancarkan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) pada tahun 1971 yang mengubah landskap ekonomi negara. Dalam bidang politik pula, beliau membentuk Barisan Nasional dengan menggabungkan pelbagai parti politik dari Semenanjung, Sabah dan Sarawak. Kecuali DAP, hampir semua parti utama menyertai gabungan tersebut yang kemudian mentadbir negara lebih daripada 40 tahun serta membawa kestabilan politik dan kesinambungan pentadbiran.

Dalam hubungan luar negara, Tun Razak menunjukkan pandangan jauh apabila menjalin hubungan diplomatik dengan China ketika kebanyakan negara masih belum menyedari kepentingannya. Beliau menjadi pemimpin ASEAN pertama berbuat demikian. Saya masih ingat bagaimana gambar Tun Razak berjabat tangan dengan Mao Zedong dipaparkan di merata-rata tempat semasa Pilihan Raya Umum 1974. Gambar tersebut memberi kesan besar kepada pengundi dan membantu kemenangan besar Barisan Nasional.

Tun Razak juga memainkan peranan penting dalam pembangunan luar bandar melalui FELDA yang memberi peluang kepada rakyat miskin memiliki tanah dan menanam kelapa sawit, yang kini menjadi antara eksport utama negara.

Beliau tidak pernah melupakan pendidikan. Tun Razak memperkukuhkan MARA untuk membantu pendidikan dan kemajuan Bumiputera serta menubuhkan Tabung Haji bagi membantu umat Islam menyimpan wang untuk menunaikan ibadah haji.

Saya boleh terus menulis tentang jasa dan sumbangannya. Namun cukuplah saya katakan bahawa pada pandangan saya, Tun Razak merupakan antara pemimpin paling berpengaruh dan paling disayangi dalam sejarah Malaysia. Malangnya beliau pergi terlalu awal. Walaupun hanya menjadi Perdana Menteri untuk tempoh yang singkat, pencapaiannya amat besar dan visinya terus menjadi panduan kepada negara hingga hari ini.

— Sajad Hussein Kamarally

 

The Razak I Knew

It was 1965 when I first saw Tun Abdul Razak Hussein face to face. I was just 18 years old then. Like many in my hometown of Banting, I was completely awed by his presence.

Tun Razak had come to inaugurate the UMNO headquarters for the Kuala Langat district. Banting at that time was a small rural town, but on that day it came alive. The entire town seemed to gather along the roads to welcome him. He arrived in an open Land Rover and was accorded a rousing reception. People lined the streets cheering and rushing forward to shake his hand.

I too tried to get close to him but was pushed back by the crowd. Still, I managed to see him from close range. I remember thinking then that he looked even more handsome and charismatic than the photographs I had seen in newspapers and magazines.

As fate would have it, six years later I became a journalist and moved to Kuala Lumpur. Though I was still a junior reporter, my editor had confidence in me and often assigned me to cover some of Tun Razak’s events, while major assignments naturally went to more senior colleagues.

My second close encounter with Tun Razak was during his visit to the world-renowned Rubber Research Institute in Jalan Ampang. That was when I began observing him carefully at close range. What impressed me most was his demeanor. He was polite, soft spoken and had the rare ability to put people at ease almost immediately.

But behind that gentle personality was also a very alert and sharp mind. During briefings by government officers, we reporters could hear the critical and penetrating questions he asked. It was obvious he paid close attention to details and expected his officers to know their work thoroughly.

Over the years, I covered him many times. There was a period when I noticed he appeared tired and somewhat slower than usual. At that time, none of us knew the real reason. Rumours circulated among reporters, but nobody dared speculate openly. It was only later that the country discovered Tun Razak had been suffering from leukemia since 1969.

Looking back now, this perhaps explains why he worked with such urgency and determination. Despite his illness, he reportedly worked more than 18 hours a day. His schedule was always packed with back-to-back appointments. Personally, I found him to be one of the most hardworking and dedicated leaders Malaysia has ever produced.

He genuinely wanted to improve the country — economically, socially and educationally. He approached problems systematically and was an excellent judge of people. To me, that was one of his greatest strengths: he knew how to choose the right person for the right job. Many leaders after him unfortunately failed in this department.

One of my fondest memories of Tun Razak was during his visit to Penang on January 1, 1974, to lay the foundation stone for KOMTAR (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak). I was there covering the event. The Chief Minister of Penang, Tun Lim Chong Eu, together with many dignitaries, attended the historic ceremony.

At that time, Penang was struggling after losing its free port status. KOMTAR was envisioned as a game changer that would revive the island’s economy. During the press conference after the ceremony, Tun Razak explained how the project would generate economic spillover and create new opportunities for Penangites. It was a historic moment, and I had the privilege of witnessing it first hand. That is one of the privileges of journalism.

Tun Razak remains respected even today. One unforgettable incident after his death deeply reflected the love and admiration people had for him. The entire country mourned his passing, including an unlikely figure — the notorious Kuala Lumpur gangster Botak Chin. Deeply moved by Tun Razak’s death, he reportedly sent a wreath by trishaw to Tun Razak’s residence. That simple gesture spoke volumes about the respect Tun Razak commanded across all levels of society.

And why not? His accomplishments were immense and continue benefiting the nation even today.

He established PETRONAS to safeguard and manage Malaysia’s oil wealth. Over the decades, PETRONAS has contributed billions towards national development.

He launched the New Economic Policy in 1971, which reshaped Malaysia’s economic landscape. Politically, he formed the Barisan Nasional coalition, bringing together parties from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. With the exception of the DAP, almost every major political party joined the coalition, which went on to govern the country for more than four decades, providing political continuity and stability.

In foreign relations, Tun Razak demonstrated remarkable foresight. He formalised diplomatic relations with China at a time when very few countries recognised the importance of engaging Beijing. He became the first ASEAN leader to establish formal ties with China. I still remember vividly how photographs of Tun Razak shaking hands with Chairman Mao Zedong were displayed prominently during the 1974 general election campaign. Those images had a tremendous impact on voters and contributed significantly to Barisan Nasional’s landslide victory.

Tun Razak also left his mark on social restructuring and rural development. Through FELDA schemes, landless rural families were given opportunities to cultivate oil palm, which later became one of Malaysia’s most important export industries.

Education and social mobility were always close to his heart. He strengthened MARA to uplift Bumiputera education and economic opportunities, and established Tabung Haji to help Muslims save systematically for the pilgrimage to Mecca.

I could go on and on about his contributions. But suffice to say, to me Tun Razak remains one of Malaysia’s most influential and loved leaders. Sadly, he died at a relatively young age. Though he served as Prime Minister for only a short period, his achievements were tremendous and his vision continues to guide the nation even today.

— Sajad Hussein Kamarally