Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Ishak Ismail, Al Fatihah

Wed 19 July 2017 (25 Syawal 1438)



At 12.20 noon today, I stood on the first line of the funeral congregation at the Paroi Jaya mosque, right behind the covered shroud containing the remains of my old friend, Ishak Ismail, Dato', Yang Berhormat, the late Assemblyman for Lenggeng. At around past midnight last night, Bok called, saying that Ishak had  collapsed at YB Samad of Seri Menanti's Raya function, and died. He asked that I visit the next morning, in Kuala Pilah. I calculated that services would be at around zohor prayers, and there would be sufficient time for my regular 9-holes before driving back to KP. But as I was unloading my golf bag from my boot at the club's car park, I heard over the p.a. system of the nearby  Paroi Jaya mosque the bilal announcing  the funeral bathing and prayer  arrangements there, not in KP.  So here I was, in good time, saying my silent goodbye to a fellow "wakil rakyat". 

We started in the state together in 1995.  

Ishak was 66.

Ishak would have been proud of the thousand-plus crowd that came. The car park was full, with vehicles overflowing on to the roadside outside. It was mostly men, with a smaller group of women, as is customary. Many familiar faces were there. But many expected to be there were absent. They took up all the space in the mosque, as well as  taking up space  outside. The ablution took longer than expected, but by 12.15 the freshly washed and shrouded remains were brought into the prayer hall. The prayers were led by the incumbent UMNO Ketua Bahagian of Seremban, YB Dato Abu.  Abu  surprisingly beat Ishak for Ketua Bahagian in the last party elections. 

As a long-time party man, Ishak had both supporters and detractors. He was loud and very opinionated, and took sides bravely. You may not agree with him, and many don't, but he was never shy. I thought that he was unnecessarily strident when a quiet, firm stand would have sufficed, and at other times strangely mute, when the public issue demanded criticism from someone in his  position. His own private problems had become more public in recent times, sadly. But we're in no position to judge him. He most certainly attracted admirers in robustly carrying out his responsibilities as an Assemblyman and the long-time chief of UMNO Seremban. It seemed ironic that the quiet man who toppled him led the final prayers for him today.

May Allah Accept all our supplications, and Forgives all your weaknesses, Ishak.   Al Fatihah !


......................................................................................................

No comments: