Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik (18.9.1943 - 4.4.2026)

Thursday 9.4.2026.

He was one of us.

A group of us, former Federation Military College students (before being renamed Royal Military College in 1966) were having a meeting on Wednesday, 8.4.2026, at the  OPA Penthouse, Saujana Golf Resort, Subang. Of course we'd all heard about the deeply sad passing of one of our own, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik last Saturday. In fact that day (Wednesday) was his date of final interment. Aziz Rahman had suggested someone write an article on him. I  volunteered. 

History decides the greatness of public figures. Let it do that to Liong Sik. The accolades have poured in, and deservingly. We from the old College want to look at it from our viewpoint. 

What has transpired in his time in this country is worth pondering, and deeply so.

Let me pick some facts of the case, as it were.

I didn't know him personally, but I've met him a few times, and our lives sort of "connected" in a number of ways. I was in "B" Company, like him. I went to see him and his Chief Secretary when I was the GM of a large transport company in the 90's. That Chief Secretary to the Transport Ministry, the late Dato' Dr. Mohd. Nor Abd. Ghani, was my first cousin. My brother, Dato' Mohd. Fadzil Mohd. Yunus had a house on the same road as Liong Sik's at Damansara Height. I mention this because, of course, I visited my brother often at his Jalan Setiabakti 3, Damansara Height address.  And as an active member of UMNO at that time, I followed the upheavals of the politics of BN in which Liong Sik was a deeply-involved stalwart.   

68 long years ago, 15-year old Ling Liong Sik, the young Foochow boy, who was born in Kuala Kangsar but  attended the King Edward VII School in Taiping, joined the Federation Military College in Port Dickson, NS. Then he went to Singapore for his MBBS, was posted as a doctor at Penang General Hospital and served for 2 years. In 1968 went into private practice in Butterworth, on the mainland.

Those locations were well-spread, geographically. 

In the same year (1968) he joined the MCA.

The record says he was in FMC Port Dickson for 3 years, in Forms V to Upper 6, was given the Regimental Number 200727, and put in B Company. Passing out of College, he was admitted to the Singapore University Medical Faculty as an 18-year-old undergraduate. 

10 years into MCA, and he entered the 5th General Elections of 1978 as a Parliamentry candidate for Mata Kuching, Penang. He won, and thus began his remarkable career in active Malaysian politics, although  his Parliamentary seat later moved all the way to Labis, Johor.  That career lasted  26 remarkable years, through  6 GE's, (1978, 1982, 1986, 1990 , 1995 & 1999). In Malaysian politics, that's incredibly reselient.

I say a remarkable political career, because in the process, among many other things that he did, without everyone even today realising it, "Budak Boy" Ling Liong Sik became, up to now, the only Chinese Prime Minister of Malaysia, in 1988 ! Check that fact.

The 1987 chaos in UMNO with it's eventual dissolution and the break-away Semangat 46 formation, all brought to the unavoidable, historic appointment of Budak Boy Ling Liong Sik as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Sure, he stayed  for 12 whole days only (4.2.1988 - 16.2.1988) before handing the post back to Tun Dr. Mahathir, but he could have kept it, and Malaysian history would have been different today. Maybe it was because both got their MBBS from the same University . 

Anyone else would have kept that PM chair !

The special camaraderie that FMC infused then (I say "then" because it's gone now)  must have been in the heart of Liong Sik, and must have saved the country from further chaos at that time, because after 12 days he handed back the Premiership to the New UMNO. The constitutional turmoil must be read up in another story. But suffice it to say that Ling Liong Sik remained true to FMC upbringing. The alma mater didn't forget. In 1996, as OPA President, he was  chosen as  OP of the Year.

Some birth dates are equally remarkable to look at..

He was a doctor at 23.

He was the Permanent Secretary of the Local Government and Federal Territories at 33.

He was the Deputy Information Minister at 35.

He was the Deputy Finance Minister II at 39.

He was the  Deputy Education Minister at 42.

He was the MCA President at 43 and kept it for 17 years until age 60.

He was the Transport Minister at 43 and kept it for 17 years.

He was Prime Minister at 45. (Tun Dr. Mahathir was PM at 55).

Finally, the country's highest award, the Tunship, was conferred at age 61.

At the helm of MCA, Liong Sik quietly did to it what the others since have undone - making the party more "centralised" by adding English-educated members to its central working groups. FMC especially took great pains to uphold the racial integration in the English-medium education  framework. It made it easier for the UMNO ground supporters to accept MCA into the upper echelons of the BN leadership. Liong Sik himself spoke in moderate and civilised tone, compared to the firebrands of today. When I met him with our operational issues, which obviously he would not know in detail, he never interrupted the presentation, very unlike some other exasperating UMNO Ministers that I had met in the course of my work.

Out of the limelight, 2 significant court cases might be considered to have marred his distinguished public service. The first one was in 2010 when he was charged with his role in the Port Klang Free Trade Zone land case. The second one was in 2015 when Najib sued him for libelous remarks about his (Najib's) failure in the Finance Ministry. However, let it be put on record that the tough Old Putra boy emerged unscathed in both cases. He was acquitted in the first one, and  got costs from Najib who withdrew his charges.

My little piece does no justice for Liong Sik, the Old Putera boy. His breed was rare. 

But he was one of us.

Rest In Peace, brother. May God Have mercy on you.

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Remembering Felda Angkut days.

 Sat 24.1.2026.

Jamaluddin called last week. He's not listed in my mobile phone, so I ignored his first call. Wisely, he resorted to messaging in the Whatsapp, requesting to call again, which I answered straight away. It was an invitation to Felda Angkut's Golden Anniversary last night at the Tenera Hotel, Bangi. Of course it's now "FGV Transport", but to me it's the Felda Angkut of old.

I was GM from 1.6.1985 - 31.12.1990 - a five and a-half year stay. I was 40. I'd been GM in 2 other Felda Corporations prior to that. At 35 in 1980 I was the GM for Felda Niaga, from 1.3.1980 to 30.6.1982. From 1.7.1982 to 31.5.1985 I was the GM in Felda Mills Corporation. 

But in the end, my service in Felda Angkut was the longest stint in my entire varied working career that ended at the end of 1999, which was also my official retirement age of 55.

The  fact that it was a 50-year celebration, and that it was 35 years ago that I left Felda Angkut, made it easy to decide to come. Jamaluddin was the Felda Pasoh settler's son I took into Felda Angkut at the request of his mother, who was a member of our Board. I not only gave him a job, but also a wife, because I recruited a girl from Bukit Temensu into Felda Angkut at around the same time, and they met and eventually got hitched together.

Jayos, Hamdan and Zainal Ujud also came, and we were from the same old establishment. The other CEO's at Table 6 last night were from outside  old Felda, as has the entire FGV establishment been formed.

We were honoured with small plaques, which was ok, I guess, but the crowd did not share any close reminiscences in the staged presentation. That would have made the night memorable to me. But it's an FGV function, so what can I say. But a few people did approach me with recognition. There was Salleh, from HQ, Syed Alwi, who was in Temerloh, and Mat Darmin's daughter whom I also recruited. And Jamaluddin, of course.

Jayos had told me he was coming yesterday, and we met at the Magrib prayers before the start of the function, as  did Zainal Ujud. But Hamdan I missed completely, when in fact we were at the same Table 6. Only later did Jayos tell me, as we were both leaving the hall, that it was in fact Hamdan who was sitting beside him. He did not at all look like the Hamdan that I knew well, and he did not communicate with me the entire time. Maybe I also did not look like the guy he knew the 21 years I was in the Felda Group.

How time has passed, and the world around us has changed. Many of us are gone, and the Felda I knew is also no more. The inheritors of Felda Angut spoke of the company's progress through the past 5 decades, and I say "good for you". But you can't deny the place of history, and cannot compare the hardship endured by the pioneers with your proudly declared achievements through the years. And remember also the hard-earned successes of old Felda compared with the tortious management of boardroom FGV. Maybe they are two different animals, requiring two different evaluation.

I'm the past, like Jayos and the others. But what you have now came from the past.  Appreciate that.

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The 1MDB High Court Judgement.

Sat 27.12.2025.

I have to be specific about this being a "High Court Judgement". 

The 1MDB case has taken 7 years, involved 76 witnesses, concerned RM50 billion, and one Jho Low is still lying very low somewhere. And some 3 million UMNO members are still said to be behind the now guilty Najib. And there are still the Appellate and Federal Courts. And all kinds of legal processes and conflicting minds, hovering around. And the Agong. So it's only a High Court verdict, by one Collin Lawrence Sequerah, yesteday, Friday, 26.12.2025. 

The High Court Judge took 5 hours to deliver the judgement, and found Najib, the former Prime Minister, who is a son of a  former Prime Minister, guilty of  all 21 counts of money-laundering charges, and all 4 counts of abuse of power in making illegal transfers of money. The jail sentences for the 21 cases are 5 years each, and the fine of RM 2 billion.  For the other 4 cases, it's a jail of 15 years each, and the fine of RM 11.38 billion.  The jail sentences are to run concurrently. That's 15 years. After the 6 reduced years being served in the SRC case now.  And failure to pay the fines means 5 more years each. 

This judgement came 4 days after High Court Judge Alice Loke rejected the "addendum" case Najib had pursued in attempting to turn his already reduced jail sentence  in a 2020 SRC verdict to "house arrest". It wouldn't have mattered. 

In my 2024 book "The Sungai Ujung Diary - Talking Politics", I have written about this 1MDB case several times.

On page 200,  "1MDB" was wrtten 11 years ago, on 16.12.2014.

"1MDB - the sequence", on page 209, was written  on 13.3.2015.

"Is the PM A Crook ?", on page 217, was written on 8.8.2015.

"UMNO 2015 AGM, the Najib Show", on page 226, was written on 12.12.2015.

"Najib girds up for GE 14", on page 264, was written on 6.7.2017.

"Sumpah Laknat", on page 379, was written on 10.12.2021.

"Najib Goes To Jail", on page 393, was written  on 23.8.2022.

In any other country, this very tragic story would have ended.

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Ganu, why Felda ? Why now ?

 Sun 7 Dec 2025.

I asked Rahim "what's this about Terengganu and Felda ?"

His one-word reply was "stupid".

After an earlier pre-Merdeka start as a Government land- development project, opening up less than 10 acres per lot in a few states like Pahang (eg Bilut), NS (eg Sg. Lui, Labu), Melaka (eg Macap Umbu, Solok Menggong), the Federal Government passed an Act of Parliament in 1960, firmly establishing the Federal Land Development Authority, to develop large swathes of state land into viable rubber, oil palm, cocoa and even sugar cane plantations throughout all the states except, of course the island of Penang, and because of the customary land areas, Sarawak.

I joined Felda in its 9th year of operation, and stayed for 21 long years. In that time I had visited all the Felda schemes that existed then, including the not-yet-settled schemes in Sabah, Johor, Kelantan and Pahang.

The impact of the development for the whole nation cannot be questioned. The landless poor had been provided with a certain future, with some states gracious enough to allow the migration of settlers from other states because of the natural imbalance between the rural population and the schemes built. The oil palm and rubber crops, especially, brought large foreign exchange income, the very real income, for the country then, as it still happens today.

Every effort was made to secure the financial capital from internal and external sources needed to carry out the expensive development involved. In my stay, Felda was run stringently, diligently, and most economically by technocrats, with zero interference from the politicians. The staff was not paid their worth, by my reckoning, because the management was too stingy to put it at par with the private plantations doing less than what Felda was involved with. As the result, when the last non-political Chairman was replaced by a political appointee, he left Felda with no debts and 3 billions in cash. 

What's happening now, under the political appointees, is another story.

The Felda accounts are there to be scrutinized and laid bare. The management was forward-looking enough to had gone computerized as early as the 70's. All the records are intact. 

Why now the PAS Government in Terengganu wants to undo all the good work ?

The former MB and past President of PAS, Datuk Asri, once was Felda's Minister-in-charge. We even accepted his expansion of PAS activities in the schemes. He certainly knew what Felda was doing in Terengganu.

Is PAS trying to squeeze money from Felda, or FGV ?

Measure if you can, all the good that Felda has brought to Terengganu, against all the accusations of illegalities and land-tampering, raised after 65 long years.

I suggest PAS reads the holy Quran again, and look at the verses on doing good on the land given by Allah, and avoiding greed, jealousy, and  initiating animosity, hatred and quarrels.

May Allah Show His Mercy.

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Felmil was 40 years ago.

 Wed 12.11.2025.

Ridzuan whatsapped sometime last month about yesterday's lunch with about 100 former Felda Mills Corporation staff. I confirmed on line immediately.  I made sure I won't be late for the stated 10.30 am rendezvous at the Seri Kunyit Restaurant in the compound of our old Felda HQ.  So I left the house at 7.30 and walked into the restaurant at 9.30, inspite of following "waze" on a totally foreign route for me, and running smack into the morning traffic snarl somewhere in Jalan Tun Razak.

In fact I was the first one to arrive, and promptly called, in quick succession, Ridzuan and Aziz Zakaria. "The lunch is on ?" I teased Ridzuan. " Of course. Have a breakfast, I'll be there shortly" was his response. Aziz was quick to take my call. I didn't identify myself although we have not spoken for a very long time. Probably I'm on his phone list. "You're early" he said. "As usual lah" was my reply. His house is close by, near Datuk Keramat, just outside the Mindef grounds, which is next to this ex Felda complex.

Actually I had two stints at Felmil.  The first one was when posted as the AGM for 11 months (14.4.1979 - 28.2.1980), then as GM for 3 years (1.7.1982 - 31.5.1985). That's more than four decades ago. How time has flown !

I told Ridzuan this was quite a feat, pulling this number of former staff. I'm a member of 2 alumni associations that are still active, but they can't pull 100 so easily. Sadly for me, though there were only a handful of the ex Felmil staff that I knew and worked with who came. Many are still around, but they couldn't come because of health issues. These are old people, really. Aziz is 84, and I'm 81. So I suppose it's to be expected. I would have loved to meet Salleh Ali and Ramli Adnan, in particular, among the absentees.

I shared a table with Halim Hamid, Aziz Zakaria and Cheang Chit Yew (we called him Cheang cheat you, which he took sportingly). There was simply too much to recollect, reminisce and share in one lunch session like this, so everybody was talking at the same time and full comprehension was jeopardized, but it didn't stop us from going on and on. I enjoyed it, anyway.

Halim and I shared our update on the national politics, and gave our separate resound verdicts. Incidently, I sold some of the book that I had printed last year, about Malaysian politics. "At cost price" I declared.

The sad journey that has been Felda's currently, had not missed our criticisms, among all topics shared. In simple conclusion, I told Halim, all the good work put, and the good money made, while Felda was led by  technocrats, have now been destroyed by the politicians who, gleefully, took over. I believe that the Chairman during our time should have been more generous to us in terms of pay and benefits. After all we were like the other large private and public plantations doing exactly what we were doing. But the managers were paid way above our pay, and the perks were princely, but justified. That was not the case with Felda. Every effort to economize was made. In the end the politicians that replaced our CEO's  squandered all the money saved, and then some. The Chairman could have distributed the profits legally and fairly by adjusting the salaries and improving the perks and bonuses. The staff put in all the work. The politicians later took care of the lot.

Anyway, to me the lunch yesterday was enjoyable. As I left, I congratulated Ridzuan, and suggested he continues this as an annual affair. And not wait another 40 years.

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How fortunate, again.

 Sunday 28.9.2025.

We reached home last night at about half-past ten, Idah and I, from our 3-day Kuantan stay. We left the "De Rhu Beach Resort" at Balok, Kuantan at 12 noon.  So, that was almost a 12-hour lapse. Far from a tragic story, Idah said God looked kindly at us. I guess we were fortunate, alhamdullilah !

This was all about my 15-year old car. My experience is, with old cars you just hope the parts that wear-off don't wear off at an awkward, inconvenient time. My experience also says, that's when things usually happen. This Kuantan trip was no exception.

We left home very early Thursday morning - it was half-past seven. Why ?  The night before, as is my routine before long drives, I wanted to check the engine. But I found the bonnet release lever (bonnet here refers correctly to the hood of the engine compartment - because all Malaysians, English-educated or not, say "bonnet" when they mean the "boot"), or what I thought was the release lever, hanging loose. So I couldn't check my engine, and that made me uneasy, because the journey was going to be long. So I made arrangements with Sam to meet in SJ and let him check and settlle my nerve. It was too late to do anything about it in Seremban. I had to register for the Mubarak session at 2 p.m. in Kuantan, and that should take 3.5 - 4 hours, Malaysian traffic permitting.

As it turned out, I had mistaken a loose fuse cover for the bonnet-release lever. What a relief ! I couldn't even stay for a quick cup of coffee with Sam. It was already 10 a.m. Idah hung on to her seat belt as I beat all vehicles, stopping for a bite at the Temerloh R&R, and via "Waze" reached our destination before 2 p.m. In fact I was the first one to arrive. That's was great, I thought. The old jalopy was intact, and being early, I got a good, roofed parking bay still available. So the car should be safe & sound for the next 3 days, I thought.

When we left for home yesterday, I keyed "Waze" to Kuantan town, to refill, top-up my T & G card, and maybe get an early lunch.

But Kuantan is no more the Kuantan I knew well 25 years ago. The traffic jam is as bad as KL Husni says it's worse than KL. So I found myself going round and round, trying to spot a likely eating place, and failing. So the next petrol station I stopped to refill fuel and top up my T&G card, which had consumed RM 60 coming here. Then we resumed the hunt for an eating place.

When somehow we found ourselves on the old road to Gambang, at just past the Kuantan airfield, the a/c went kaput. No amount of fiddling with the dials did anything good, which I did after stopping the car on the side of the road. I wanted to pee, now, so we resumed the drive a little distance forward, and I saw this Shell petrol station. Suddenly there was a lound clanking sound from engine compartment. I had to stop by the station anyway, but as I did the clanking sound became more distinct, and only ceased after the engine was switched off. What a shock ! Opening the bonnet (thanks to Sam on Thursday) I found the blower-fan housing loose. That was the source of the noise. One of the petrol pump staff was standing near, and he pointed out to where I could find an open workshop, when I told him my predicament. This was Saturday, and some workshops close today, he said. But this was a repair I must do if I wanted travel any further.

We went to the first workshop. The young Chinese mechanic came to look under the bonnet, and promptly said they don't do this type of work, but helpfully suggested and directed me to two possible workshops close by that can do this kind of work, if they're open today, he added.

I don't know what made me choose the second workshop suggested, but I did, and in the end it was a good choice.

"Along" a Malay mechanic runs this workshop, and has several assistants. Two other cars were being worked on, but the 2-door workshop (twice the one-lot sizes of the neighbours) seemed capable of having my problem looked into. Along took one look and said my blower fan had jammed and the housing had simply been tossed out, hanging on to the compartment and making all the noise. Along said he didn't carry any spare parts, but would call around, hoping, this being Saturday, some are still open.

Luckily, one of his regular suppliers was still open ('until 5' he said), and texting the chassis number, the supplier said he had the part, but it's original and cost RM 2,000. Of course I didn't have so much cash with me, but the supplier said he accepts credit cards. Phew !

The only thing is, this supplier is in Beserah, half-an hour away. So Idah and I bundled into his assistant's Myvi and took about 1 hour to fetch the part.

The worrying thing was, when Along unwrapped the spare part, and looked into the engine compartment, he saw some alignment problems. He had a lengthy discussion with his assistant. I became worried. I told Idah, we may have to spend another night in Kuantan. It was already 3 p.m. We haven't had our lunch. I haven't done my Zohor prayers. I called Dekna and Adik. No replies. Later Adik returned the call. I asked him to call Seri Malaysia Kuantan. There were no rooms available. I wasn't going to spend RM 300 for other good lodging, so we just hoped the repairs could be done, and done in good time.

Fortunately, it was false alarms about the spare part compatibility. There are some design changes, the computer check had shown this original fits. We felt relief.  The assistant in fact was meticulous, taking the pins and screws out carefully and never rushed in his task. He even insisted, upon completing installation, that we test the blower, and this took time, because the fan will not turn before the engine reach a certain temperature. I had the urge to say "ok, we accept to work and leave". It was getting late. I was imagining  the long, dark ride home. Idah said let him finish his job properly. So we waited. "Dah gerak !" he exclaimed. The fan was working. He put back the last piece of hosing, and closed the bonnet.

The assistant returned the change for the bill that I paid in cash, but Idah said let him keep the change. "Give it to your daughter. Ask her to ask you to get a new brother" I said. He had told me that he only has a 6-year old girl, and that his wife had a miscarriage recently.

It was 6 p.m. I told Idah we could be home by midnight. It fact we was nearly 2 hours earlier than that.

What if the breakdown happened when we were on the highway, far from any workshop ? What if it happened on any other road without any workshop nearby ? What if we were caught in the middle of the jam ?

Again, how fortunate indeed.

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Felda 2025.

 Tues 26.8.2025.

I'm from Felda 1969.

In two days time, FGV, just 13 years  after being born out of the IPO in 2012, will be delisted from the stock exchange. From the initial listed price of RM 4.55, Felda will pay just RM 1.30 for each share. That's an investor's loss of  RM 3.25. That's probably  RM 3.2 billion.

RM 4.5 billion was raised after the IPO. Felda received RM 5.5 billion. Whoever bought FGV at that time are burnt beyond recognition. I understand some notable corporate bodies were involved, such as EPF and TH. If so, the work is cut out for them to cook up the explanation to their respective shareholders.

I speak with a service of 21 years and 9 months in Felda and its Corporations. My last post was the GM for Felda Transport Corporation. I resigned  from Felda on 31.12.1990 to join another large corporation.

From 15.3.1969 to 13.4 1979, from age 24 years and 9 monts, for 10 years and 1 month,  I was with Felda "Proper". My last post, as the Area Controller for NS , was from 12.2.1977 to 13.4.1979 (for 2 years and 2 months ). From  14.4.1979 to 31.12. 1990 ( for 11 years and 8 months) I was "seconded" to Felda Corporations, serving in 3 different Corporations. I was first the  AGM for Felda Mills Corporation from age 34 years and 4 months, for 10 months. Next, I was the GM for Felda Trading Corporation from age 35 years and 9 months, for 2 years and 2 months.  Then I was back to Felda Mills Corporation, this time as the GM, from age 37 years and 5 months, for 2 years and 8 months. From age 40 years and 6 months I was the GM for Felda Transport Corporation for 5 years and 6 months.

I write, therefore, with substance, and say that it's with a heavy heart that I see the loss of direction endured by Felda, not from a weak basis for its original foundation, but by criminal misguidance, by the political  agenda inserted into its fold over the last 25 years. The amount of money that could have gone to the proper coffers with disciplined management is staggering, to say the least, but more devastating is the absolute wastage of sound material and golden opportunity laid out before it, as the result of the hard work and cost-conscious toils of the early Felda staff, operating from its spartan hq to the tough and bare  scheme offices, in the days of the non-political land-development grand design.  I'm talking about the days when every dollar spent had to be accounted for, and every hour in the field had to be recorded. 

The first political appointee was the late Dr. Yusof Nor from Terengganu. He wasn't too bad, because he often said "No". Those politicians that came after him were all going for the "yes".

I remember the first time the idea mooted for an IPO was first heard. I was one of the opponents - outside the decision-making group, of course. But we didn't stop, among ourselves, even if our voice didn't count, much less heard, objecting to the very idea of going public. Our simple argument was, Felda wasn't cash-strapped. In fact Felda had plenty of excess cash. All government loans were fully paid.  Why not. Oil palm was our main produce, and the world demand was always there. Our staff salaries and perks were not like the private plantations. In fact, among us GM's, some were even embarrassed to be seen alighting from our modest staff Peugeots when attending outside meetings with other corporate managers, coming in their Mercedes' or even Volvos.  When plantations like Dunlop were regularly paying 12-month bonuses to their estate managers , Felda Corporations were at pains to squeeze 3 months, at the most. And don't even try to compare the basic salaries lest you die laughing. The point is, costs were paramount. Thrift ruled.

The one warning our group of dissenters gave out was, why should Felda, with its immense potential, open itself to unfriendly takeover by going public. There was even the joke then that through "Temasek" Lee Kuan Yew could become the next Chairman of Felda.The thing is, in the US, very successful public companies make themselves private so as to avoid unfriendly takeovers.

I guess there's money to be made when large corporations go public - the banks, investors, arrangers etc. A lot of money. That's the convincing argument for producing FGV. Now this is the turnaround.

It's Felda 2025.

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