Ungku Aziz.

 Tues Dec 15, 2020.

I saw the sad news of Ungku Aziz's passing on my whatsapp just now. Several of them were from the "FMC form 5 1962" group. Padir also sent one. Ungku Aziz was 98.  Older than Mahathir.

In 1965 when I enrolled into UM, I attended one economics class when he spoke to us freshies. He said "many of you would not do well in the university, because you don't work hard enough, or you are not good enough !".I'd heard him on the radio many times before that. It was the same style. Simple, straight forward. He looked "English", but sounded very Malay.

I saw several photographs in the papers, of him and the other personalities  involved in the Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka nascent activities back in the 60's. I think they predated Syed Nasir's helm.

Other than his Vice Chancellor duties, you remember also those cooperatives days and "Angkasa" and all the politicking that embroiled him but not of his design. Surely they owe the man something for the general development of the national  cooperatives  movement.

Economics was one of the 3 papers I did in my first year. The other 2 were history and geography. Many undergraduates I spoke with then said I was foolish to take together these 3 "tough" subjects in my first year. Many would take one of these 3, and then 2 "lighter" ones like Malay studies, or Islamic studies. But one time I hitched a ride in a senior's car and they asked me about my subjects. When I mentioned them, one female senior in the car said "good for you".

Ungku Aziz used to jog around the large campus grounds, when jogging wasn't fashionable yet. Even very late in life he continued with this exercise. I'd never heard of a sick Ungku Aziz.

I remember that thin economics book he wrote on rural economy. I remember the radio interview when he mentioned his stay in a fishing village in Terengganu when writing that book. A fisherman's wife asked him how many children he had. When he said just one daughter (Zeti), the woman said rich people are never fertile, or something like that.

Zeti joined UM the same year I did. She must be my age. But I retired  20 years ago, while ex-Bank Negara Zeti is now heading  PNB. I remember we couldn't tackle her at university. She already had a Chinese boy friend. He became her husband.  I remember I thought she stooped a bit, always in a dress.  I don't see that later when she appeared often in the news, always in a baju kurung Johor, like her late mother.

Ungku Aziz also wrote a lot on the common practice among the Malays of making savings from hard-earned income for the purpose of doing the haj. Eventually, his recommendation to the government brought about the creation of the Tabung Haji. Every haji since the start of TH enjoyed the comfort of their holy journey because of TH, created by Ungku Aziz.  Surely the blessings pile on his soul now.

One practice I did when working, and my brother also did this, was to emulate Ungku Aziz, and put a large clock on my table in the office, facing the guest. As Ungku Aziz said, this was a psychological trick of reminding the visitor that time is precious, and everyone is looking at time, and hopefully the visitor does not stay any longer than necessary. It worked in my case.

I don't know of the Federal or state honours bestowed upon Ungku Aziz. None is too great to be given to this man. In his life time he said not to ask him about his religious practice. In his death we shouldn't restrain our prayers for his soul. Amin.

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