Pak Lah, you have my full support!

Today is a sad and tragic day. At about 8.30 am I received a phone call from Datuk Abdullah Abdul Wahab, Setiausaha Parlimen asking me whether I knew of the death of Datuk Seri Endon Mahmood, wife of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at her Putrajaya residence about half an hour ago.

I did not. News of Endon’s death came as a shock to all Malaysians as it was only on Tuesday that they read in the newspapers that she had been discharged from hospital after showing good signs of recovery. For two years, Malaysians had followed with admiration the battle she had waged against breast cancer, and although all knew that she was up against great odds, all prayed and believed that she could fight the killer disease to a remission.

Although Endon had been the “first lady” as the Prime Minister’s wife just short of two years, unable to make many public appearances because of her health, she had won a special place in the hearts of Malaysians because of her kindness, graciousness, consideration, humility and courage not to succumb to the killer disease, encouraging women with breast cancer not to give up the fight – an inspiration to Malaysians.

Parliament today was to resume to complete the general policy debate on the 2006 Budget, as after two marathon sittings, ending at 11 p.m. on Tuesday and a few minutes before midnight last night, there was only one Ministry left - the Finance Ministry -- before the Dewan Rakyat goes into the committee stage of the budget presentation, debating one Ministry at a time.

There was much expectation on the winding-up on the Finance Ministry, the most important Ministry in any budget debate, by the second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed bin Yakcop, especially as the National Automotive Policy Framework was announced only yesterday.

Nor Mohamed’s winding-up of the budget debate will be the first opportunity whether inside or outside Parliament for a top policy-maker to be quizzed about the National Automative Policy Framework, the forerunner to the National Automative Policy in the next one to three months.

However, with Endon’s sudden and shocking passing, priorities had to be changed. I asked Abdullah to convey to the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah my support for the adjournment of today’s parliamentary sitting as a mark of respect to Endon. I also phoned the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department specifically in charge of parliamentary affairs, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, on my support for the adjournment of today’s parliamentary sitting.

I arrived in Parliament at about 9.20 am. Nazri, Nor Mohamed and Dr. Helmi Yahya, Parliamentary Secretary to Finance Ministry, were already in the MPs’ lounge. We were later joined by other MPs, including the Barisan Backbenchers’ Club Chairman, Datuk Shahrir Samad. Nazri said the Speaker would announce the adjournment of the House when it convened at 10 am as a mark of respect to Endon, which will also allow MPs to pay their last respects to the Prime Minister’s wife at Seri Perdana.

There was already a huge crowd when MPs arrived at Sri Perdana in the Parliament bus. It took me some 90 minutes before I could get into Seri Perdana to pay my last respects to Endon. DAP MPs who managed to pay their last respects are Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong) and Teresa Kok (Seputeh). DAP MPs who could not get pass the crowd to pay their last respects include Chong Eng (Bukit Mertajam), Chow Kon Yeow (Tanjong), Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah) and Chong Chieng Jien (Bandar Kuching).

I had a few words with the grieving Prime Minister, who accompanied by his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, was very thoughtful and gracious to thank the visitors. I expressed my deepest condolences at Endon’s passing and the suffering he and his family went through in the past weeks and months.

I told Pak Lah: “Be strong. Endon will want you to be strong. You have my full support”

I had a surprise encounter in Sri Perdana, unexpectedly meeting up with the Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz. When I entered the hall to pay my last respects to Endon, I had not noticed Rafidah until she called out to me from her seat against one side of the wall. She showed me the surgical wounds on her right leg which is still in a cast, stressing that she was not running away from Parliament. I said this was why I had offered to wheelchair her to Parliament as she was well enough to receive the Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry almost immediately after her kneecap replacement surgery. To this, Rafidah said that the Japanese Minister had asked to see her and it was at the hospital.

The encounter with Rafidah is a reminder that life, with the attendant problems, must go on, even as the people and nation grieve over the demise of Endon.

I had blogged six postings on Tuesday’s budget winding-up debate in Parliament. I should have not less the number of postings for the budget winding-up yesterday, inclusive of last night’s blog, “History – 24 Ministers reply in 2006 Budget debate”.