farewell to my Chief Minister

Tun Lim Chong Eu

Tun Lim Chong Eu died today at the age of 91 at Tanjung Bungah, Georgetown, Penang.

he was, as i believe, the longest serving Chief Minister of Penang for 21 years.

just like Mahathir, i grew up under him....

listening to Pakya mentioning his name, as Pakya always involved with

the state's agriculture activities and policies.

i remember seeing him from afar...at Padang Merdeka, Butterworth and at Padang Kota Lama during Merdeka celebration....

Tun was just like a father figure to all of us...

very warm and friendly...not intimidating at all.....

as i googled him today...i found this....which i found quite interesting...

What we must understand is that the Malaysian nation was not formed just by the words and articles in the written Constitution. The Malaysian nation evolved from the acceptance of our people to live, work and die together as Malaysians within the framework of the Constitution. This decision of popular acceptance was established through the procedures of parliamentary democracy.

"In the context of the existence and life of the Malaysian Nation, the Federal Constitution is the sacred heritage of the Malaysian people irrespective of their individual ethnic heritages or cultural and religious backgrounds. It must be the fundamental duty of each and every citizen to honour, respect and uphold the Malaysian Constitution.

This spirit of placing the Rule of Law under a duly elected Parliament and the State Assemblies must always underlie all our actions as Malaysians. This is just what patriotism is all about.

This spirit must be carefully cultivated and sustained by all the people in Malaysia irrespective of their own ethnic origins, cultural heritages and religious beliefs. The Rukunegara expresses the fundamental commitment for every Malaysian to uphold national unity in order to ensure progress into the future.

By accepting the spirit of coexistence of the various ethnic communities that have been bonded together by the Constitution, the tenets of the Rukunegara ushered in the coevolutionary forces that have built Malaysia into what it is today.

this is an excerpt from his speech in 1995.....

thank you Tun, for making Penang a safer place to grow up

thank you Tun, for making my family feels safe to call Penang as our hometown.....