The unfinished business between BC Sekhar, Mahathir Mohamad and Daim Zainuddin

 

The called him Mr Natural Rubber

BSC, Nov 18: In Legacies for Generations, a tribute to his father BC Sekhar, the good capitalist Datuk Vinod B Sekhar tells us of how former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin had forced the man who modernised Malaysia's rubber industry to leave the country in search for a living abroad.

They forced the man that created and implemented SMR (Standard Malaysian Rubber) and had saved the Malaysian economy – giving it the backbone and footing that would allow the Mahathir administration to make her The Tiger economy – to leave the country and accept a position in London, just so he could make a living and take care of his family. 

It broke his heart, as he loved his country so much.

Vinod, the chairman of the Petra Group, wrote the article in memory of his late dad, who would have turned 91 yesterday.

I hope Mahathir and Daim, in their old age, have a sense of remorse and regret for how they treated the great sons and daughters of Malaysia. Because my father was not alone. His was a generation of great nation builders. Country first. We sadly don’t really have many of those anymore.

I am sure Tun M, 95, if he's not in his I don't remember mode, will tell us that he had his 'reasons' for doing what he allegedly did to BC Sekhar. Just as he had his reasons for putting out to pasture judges Tun Salleh Abas, 91, and Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid, 82, among others. But I'm not sure people would believe him. In fact, I'm quite sure a lot of people have stopped believing whatever he says these days.

But I don't really care about that. I'd say, forget about Mahathir or Daim. I'd rather focus on the point Vinod is making in his article about our nation builders. It is true, we don't really have many of those anymore. We need to do something about that.

Former Health Minister tweets about BC Sekhar