TRIBUTE ABDUL - Perdana Library

FRANCIS COORAY
boundaries of their own countries. It takes a statesman to look
beyond the parochial scene and study and assess the effects of the
interplay of international politics on his own country. Cold war
tensions and hot war threats have made a terrific impact on the
Tunku's outlook and character. His personal contacts with some
of the outstanding statesmen of this highly explosive decade has
gradually created in him one ruling passion, and that is to ensure the
happiness and prosperity of his country. He is undoubtedly
convinced that he cannot achieve that object without also ensuring
that Malaya shall never fall into the hands of the communists.
The Tunku is not only a born leader, which is really an inherited
quality, but he is also a courageous fighter. Whether at
football, golf or politics you will find him a worthy opponent who
will always keep to the rules of the game. He will always play
straight. When at one of the more recent Commonwealth Prime
Ministers' conferences, he came out openly condemning South
Africa's apartheid policy, while his more experienced colleagues
halted and hesitated he was defending the right against powerful
interests. We have more than one instance where the Tunku has
thrown the weight of his country on the side of peace and good
neighbourly relations and where he has quietly withdrawn from the
scene when he found that his services were not welcome.
The Tunku. owing to his uncompromising attitude against
communism has made not a few political enemies who never tire of
saying that he is being led by the nose by his ex-patriate advisers
and British imperialists. A former Prime Minister of Ceylon,
Sir John Kotelawala, often related this story against himself.
Once when he was visiting Rome he was taken by his Private Secretary
who thought his chief's cultural education needed improvement,
to see a famous picture by Michael Angelo. Sir John
stood before a picture and listened to a very learned lecture on the
artistic merit of the picture by his P. S. As he was leaving he saw
the official guide showing another picture to a crowd of visitors.
On enquiring what the picture was Sir John was horrified to
learn that it was the actual Michael Angelo and that his Private