TRIBUTE ABDUL - Perdana Library

DATO SIR ALEXANDER OPPENHEIM
or a display of rabid nationalism or revolutionary emotionalism
so fashionable in this day and age.
On the contrary, he has climbed to the heights of political
leadership through an acute acumen which enables him to act
at the correct psychological moment and because he is a
political realist who possesses the gift of finding ground for
compromise between opposing factions when all other are
blinded by the enormity of the problems which face them.
His leadership of the UMNO Party immediately after his
becoming President proved his calibre in this direction. At the
time he took over the organisation was facing an extremely
critical situation and almost the entire leadership had resigned
en bloc. Morale was then at its lowest ebb and internal
dissension threatened to disrupt the Party. The Tunku was at
that stage by no means even a nationally known figure but he
confronted and defeated the problems which faced him and
has year after year been re-elected as President of the Party.
Perhaps the most outstanding quality of the Tunku is his
sincerity which stimulates loyalty in all those who surround him
and inspires them to follow his example in winning friends and
so disarming their opponents. This quality has stood him well
in bringing together the heterogeneous population of Malaya
with its delicate communal relationships. He is forming a
Malayan nation for the communities: a nation whom he is
leading through independence to progress and prosperity.
Malaya may indeed deem itself fortunate to have such a
man at the helm of Government.
His approaches to the communal problems have been
realistic and moderate. He has steadily attempted to improve
the lot of those who do not have enough without penalizing
those who have.
Under his leadership Malaya is rapidly becoming a major
world power. He has formulated an independent external
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