Thursday 9 November 2006

Our doas for a quick recovery

We have always jokingly said that he will be alright because he has a doctor with him all the time. She takes care of him night and day. During trips abroad, the group of journalists covering him always had a tough time catching up with him. Sometimes he prefered to walk if one event was close to the next, and who are we to say differently, so we walked. When we arrived, he was fit and ready to start while we huffed and puffed, still searching for our note books.

Once in Budapest, it was a five day official visit and the schedule was packed and we groaned. At a press conference, at the end of a very long day, he took one look at us who looked like we had just covered wartorn Iraq and said, “Aren’t you all tired following me around?” and a very brave Datuk Khalid Mohamed of Utusan said, “Kalau perdana menteri tak penat mana kita boleh penat!”.

Then there was this time in Paris. We had earlier met him in London then rushed to Paris and waited outside the Palais de l’Elysée for a whole hour in the freezing cold while he had talks with Jacque Chirac. Our toes couldn’t feel anything anymore because of the cold and by the time we caught hold of him at his hotel, our jaws were still at different stages of defrosting and none of us could say anything. So he said, “You could have waited for me in Norwich!” which we did of course because he went on to inspect the Lotus factory .

I remember one occassion. He had just flown in from Argentina and there were rumours that he had fallen off a horse. There was already a crowd outside the place he was staying near Hyde Park Gate. I got to him late but he waited for me where we had a one to one interview and I think that was the best ever I had had with him since my first one to one with him in Vienna (which was a complete disaster!) He sat there looking suitably pink and healthy for a man his age. I sat there and silently cursed all the other journalists who had left me to face this great man alone. So I said, “ It looks like you can never leave the country. Everytime you do people start rumours about your health and the stock market plunged,”

He gave the most hearty laugh and I was told later that that opening, with his laughter and apparent good health restored confidence again in the market. It also restored my confidence in myself. Yonks ago when I had to interview him for the BBC, I was a naive, young broadcaster who was assigned to cover his two week long conference in Vienna. I was supplied a tape recorder that I was unfamiliar with and I found myself face to face with a man who was not only suffering from a slight cold but also showing signs of roti canai withdrawal symptoms. His two word answers and stern, frosty look was worst than that cold outside Palais de l’Elysée. My interview went out muffled, the tone was low. But he looked after us. Two weeks away from home is the maximum for us. By then we would have finished our supply of rendangs and maggi mee and would have been in various stages of wilting due to lack of Malaysian food. But he was our saviour. The last few days we found an Indonesian restaurant that had on offer sambal tumis udang petai! The great man booked the restaurant that night for all of us and we stuffed our face shamelessly.

Now, I hear he is unwell after suffering from a mild heart attack. He still has his loving and devoted doctor wife by his side but clearly Doc, it is a sign for you to slow down too. Our doas are with you. Have a quick recovery.

46 comments:

highheelseliparjepun said...

Assalamualaikum..It's my first visit to ur blog..discovered through the kimster's.Menarik sungguh cerita-ceriti kak teh.Ada yg buat sy menitiskan air mata plak..hehe..

BTW,it's TM u ar talking about kan?Harap dia cepat sembuh..

KakNi said...

Kak Teh,
Saya pun doakan dia sembuh cepat.

Kak Teh! Hari ini saya baca blog Kak Teh dari CC, barulah saya dapat tengok slide show (in the previous entry) tu, wah memang best betul. Sebelum ni saya baca blog either from office or home. Kat office internet agak slow tapi kat rumah memang slow habis! Semalam PC saya kong, jadi hari ini saya kena pergi CC and "peace to you also Mak!"

ROYAL JESTER said...

KT,
I didn't even know he had a mild attack. Ish...moga selamat semua...

wonda said...

At his age and for the sake of his health, this honorable man needs to slow down and take a good rest. My prayers be with him. Hope he recovers soon.

nyonyapenang said...

izzit???? i'm here and i didn't even hear about it.
i wish him a speedy recovery.

Ordinary Superhero said...

Bro Rocky blogs on the news as early as 11.40 a.m. on the same subject. You have to salute the old man's stamina and razor sharp observation. Hope he is getting better.

ilene said...

Wah! News sure get around fast meh! The latest, he has woken up from the mild sedation that was given to him earlier. He's still in the CCU. Pak Lah paid him a visit this afternoon but I think he did not get to see Tun. Doctor's advice: family members only. But I reckon you would already know by now.

I guess the latest issues have really stressed him up!

Fauziah Ismail said...

Kak Teh
Chat friends from as far as Egypt is asking me about Tun's condition. One wanted the address for the National Heart Institute because he wanted to send flowers. Everyone is praying for Tun.

UglyButAdorable said...

my doa to bro rocky bru's too..

kak teh...selamat hari raya dan mohon maaf zahir dan batin kalau kalau ader tersalah kata atau bicara dalam blog dan ym..

ikanbilis said...

ohmigawd! i didn't know what happened! i hope he would get well soon! he's suppose to be healthy!!

fascinating story, mak teh =P

Anonymous said...

My prayers are with Dr Mahathir and his family. He is a strong a determined man and I'm sure he will come out walking tall again.

Mulan said...

he's a tough man. never say no, will go all out.. yup, he needs to slow down too. heard that he's getting better, alhamdulillah..

kimster said...

The good man has his supporters and detractors, but that is not really the issue.

The main thing is he has contributed to the nation and we should all doa for his speedy recovery.

Mama Rock said...

oh kak teh, he has so much of my dad's characters and features and somehow tun is always special in my heart.

Azer Mantessa said...

yep, time for him to slow down.

~ GAB ~ said...

Well to me, it's really time for him to call it quit. He's been in the circle for too long already. He has proven a lotta things to people, but perhaps he is yet to prove something for himself, that's why he keeps on goin'

Hajar said...

i wish him well.. and i hope he'll take time to enjoy his retirement now... :-)

Kak Teh said...

highheelseliparjepun,
w'salam. terima kasih kerana mengunjung blog kak teh yang tak seberapa ini. Cuma cacatan hidup - ada yang manis ada yang pahit - biasalah, kan? Ya, you are right abt Tun M. Insyaallah he will recover.

ahni, laaa - baru nampak gambark2 tu?

Putri - i pun baca blog baru tau.
wonda@alice, yes, he certainly will be bacck on his feet again.

Kak Teh said...

nyonya, aiyaaa - u baru tau ka?? seluruh dunia dah tau lor!

OSH, ya - i got it from rocky as well.

Ilene, in this day and age of internet, news sure travel fast.

X-Matters - ya, i saw from rocky's the concern from malaysians and others all over.

Kak Teh said...

UbA = kak teh pun sama-samalah, maaf zahir dan batin.
eh - bukan rocky yang sakit!

ikan bilis, pun tak tau jugak? tak pa - he is okay now.alhamdulillah.

Judy, he certainly is. and he will bounce back anytime now.

mulan - alhamdulillah, the tough old man is resting and recovering.

Kak Teh said...

the kimster, you are right. The issue at hand is that we pray for his well being. Even the worst of our enemies sh'd pray for our well being, kan?

mama rock, my God..your dad must be from the old school. And i imagine mine too. They really make them tough dulu, eh?

azer, dia dah 82, kan and gosh at the rate he is going, kita pun kalah.

Kak Teh said...

Gab, I think his body is trying to tell him that.

jade, Insyaallah he will be in top form soon.

simah said...

Get well soon Dr. M..
ı met him once 3 years ago when he came to istanbul for a visit. dinner for malaysians at a hotel here..

at that time i thought he looked quite *aged*..different from what i remember him from newsparer pictures the last time i was in malaysia....i thought he had slowed down since.. i guess i was wrong..

he has his loving wife next to him..he is one lucky man..

High Power Rocketry said...

Best of luck!

Miss Aini said...

ad dua ana:

sembuhkanlah dia sebagaiman kau ciptakan penyakit, seperti itu jualah kau ciptakan ubatnya.nabarakallah.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kak Teh,

To me journalists are a special 'bunch' indeed. They have the skill of language. They get to meet interesting people. They get to know the news first hand. What else? They are always at the forefront of happenings, events, intrigues and whatever else you care to list. I simply love the life of journalists. You make me drool with this entry Kak Teh. Where's the tissue...? He he.

Anonymous said...

Gee I got carried away and lost the plot.

Yes, Tun M, is such a great leader. Let's pray for his well being. I think he still has immense pearls of wisdom that we all can benefit if we worked together. Nothing can beat good experience.

KC said...

kak teh,

I love that man. I have great respect for him for what he has done to the country despite what has been said. Semoga dia cepat sembuh.

Kak Teh said...

simah, kak teh baca Tun dah dipindahkan ke wad biasa dah and resting.
r2k - thanks.

ainee, amin.

Kak Teh said...

ruby, life as journalist can be fun and exciting - but dont be deceived - sure, i mentioned Paris, budapest and there were many other places like Holland, germany BUT most of the time, we only get to see conference halls and meeting places and hotel rooms.

I have been looking at my old pictures and newspaper cuttings and features. There are many stories behind all the stories that got published. and i hope to be able to compile them here one day. ..ah famous last words ..one day!


kc - yes, your words echo those of many, many others.and hopefully, he will not have anymore punishing schedules here and there.

Kak Elle said...

kak teh wishing a speedy recovery for him unfortunately I don't know him.

Kak Teh said...

kak elle, thanks - tak kenal pun tak apa , its the doa that is important.

Jane Sunshine said...

Here's wishing a speedy recovery to the good Doc.

Anonymous said...

My family is divided btwn our PM and TM but everyone agrees that TM deserves A LOT of respect for our country's development and prosperity.

Hope he gets well soon, I really want to meet him one day

Anonymous said...

I was in Langkawi recently and was at the beach when I struck a conversation with a young family from Bosnia who was visiting Malaysia for the first time.

We talked about many things - current issues and all when he mentioned Tun and expressed respect and gratitude for a man who was bold enough to speak out his mind and to say things the way it should. And he said that TM had done a lot to help the plight of the Bosnians (during the war).

I am proud to have a statesman as highly regarded as Tun. He may have his detractors - but to me he will go down history as the greatest countryman Malaysia ever had.

Get well soon, Sir.

kyora said...

same with me MA, went to shopping 1 day, n 1 old man greet me and said, mahathir is a great general.. very brilliant man. pergh, bangga gle masa tu.

Kak Teh said...

jane, yes - he is okay and resting, according to the newspapers.

nenn, I am sure youwill be able to meet him one day. and that day will be an important day indeed. I remember many,many occassions when peole would wait just to meet him and be photographed with him. and no matter how tired, he would oblige.

makandeh, everytime i neet someone, especially from the sub continent, they are proud to meet me a malaysian as that reminds them of Tun M - the champion of the south.

kyora kejora - ya - kita pun tumpang sekaki syok.

Count Byron said...

Met him a few times and he is a wonderful man.. very alert.. and very good listener. He remembers names! Amazing! Speedy recovery to Tun

AuntyN said...

InsyaAllah Kak Teh, he will be fine. Sama2 kita doa no..

AuntyN said...

InsyaAllah Kak Teh, he will be fine. Sama2 kita doa no..

High Power Rocketry said...

: )

HCI said...

Tengok CNN, Asia news, interviewed by angeli?

i was cooking in the kitchen but the interveiw was good and have to bring all the bawang to the living room. He's one smart man.

Anonymous said...

Wahai adinda jauh di mata
Rindu hamba tidak terkira
Mendengar namamu setiap masa
Khabarnya bahagia nun di sana

Negeri orang putih
Dah jadi negeri Kak Teh
Dulu merantau bertatih-tatih
Sekarang Kak Teh serba boleh

Kami ni dok di Malaya lah jugak
Nak ikut Kak Teh rasa tak layak
Maklumlah makan gulai tempoyak
Di London cari tentu tak dak

Di Malaya ni macam-macam ada
Huru-hara tidak terkira
Dr Mahathir depa dah nak lupa
Yang dok sokong dia depa kata gila

Ni lah yang dah jadi di Malaya kita
Bila orang muda sudah berkuasa
Lupalah jasa, susah payah orang tua
Yang depa dok pikiaq nak jadi kaya-raya

La ni nak habaq kat semua
Dr Mahathir dah sihat semula
Dia pun dah balik ke rumah dia
Kena banyak rehat, doktor kata

Saya minta mengundur diri
Lain kali berjumpa lagi
Salam saya kepada Wan Hulaimi
dan anak-anak yang ada di sisi

Jo Kontan said...

Lari dari topik sikit,.

Takpalah kan.

"There are many stories behind all the stories that got published. and i hope to be able to compile them here one day. ..ah famous last words ..one day "

Whoa.. Bila tu, Kak Teh ?! I am eagerly waiting !!

Mungkin ada diselitselitkan sikit Sir AG sekali. :-)

Kak Teh said...

cb, he is amazing, isn't he? ya...i have been lucky to be able to tag along.

auntyM - dia cepat baik, N dua kali doa.

has, tak tengok pun? kalau tau, bawa kuali mee goreng pi goreng di depan TV!

Kak Teh said...

abang malaya singgal kat sini,
berpantun bersyaer orang berseni,
kak teh dah lama di negeri ini,
nak buat macammana rezki di sini.

Negara malaya katanya huru hara,
orang pi sana diletup, oh sengsara,
Tun Mahathir mana boleh kita lupa,
apa nama negara kita sapa yang naikkan nama?

Alhamdulillah Tun M dah sehat semula,
tak pi perhimpunan agung pun tak pa laa,
buat sakit dada dan pening kepala,
dok diam-diam di rumah takkurang pahala.

Abang malaya sapa namanya,
kalau tak bagi tau nak kirim salam macam mana?
anak dan suami sehat belaka,
cepat bagi tau, depa dok tanya.


jo - kak teh tak larat pantun daah.
anyway, sapa-sapa ada nak sponsor buku?