Notes from the United Nations by Abdullah Ahmad

This book is the compilation of writings by an elder statesman in Malaysia. His career is varied and extensive so he has earned the right to comment on a lot of subjects which may be beyond the scope of ordinary people. Malaysians in particular will find this book a good read on a lonely evening when the TV programmes are not so good.


Publisher: Times Edition


TAN Sri Abdullah Ahmad has a background that is the envy of many. His
almost half-century-long professional career has led him to the fields of
journalism, politics, foreign service and business. He has rubbed
shoulders with the high and mighty and also shared experiences with
prisoners.
To say that he has a checkered career is an understatement. It would be
more accurate to describe Abdullah as a person who has been up close and
personal with life's changing and challenging perspectives.
This is one of several books written by the former group editor-in-chief
of The New Straits Times Press. But Abdullah is better known for his years
as the political secretary of the late Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak in
the early `70s.
His five years under the Internal Security Act have been well-documented
and his thoughts on this trying period are expressed rather succinctly in
some chapters.
The years of incarceration were a catharsis for a man who rose to great
heights professionally, to a position very close to the highest office in
the country.
Those episodes in his life are some of the most interesting pages in
this book. For example, he said: "After Tun Razak's death on January 14,
1976, important and influential colleagues told me that I would be
arrested, under some pretext or other, and they strongly advised me to
leave the country and return when the Umno leadership changed hands. I did
not heed their advice."
There are more than 70 `Notes' in this 368-page book. I found those
covered under the category "Close to Heart" the most captivating. His
early years with The Straits Times, which began in 1957, were something
that most of us journalists could identify with.
Those years of reporting coupled with feet-pounding-the-street
experience honed his writing skills and sharpened his eye for details. On
that aspect, he would probably have to thank Harry Miller, his KL boss at
that time, and other senior editorial executives at the newspaper.
Abdullah's remarkable memory for details has also made his latest
published work a treasure trove for students of Malaysian political
history. Revelations about the goings-on behind closed doors and insight
into the mindset of powerful figures certainly add colour to the hazy
pictures that students of history gleaned from books.
A case in point: "I once asked Tun Razak why he and most others were
wary of Kuan Yew. He said, `Dollah, you know that I never enjoyed talking
to anyone if I have to be on guard all the time. When you talk to Kuan
Yew, or play golf with him, you will have to be vigilant; otherwise you
will lose your shirt and putter to him.'"
From 1996 to 2000, Abdullah was assigned as Malaysian Special Envoy to
the United Nations. His years at the UN gave him the diplomatic licence to
observe many of the political machinations that went on behind tightly
shut doors of that august organisation.
It was there that his understanding of international politics took a
quantum leap and it opened his eyes, and now ours, as to how superpowers
shaped the destinies of smaller nations.
Abdullah's Notes from the United Nations will benefit those who have a
voracious appetite for political anecdotes and snippets. It will make you
sit up straighter in your chair and say silently, "Ah, I see, that was how
it happened".
Those of us who have lived through some of those eventful times that
Abdullah had an intimate knowledge of will be grateful that certain
important details left out of newspapers and history books have finally
surfaced in this book.
Politicians with Abdullah's kind of background should take note of this
literary effort and emulate his example. Our young nation needs more of
such writings that can contribute to a fuller understanding of the
political developments of the past decades.
But certainly, it takes a man of a certain character and strength to say
the things Abdullah has said in this book.
And on himself, Abdullah says: "In my time, I have seen a bit of life:
from Kok Lanas to royal palaces, presidential mansions and palatial
estates. I have also stayed in filthy police lock-ups. Moving from the
istana and kampung to police hovels was a small step for me. It was a
bittersweet experience. It made me a tougher man, more than I could have
believed possible myself."
The last word on Abdullah surely belongs to Tun Razak, Abdullah's mentor
and boss, when he said: "Dollah, you ni tiada perasaan takut langsung
(neither fear nor suspicion seem to have crossed your mind)."