Now, more than ever, we need Tunku Abdul Rahman

[superadmin]

PETALING JAYA: The nation’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, embodied deep-seated humility in an era of boundless Malaysian optimism.

The story of the man called Bapa Merdeka and Bapa Malaysia, as the architect of Malayan independence and the formation of Malaysia, teaches us many things about the type of people we wish to see in public office at times of deep challenge.

Perhaps, most of all, it shows us the importance of being humble: humility breeds empathy; arrogance yields division and failure.

In a series to mark the 64th anniversary of Merdeka, FMT has collected timeless photographs of the Tunku, who served as prime minister from 1957 to 1970, to give a taste of a man who was a symbol of unity, interracial peace and harmony.

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