More photographs over the years .......

Photographs over the years .....

Preface to the book "THE POWER of DEEDS"

THE POWER of DEEDS: The Untold Story of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin

PREFACE

One fine afternoon more than three years ago, I was approached by Dr Shamsul Bahar Abdul Kadir to write a biography of his late father, Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin, who served as the Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia from 1970 until the untimely demise of his close friend and colleague, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein in January 1976. I could not remember Abdul Kadir as I was still in primary school at the time, but I had a good memory of Tun Razak, the popular Prime Minister during the former’s tenure. 

I initially hesitated in accepting Shamsul Bahar’s invitation to write about his unassuming late father due to the lack of relevant or related documents and research materials. I could foresee that the search for information would be a daunting task because to build or support the arguments in the biography, it would be necessary to refer to either primary or secondary sources.

I immediately thought of Tan Sri Arshad Ayub, then Chairman of the University of Malaya Board of Directors and a former prominent senior civil servant, and called to solicit his views on the proposed biography of Abdul Kadir. He advised me to drop whatever I was doing then and take on the project which significantly eased my trepidation. I was also very fortunate that I managed to discuss the matter with other senior civil servants, particularly Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, former Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia (1990-1996), who enthusiastically encouraged me to do the biography. Tun Ahmad Sarji has always regarded Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin as his colleague and mentor. The spin-off from the two meetings with him, which included Dr Shamsul Bahar in the first meeting and a few preliminary interviews with selected personalities, have helped pave the way in securing the much-needed supporting evidence and documents pertaining to Abdul Kadir.

After more than three months, I finally accepted Shamsul Bahar's request to embark on writing the biography of his late father whom, I opine, after some background checking, very well deserves to be accorded his rightful place in the country's administrative and political history. Given that his destiny was closely intertwined with the birth of a then fledgling nation, Malaysia, his biography would in a way remind and educate the younger generation of the nation, the struggles and its history in the early stages of independence. 

Since the research was multidisciplinary in nature with a strong emphasis on history, politics, public administration and public policy, I quickly thought of experts whom I believe could significantly contribute to the proposed biography project. Two names swiftly came to mind: Dr Sharifah Mariam Alhabshi, a colleague and an associate professor at the International Institute of Public Policy and Management (INPUMA), and Professor Dr Shakila Yacob of University Malaya’s History Department. The inclusion of other researchers and academics trained in history, public administration and public policy would bring a substantial added value to this project. Dr Shamsul Bahar and I were delighted when I managed to convince my two colleagues to be co-authors and researchers for the project. Another colleague, Professor Dr Mohd Hazim Shah Abdul Murad, also agreed to help with the editing. With my specialisation and training in political science, political economy and international relations, Professor Shakila in history and Dr Sharifah Mariam in public policy, I felt that I had a solid and credible team to embark on writing the biography of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin, one of the most illustrious sons of Malaysia.

The Context

Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin dutifully served the country when it was still young and being developed. Though many anecdotes of the heroic efforts of these early nation-builders that had been told, it is unfortunate and heartbreaking that few of those were documented. This ultimately brings us to the urgent need to conduct more research and publication, particularly on local administrative or bureaucratic elites who have made noteworthy contributions to the country's development. 

This biography is a serious attempt to document and highlight the important role played by Abdul Kadir and several of the key personalities in Malaysian public administration in the formulation of developmental ideas and institution-building process, particularly during the first 20 years after Malaysia’s independence. In the ensuing first two decades after Merdeka, the Malay(a)sian civil service (MCS) was helmed by a group of mostly educated, qualified and competent senior civil servants who often played an advisory role to the political leadership, led by the Prime Minister. The country was extremely blessed to have Tun Razak, a popular national leader, famously known to be very hardworking and dedicated to public service. He later joined active politics and was eventually appointed Prime Minister in 1970.

The Razak administration was successfully assisted by a group of selfless civil servants of high calibre, led by none other than the exemplary Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin. This biography also traces the evolution and unique relationship between Abdul Kadir and his trusted friend, Tun Razak, who later became his "superior" and colleague. Although Tun Razak was at the political forefront and basking in its limelight, it was often Abdul Kadir and a group of other senior bureaucrats that he relied on when it came to the implementation of the policies formulated and adopted by the government.

Despite this biography being long overdue, the timing of the publication proves to be relevant to the present situation, particularly in the context of Malaysian society having experienced a radical political change after more than 60 years of rule by the Alliance and later, the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. There is no doubt that the BN dominance, especially post 1981, has had a great impact on the style and performance of the country’s public service. Malaysia initially started out as a country that inherited a relatively effective civil service and was admired and envied by many in the region. The civil service was the bedrock of the country’s development and progress. However, over the years, mainly due to the overwhelming dominance of politicians over the bureaucrats, the nature of the relationship between the politicians and the public administrators changed, from development led by the administrative elites to a more dominant political-led direction. Public service performance and delivery was dictated by political masters who harnessed the talent and resources of the corporate consultants and the private sector, pushing public administrators to a less prominent and significant role.

The history of Malay(a)sian politics and public bureaucracy has shown that many of the political leaders between the period of the 1950s and '70s were recruited from the civil service. Leaders such as Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn were all civil servants who were first recruited to serve in public administration. This phenomenon explains the relatively harmonious nature of the relationship between the political and administrative elites of the country, which was based on mutual trust, respect and understanding. It is within the context of this close relationship, that the authors have had to situate the bond between Abdul Kadir and his political master, Tun Razak.

The Challenges

With nothing much written about Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin, how do we go about getting an insight into the character of such an illustrious personality who, like the other senior bureaucrats, had worked mainly behind the scenes and left behind many good deeds? As the lead author of this biography project, I was particularly concerned about how to gather information on Abdul Kadir, who had passed away more than 40 years ago. 

With the help of Dr Shamsul Bahar, Abdul Kadir’s second son, and former senior civil servants Tun Ahmad Sarji, Tan Sri Arshad Ayub and Tan Sri Dr Sulaiman Mahbob, we began to identify individuals who are still alive and have recollections of Abdul Kadir. Of course, it would be undeniably great if the person(s) have had the experience of directly working with Abdul Kadir and had had close contact with him. With the help of Dr Shamsul Bahar and others, we managed to identify a few people whom we could interview, such as Tan Sri Alwi Jantan, Brigadier General Dato’ Abdul Latif Ahmad (Rtd) and Datuk Anwaruddin Ahamad Osman. However, they had little to no interactions at all with Abdul Kadir since they were only in their mid-twenties when they first joined the government.

Nevertheless, one civil servant was an exception: Ahmad Sarji, who had the privilege to serve as the Under-Secretary to the Cabinet and Constitution Division of the Prime Minister’s Department in December 1972, while Abdul Kadir was the Chief Secretary to the Government and Secretary to the Cabinet. Ahmad Sarji confessed that he had learnt much from Abdul Kadir, whom he regarded as his mentor. The latter had greatly influenced him to excel in public service and taught him how cabinet decisions would be formulated and acted upon by the secretariat. 

However, we regret being unable to interview some of the key personalities whom we initially thought could help us shed some light on the private as well as the professional life of this towering Malaysian. One of them was (the late) Tan Sri Abu Zarim Haji Omar, former General Manager of the National Electricity Board (NEB) or LLN. Abu Zarim was not only a close associate and confidant of Abdul Kadir but also his brother-in-law. Abu Zarim would have been one of the best persons to be consulted for this biography project. Unfortunately, he passed away in July 2016. 

Another important personality would be the late Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad, who was appointed as the political secretary to Tun Razak from 1963 to 1974, the first appointment of its kind in post-Merdeka Malay(a)sia. The charismatic and flamboyant (and controversial) Abdullah, unfortunately passed away in June 2016. The latest loss is the recent demise of Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khalil Haji Hussein (19 May 2018), who had gone through similar educational and professional experiences as Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin. With the passing of several key senior civil servants (between 2016 to 2018) who could have significantly contributed to the enrichment of this biography, the authors felt compelled to record the insights and stories of other living key personalities, on the Malaysia’s political history and development, as soon as possible. It was fortuitous that Dato’ Mohamed Dahan who started his public service career in Pahang in 1970, became enthusiastic about the biography and volunteered to review all the draft chapters, adding colour to some of the stories. More importantly, the authors hope that these important individuals could share their views and anecdotes about Abdul Kadir.

Throughout our research, we have learned that Tun Razak and Abdul Kadir seemed inseparable since their early days together in colonial Singapore. Thus, it is only logical for the writers to refer to the available sources on Tun Razak to know more about Abdul Kadir. Subsequently, we tracked the writings on Tun Razak, which included his days together with Abdul Kadir at Raffles College, followed by the State of Pahang, the Merdeka delegation, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Cabinet (but there was not much on him either). That was how the authors managed to reconstruct and narrate the history of this illustrious Malaysian.

With the digitisation of primary sources and documents, mainly by developed nations such as the US, the UK, including neighbouring Singapore, gradually the authors, through their physical and virtual visits to some of these amazing libraries and archives, were able to reconstruct a narrative of this distinguished civil servant. Of course, not forgetting the assistance rendered by the Arkib Negara Malaysia, which gave us a chronological overview by providing the timeline of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin’s career progression. 

The story of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin as one of the most trusted administrators, advisors and confidants to Tun Razak is a story that must shared with the good people of Malaysia. He was behind the serious Tun Razak, very much loved and admired by so many people. The Razak administration was aided by prominent and "colourful" personalities, which included the afore-mentioned Abdullah Ahmad who served as his political secretary and Tun Muhammad Ghazali Shafie, popularly known as King Ghaz. Like Tun Razak, Ghazali also began his career as a civil servant and later decided to join active politics and was appointed as Minister of Special Duties and Information (1970-1975). Tun Razak was surrounded by a set of highly capable and competent young men to help him govern the nation at a challenging time in its post-Merdeka history. 

While Tun Razak was famous and remembered to this day, Abdul Kadir was not that talked of, discussed or reminisced. The authors believe that the unique and inspiring Abdul Kadir-Abdul Razak story has to be uncovered, shared and appreciated by all Malaysians. This biography is about the long, arduous and fulfilling journey embarked by two close friends in their quest to serve a young nation beset with so many challenges, including the threat of collapse. Even though the work is historical, it is also relevant to contemporary Malaysia. Given the challenges of the current new government is facing post GE14, the lessons of the past should provide us with the moral courage and political will to move on and succeed, as the previous leadership had done. It would be tragic indeed if the sacrifices by these political and administrative elites were made in vain. 

Khadijah Md Khalid

Lead Author

3 November 2019

 

Chapter 8 from the book "THE POWER of DEEDS"

THE POWER of DEEDS: The Untold Story of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin

CHAPTER 8

AN OVERVIEW AND ASSESSMENT

OF ABDUL KADIR SHAMSUDDIN’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NATION

Malay(a)sia in the 1950s until the 70's was a developing plural society with rising expectations, potential and promises. It was one of the Southeast Asia countries that had finally gained independence from the various European colonial powers.

As a new nation, despite its multiethnic and multicultural characteristics, Malay(a)sia had achieved relatively impressive success in politics and economics in the first decade of Merdeka. This could be attributed to its efficient public bureaucracy characterised by the harmonious relationship between the political elites and the senior bureaucrats in the civil service. The public bureaucracy of the new nation was, without a doubt, very much influenced by its unique historical and socio-cultural processes, before and after the arrival of the British. Upon its independence and following the first decade of Merdeka, Malay(a)sia succeeded because the British  had not only left behind a relatively politically and economically stable country but also provided full security and defence support. 

    Malay(a)sia’s ability to sustain itself as a relatively stable and democratic country can also be attributed to its political and administrative leadership. Prior to independence in 1957, a small group of Malay senior civil servants were already playing significant roles in charting the country’s direction, paving the way for future national development. Following its independence, the country was managed by administrative elites, comprising of mainly British and Malayan senior civil servants, who were committed to realising the national development agenda. With their counterparts in politics, many of these senior administrative officers had an aristocratic background and had been socialised within the British education system, with its values and norms. They possessed admirable traits and qualities, namely, integrity and altruism, which guided them well while serving their beloved nation. By the time of independence, the young country already had both Malay and non-Malay citizenry, many of whom became citizens as agreed in the constitution. It was this heterogeneity of the society that posed a real challenge to the government of Tunku Abdul Rahman and the successive governments of post-Merdeka Malay(a)sia.

Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin: The Pre-Merdeka and Early Merdeka Years

As a developing young nation inundated by many complex issues in nation-building, Malaysia was truly blessed with the availability of highly educated, talented and committed civil servants. Many of them had undergone similar experiences in education and political socialisation in colonial Malaya, among them were Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin and Abdul Razak Hussein. Both of them had met for the first time at Raffles College in Singapore and their friendship had blossomed and extended to the U.K. where both were students and active members of the Malay Society and the infant Malayan Forum.

Abdul Kadir’s journey as a young public servant began before World War II. Like many Malayans who had lived under the harsh Japanese military rule, the experience had influenced Abdul Kadir’s views on politics and governance of post-war Malaya. Working side by side with Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and other members of the Merdeka delegation, the destiny of Abdul Kadir was set. He was destined to play a significant role, particularly in developing the public administration and governance of post-colonial Malay(a)sia. His significant deeds in the successful Merdeka mission, when he was the Principal Secretary of the Cabinet, attest to his brilliance, dedication, and patriotism.

Upon his return from Bristol, UK, in 1952, Abdul Kadir was assigned to serve in Pahang (1952-1953). While there, he contributed quite significantly to the development of the state as he worked alongside Tun Razak who was from Pekan, Pahang. Abdul Kadir’s brief stint in Kuala Lipis, the state capital of Pahang then, included providing leadership guidance in maintaining peace and security during the height of the communist insurgency in the state. As history portrays, Tun Razak would later become Abdul Kadir’s "political master", first at MINDEF, followed by Abdul Kadir’s appointment at the FEO and finally, as the fourth Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia (1970-1976). It is interesting to note that Abdul Kadir’s career in public service was closely associated with his excellent working relationship with Tun Razak, from the early 1950s, when the latter was State Secretary of Pahang (1952-1953).

Abdul Kadir’s service in the public bureaucracy is exemplary, worth noting by today’s officers and training institutions. He used every opportunity to improve himself educationally, and therefore, his services were intermittently "interrupted" by personal passion and interest of learning as much as possible in those early years, either to empower himself with new knowledge or other academic disciplines. He pursued Law at Bristol University (1948-1952), and later studied Politics at Yale University (1954-1955). His impressive academic specialisations and achievements in economics, law, defence, and politics were notable at various stages of his professional life. Abdul Kadir had proven himself from his younger days at Raffles College in colonial Singapore (1939-1941), his attachment at the War Office in London (1956) prior to Merdeka, followed by his post-graduate studies at the Imperial Defence College in London (1957). All these stages of his life had significantly contributed to his personal and professional development in public service. 

Abdul Kadir had left a very significant mark on MINDEF, having served the important ministry for a total of twelve years (out of his 37 years in public service). As a very senior civil servant at MINDEF, he succeeded in addressing and managing a series of security threats and other related challenges throughout the 1960s. His resilience as a top-notch bureaucrat at MINDEF was continuously tested and challenged, during the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation especially, and the widespread local communist insurgencies as well as the external communist threats in the region. There is no doubt that his capability in managing MINDEF had won the trust and respect of the outgoing British colonial authority as well as that of his contemporaries, peers and subordinates, and not forgetting the Tunku and Tun Razak.

After 12 years at MINDEF, Abdul Kadir had mastered and developed many management skills including the art of negotiation. He was entrusted with handling sensitive and difficult matters requiring statesmanship. Following his immense contributions to the development of MINDEF, Abdul Kadir was promoted to Principal Establishment Officer at the FEO in 1967. Within a short time, he initiated significant administrative changes in the whole organisation and transformed the overall public bureaucracy. he had earlier implemented a proposal from the DAU by establishing the training and career development division in the PSD, aimed at improving the government’s education and training programmes for all levels of the civil service. INTAN soon emerged as the country’s leading training institute for civil servants. 

Abdul Kadir’s appointment as the fourth Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia (1970-1976) coincided with the rigorous implementation of the ground-breaking NEP introduced in the aftermath of May 13. The 1970s marked an important era in the Malaysian political and economic history. Apart from restructuring the economy and society, the Razak administration was also preoccupied with addressing quite a number of unresolved issues that had been simmering in society and the challenges that persist until today, particularly those pertaining to the creation of a more united and stable post-1969 Malaysia. Many new institutions were created, including having outreach programmes focusing on developing racial unity and national integration, through education and national culture. These institutions were introduced by the Razak government with the strong administrative support of Abdul Kadir and many other personalities mentioned throughout this biography. Tun Razak and Abdul Kadir worked as a team in formulating a series of new and bold policy initiatives and public programmes as well as campaigns, all aimed at rebuilding a fractured nation and guiding it towards a more united and progressive Malaysia, in the short time from 1970 until 1976 when Tun Razak died so early in life.

Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin and his untold deeds for the nation

The preceding chapters of this biography have clearly illustrated the outstanding and admirable characteristics and qualities of Abdul Kadir as a young public servant in pre- and post-independence Malaya. His administrative leadership capability was noticed from a very young age by the British colonial authority, and subsequently, endorsed by the Tunku, followed by the Razak government.

Throughout his public service career, Abdul Kadir was assisted by quite a number of remarkable senior civil servants who had undergone similar historical and socialisation processes of the defining decades of the 1940s up to the 1970s. With their strong sense of duty and commitment as well as shared common values and interests, they had wholeheartedly contributed as a team to nation-building. 

It is within this rapidly changing Malaysian society and polity of the 1950s to 70's that we have to understand the dynamic and symbiotic relationship between Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin and Abdul Razak Hussein. Both were driven by the urgent need and desire to build Malaya from a young nation which had experienced a long British colonial rule to one that would be independent, stable, and vibrant. The historic Merdeka mission, followed by the fruits of Merdeka, witnessed the development of the close and enduring relationship between the two trusted friends who later became colleagues and compatriots. 

Abdul Kadir was, undoubtedly, the right person for the tasks assigned to him. This was obvious from the day he joined MAS in 1952 and his quick promotion to Secretary for Defence (later, renamed Secretary General of MINDEF); leading a highly demanding and challenging ministry was not at all surprising. As the Secretary for Defence, he was entrusted with providing leadership for MINDEF.  

However, by the late 1960s, the nation was deeply fractured by the rise of ethnic chauvinism and growing insecurity of the predominantly Malay population. At the same time, The Merdeka or social contract of 1957 was seriously challenged by certain quarters in the context of the nation’s changing political demography. Abdul Kadir and Razak had worked very hard to rebuild and transform Malaysian society for the betterment of the Malays and non-Malays, particularly after the traumatic May 13 episodes. Working closely together with politicians, scholars and public administrators including technocrats, Abdul Kadir was able to formulate the NEP for the country. His team consisting of mainly public administrators also succeeded in developing several public agencies aimed at realising the agenda of rebuilding and reengineering Malaysian society. 

With his expertise as well as wealth of knowledge and experience and having the highly driven Tun Razak as his "political master", Abdul Kadir was inspired to deliver the best results for his country. He also assumed the highest position in the Malaysian civil service as the Chief Secretary to the Government in 1970. He also possessed the brilliance and tenacity in turning ideas into reality, as evident by his many remarkable deeds during the last decade of his government service. Together with Tun Razak and other senior government officials, Abdul Kadir not only formulated many ideas but also helped to galvanise those ideas into pragmatic public policies such as the NEP and build respectable institutions, namely, the PSD, NEB, PETRONAS, UPM, UKM, and INTAN. 

Abdul Kadir’s profound ability to conceptualise, monitor and materialise ideas and projects was also the core that shaped Tun Razak’s visions into reality. Although Tun Razak was two years younger than him, Abdul Kadir still served the former with utmost loyalty and respect. The special bond of comradeship between Abdul Kadir the civil servant and Tun Razak the politician who would later become the country’s second Prime Minister is indeed an inspiring story to be shared with Malaysians, more so today when the country’s public governance has come under great scrutiny in the last 10 years or so. 

Authors’ Reminiscences

One of the major observations of this biography is the instrumental role of the civil service, particularly senior bureaucrats who were highly educated, versatile, robust, and proactive. They were true patriots who dedicated their lives to serving the nation. They were the men and women who simply "did their work" for the rakyat without seeking gratification nor fame or glory. These silent heroes worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that all the visions and missions of the government would be executed efficiently and monitored diligently. Abdul Kadir and many of his peers and others before him started their career as civil servants in the colonial administration of British Malaya at a very young age. As young public officials, they were full of dynamism and passion, and guided by strong traditional values and wisdom to serve the people who yearned for a better quality of life. The nation owes it to these patriots for their bravery, dedication, and hard work in making the country what it is today. There is no doubt that the remarkable economic growth and prosperity particularly in the 1970s – which coincided with the robust politico-administrative leadership of Tun Razak-Abdul Kadir (1970-1976) – clearly illustrated the political will, wisdom, and courage of the two personalities in the history of Malaysian development.

Abdul Kadir and many of his peers as well as subordinates of that generation were always eager to learn and explore new things. The stories about the arduous yet exciting and challenging journey undertaken by Abdul Kadir and his fellow senior civil servants in advancing their education while already working in public service in itself is very inspiring and rewarding. In fact, the Malay(a)sian civil service was indeed very fortunate to have a set of highly educated senior civil servants who were always prepared and willing to enhance their knowledge, communication, and negotiation skills by pursuing their studies abroad. They valued the lifelong learning and training opportunities associated with their quest for more knowledge and real-life experiences.

Abdul Kadir was an institution builder who found great joy and satisfaction in building the foundations of numerous organisations for national interests. The visionary Abdul Kadir was always seeking the help of international agencies such as the World Bank and the Ford Foundation to not only empower the Malaysian civil service, but also the overall capacity building of the country. He was the "real" bureaucrat, putting the needs and interests of the nation as his top most priority.

The best practices by the bureaucratic elites of the 1950s throughout 1970s should be emulated by today’s generation of civil servants. For example, mentoring younger officers to take over key positions in certain strategic institutions or organisations of great importance should be strongly encouraged. Succession plans such as the grooming of Raja Alias by Taib Andak to succeed the latter at FELDA ensured the continuity and sustainability of the organisation in fulfilling its objectives in alleviating rural poverty and empowering the smallholders who had been marginalised by the lopsided British colonial policies.  This mentoring system was critical in ensuring the continuation of the nation’s growth and success in the challenging decades of the 1960s and '70s. 

Abdul Kadir also played a key role in promoting bilateral ties between Malaysia and the Republic of Indonesia. Again, his many visits to Indonesia were always multi-pronged; looking for opportunities to learn from the Indonesian nation-building experience and to explore new areas of cooperation and collaboration, particularly in higher education, that could benefit his people. As an astute diplomat, Abdul Kadir knew how to respect and appreciate immediate neighbours; balancing the issues and solutions of both developing and developed nations. 

Despite his quiet demeanour, Abdul Kadir had also contributed to the strengthening of Malaysia’s diplomatic relations with the Republic of Indonesia through both interpersonal ties and professional networks. The important sociocultural element of serumpun between the two countries was accentuated and, subsequently, provided the basis for normalisation of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Indonesia post-Konfrontasi. As a man of deeds, there is no doubt that Abdul Kadir had succeeded in elevating Malaysia – Indonesia ties to include higher education and business as clearly illustrated in the founding of UKM and PETRONAS, respectively, both with the support of the government and people of Indonesia. Abdul Kadir who had proven himself as an unassuming diplomat, must also be credited for his role in enhancing Malaysia’s relations with a relatively unknown country in Europe – Norway – in the 1970s, through the strategic collaboration between PETRONAS and Statoil. The brilliant ideas of the Norwegian economist, Dr Just Faaland which became the basis for the NEP, were capable of being implemented mainly due to the strong support of abled administrators such as Abdul Kadir who was himself one of the key personalities during its early formulation and implementation. 

The civil service could be regarded as a relatively independent entity in most of the 1960s and '70s. Abdul Kadir had an acute sense about the role of the civil servants and their relationship with the political masters. He contributed his vast knowledge and expertise from his long experience of working for and with the British colonial masters and imparted this invaluable knowledge and skills to his peers and younger colleagues.  His key contributions could be seen in the official reports, such as the Five-year Plans and the documents on the NOC and NEP. It is unfortunate that several years after the untimely passing of Abdul Kadir, the civil service had become increasingly politicised and no longer regarded as equal partners to the politicians who helmed the ministries. Over the years, the civil servants have become more subservient to the political masters and would not disagree with the ministers. This was hardly the case before when the civil servants were quite free to express their concerns with the ministers in private.

Malaysians generally look back to the 1970s with great fondness and a deep sense of pride. Never in the history of politics and the public administration of Malaysia have we had such an ideal and rewarding working relationship and partnership between the country’s Prime Minister and the top civil servant, the Chief Secretary to the Government. Both were men of great ideas and vision and driven by the same sense of nationalistic purpose. Abdul Kadir had the special gift of articulating the inner thoughts and ideas of the unassuming and visionary Tun Razak. By formulating various public policies and establishing many important institutions, Abdul Kadir was, undoubtedly, an agent of change and transformation which was urgently needed for the post-1969 Malaysia. In effect, the Abdul Razak-Abdul Kadir team could be regarded as a catalyst for many bold and visionary ideas that shaped the nation even before and after Merdeka. The Razak-Abdul Kadir symbiotic relationship had brought about tremendous achievements in many aspects of the Malaysian political and socioeconomic development, particularly in the first decade of the NEP. They set much of the framework of the modern nation we have today and give meaning to the constitution in terms of reducing inequalities and promoting equitable growth. 

Concluding Remarks

The sudden and untimely demise of Tun Razak in 1976, followed by that of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin, two years later (November 1978) had sadly robbed the nation of its two most illustrious sons, known for their true spirit of patriotism, deep commitment, and dedication to public service. Throughout the years of working together, Tun Razak and Abdul Kadir had inspired and motivated one another in ensuring that the socioeconomic needs of the people were fulfilled. The two patriots introduced many groundbreaking and transformative public policies and programmes for the people.  

Despite his high intellect, wealth of experience, position as senior ranking public bureaucrat, and his very close rapport with the Prime Minister who was known to respect his ideas and decisions, Abdul Kadir remained true to himself and continued to serve as an exemplary officer and a gentleman with utmost sincerity and humility. If only the nation had a few more years of Abdul Kadir Shamsuddin to continue to work for and lead the public administration of the country well into the 1980s and beyond.

As poignantly encapsulated by Usman Awang

(Petaling Jaya, October 1991):

Meskipun tegas dalam menjalankan tugas negara

Hatinya mulia dan sifatnya terlalu terbuka

Sebagaimana rapatnya dengan kehidupan rakyat

Begitulah akrabnya dengan pucuk kepimpinan negara

Sehingga segala sesuatu terlaksana lancar

Tersempurnalah tugas yang selalu mencabar.

ABBREVIATIONS

DAU Development Administration Unit
FELDA Federal Land Development Authority
FEO Federal Establishment Office
INTAN Institut Tadbiran Awam
MAS Malay Administrative Service
NEB National Electricity Board
NEP New Economic Policy
NOC National Operations Council
PETRONAS Petroliam Nasional Berhad
PSD         Public Services Department
UKM Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
UPM Universiti Pertanian Malaysia