To many he is Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj or 'the Tunku'. To all Malaysians he is 'Bapa Kemerdekaan'. The late Tan Sri Khir Johari referred to him as 'the man of the hour'. This was a man whose character, depth and compassion for the people of his country mirrored that of a father. 'Abah', an affectionate term used for the word father is the closest you can get in truly expressing his legacy. He was ultimately a dream-maker, a man who dared to turn our dreams of nationhood into reality.
... The Tunku's singular greatest contribution was to give every citizen a sense of nationhood and belonging regardless of race or religion. With a steely resolve and unflagging determination that belied his happy-go-lucky persona he forged a nation out of the diverse races and put the doomsayers to shame ... The Tunku had always promoted racial unity. However, on May 13 everything came crashing down ... In hindsight with almost 50 years of nationhood behind us it is clear that the fault was never the Tunku's. It was the people's lack of wisdom in sharing his values of compassion and understanding that broke faith with him and caused us to choose the path of anger and arrogrance in those fateful days. We broke his heart.
