‘He did what must be done’

National spirit: Tunku Abdul Rahman (second right) with the Alliance Party team during independence talks in London in January 1956. Tun Dr Ismail is on the far right. From left are Tun Abdul Razak, Tun HS Lee and Tan Sri TH Tan. — Filepic/The Star

ONE of the first things that the late former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman did after he was appointed in 1970 was to amend the rules to parliamentary debates to prevent discussions of sensitive issues from being politicised.

Granted, Dr Ismail did so in the aftermath of the May 13, 1969, racial riots, but his son Tawfik Ismail believes the move helped to change the political and social landscape of the country to become more inclusive.