Words are all I have

Tan Sri Adenan Satem always had a way with words, whether he was joking, seriously scolding or doing what he loved – singing. The following are some of his most famous and memorable quotes:

“Some... of course, not all... pretend they don’t know. The reason is simple: either they are stupid, cowards or corrupt. Some (enforcers) have said they are afraid of gangsters, they are afraid of receiving bullets in the mail. Well, you tell them that Adenan told you to enforce the law. No more excuses not to do anything. Don’t mess with me.” – Speaking at a gathering at the state assembly building on Nov 17, 2014, where he made his zero-tolerance policy clear to senior forestry enforcement officials 

“Calling me ‘beloved’ is reserved for my wife, children and grandchildren. I feel embarrassed to be called beloved.” – A humourous appeal to his then deputy Tan Sri Alfred Jabu to not address him as “beloved chief minister” (April 29, 2016)

“It is very tedious for one speaker after another to address me Yang Amat Berhomat Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr Haji Adenan Satem at official functions. Just call me CM, cukuplah (enough).” – Winding up the debate at the state legislative assembly (April 29, 2016)

“Whether they agree with me in the Semenanjung (peninsula) or not, I don’t care.” – Declaring that he would not back down on maintaining English as the second official language of Sarawak (Dec 22, 2015)

“Other countries, their universities, and our own private universities, all recognise the UEC (Unified Examination Certificate). But our public universities do not recognise UEC. What a waste! Because they (certificate holders) will be pinched by other countries. We are losing talent. I don’t care what the Federal Government does, I recognise UEC. Furthermore, you allow foreigners to study here because Malaysia wants to be a hub of education, but you don’t allow in UEC holders? Stupidlah.” – Speaking up for the UEC qualification of Chinese independent school students (Nov 5, 2015)

“You can use ‘Allah’ any time you want. No problem. Just use it with respect. I will not tell you how to practise your religion. I am a Muslim and I try to be a good one. But I will not tell my Christian friends how to worship. It is their business.” – Explaining Sarawak’s policy to allow non-Muslims to use the word “Allah” to refer to God (Dec 22, 2015)

“I must warn you, Elvis sounds like me.”  – A “warning” he often gives to his audience before belting out a tune. 

“The Muslim community in the state comprises only 25% of the total population of Sarawak. As such, Muslims in the state ought to be grateful to the other communities because they can accept our leadership when we hold the leadership of the government today.” – Hari Raya Aidilfitri message, where he called on Sarawakians of all races and religions to maintain solidarity and harmony (July 6, 2016)

“Three years ago I was very sick. I was at the IJN (National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur) and in Singapore. And there was a time I thought I was going. I called all my relatives, my children and grandchildren. They all came and you know when you called all your children and grandchildren, you know what it’s all about. I was ready to go. But God is great and I recovered and I was back to normal. When God gave me a new lease of life, He must be trying to drop a message to give me a hint of what I have to do”.  – Reflecting on his mortality and sense of duty (March 15, 2016)