Tok Mat pays tribute to civil society advocate Martin Khor

SEREMBAN: Malaysian civil society advocate Martin Khor was a prominent thinker and one of Malaysia's famous sons whose expertise was often sought by governments and organisations like the United Nations and the World Bank, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Saying that Khor was one of the few Malaysians who had a good reputation in the global arena, the Umno deputy president described his death as a massive loss.

"Khor studied at Cambridge University and was an economist and an intellectual in a class of his own.

"He dedicated his life to fighting for the man on the street, the marginalised, those left behind and those who had been forgotten," he said in a statement Thursday (April 2).

Khor, a former director of the Third World Network advocacy group and a Star columnist, died of cancer on Wednesday (April 1).

Born in 1951 in Penang, he was active in civil society movements.

Khor taught at Universiti Sains Malaysia and played a leading role in the Third World Network before heading the South Centre in Geneva.

Mohamad said Khor, who was an activist and environmentalist, often reminded people of the important roles civil society played in developing a nation.

"His views were always sought by bureaucrats including from the World Trade Organisation and the International Monetary Fund as well as other international bodies.

"Since his mission was to promote fair and equitable development and humanity, Khor's passing during this Covid-19 pandemic will surely widen the poverty gap between rich and poor nations," he said.

Mohamad added that Khor had left behind a legacy that Malaysians need to build on.

"All of us should learn and continue to be inspired by his ideas, thoughts and the hard work that he had put in all these years.

"Thank you for everything, Martin Khor, and we shall always remember your struggles," he added.