'Everything is temporary', Salahuddin advised students at last event before his passing

PETALING JAYA: "Everything is temporary", the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub reminded students at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) while advising them that it was important to keep their feet on the ground on Friday (July 21).

The UUM Convocation Carnival Townhall 2023 on Friday was the last event attended by the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister before he was rushed to the Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar, Kedah.

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In a short clip shared by many on social media, Salahuddin said the positions people held in this lifetime could only last until a certain point.

“When we become a minister or gain the highest position as a civil servant or even become the Inspector-General of Police, we have to remember there is a time limit to those positions.

“You saw me coming to this event in an official car with a driver, bodyguards and seven special officers. But all of this would not last forever, so we must have the ability to make assessments.

“If we are arrogant thinking ‘Oh, I am a minister you know!’ But how long can it last? Until judgement day?” he asked.

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This is why, Salahuddin reminded the students, any position a person attains in life was temporary, and there was no need to be boastful about something momentary.

On Friday, the minister’s press secretary Syakirin Husnal had said that Salahuddin, 61, was rushed to the hospital after experiencing nausea and vomiting.

He died in Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar at 9.23pm Sunday (July 23) after he had undergone surgery for a brain haemorrhage the day before.

ALSO READ: Salahuddin Ayub passes away following surgery

Salahuddin, who was Johor Pakatan Harapan chief and Amanah deputy president, was in the intensive care unit of Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar after he suffered a brain haemorrhage on Friday.

Born in Pontian, Johor, to Malay-Chinese parents, Salahuddin graduated from Universiti Putra Malaysia and worked in a bank before he ventured into politics.