Powerful last words to honour his legacy

PETALING JAYA: Among the last words in public from the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub were, “Everything is temporary.”

This what he told students at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) while advising them that it was important to keep their feet on the ground.

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 Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Setar, Kedah.

In a short clip shared by many on social media, Salahuddin was seen saying that the positions people hold in this lifetime could only last up to 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 will not last forever, so we must have the ability to make assessments.

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

Salahuddin, who was Johor Pakatan Harapan chief, was born in Pontian, Johor, to Malay-Chinese parents.

He graduated from Universiti Putra Malaysia and worked in a bank before his political career.