PETALING JAYA: “She walked the talk.”
That’s how Peter Ong, the Malaysian who hosted Dame Jane Goodall during her stays in Kuala Lumpur, remembered the late primatologist after news of her passing at 91.
“The first time I met her was in Taipei when a group of us went to listen to her public talk.
“What struck me about her presence was her genuineness, her visible, palpable passion.
“A lot of times people talk a very pretty talk, but Jane walked the talk and continued to do so until the day she died.
“That has really left a lasting impression, not just on me, but I believe on everyone she’s ever met,” he said.
While the world remembered her as an icon, Ong recalled the Jane he knew personally.
“To me, there were two Janes – one was the icon, the hero for Mother Earth.
“The other was the quiet Jane who would sit on the couch, play with the dogs and enjoy a casual conversation.
“We would sit down somewhere. It would be just the two of us and she shared very openly about her thoughts, her worries and her fears.
“Everyone thinks being an environmentalist is all about passion but no human being is passionate all the time.
“We have down times and to be able to spend down times with her was an experience I’ll never forget,” he said.
Asked what stayed with him most from his time with Goodall, Ong recalled a line that forever changed the way he saw the world.
“She said something that really ignited something in me – ‘Everyone can choose to make a difference in their lives’.
“It made me realise that everything I do, every step I take, everything I touch, I buy and I choose has an impact much wider than myself.
“From her, I learned that in a world growing more apathetic and short-fused, empathy is something that we can cultivate more in ourselves and in society.
“That quote still guides me today,” he said.
According to him, Goodall held a deep affection for Malaysia and all it had to offer.
“She enjoyed our durians, our forest, our biodiversity, local communities and interacting with our youth.
“I wish Malaysians could see Malaysia through her eyes, to see how beautiful and wonderful our home is.
“I hope her legacy continues to inspire more people to discover more about Malaysia,” Ong added.
While international organisations such as the United Nations and Greenpeace hailed Goodall as a “true conservation giant”, Ong hopes Malaysians will remember her for the love she showed the country and its people.
