Ab Rauf Yusoh: Big man in a small state

MERE minutes after your car crosses into Melaka, you will meet caretaker Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, smiling and waving from a billboard with that catchy welcome slogan: “Mana lagi? Melaka ler!”

Rauf is a larger-than-life personality in every sense of the word even though he has lost 43kg over the last two years – and how he managed that can only be revealed in private conversation.