His words were carefully thought out, never careless

AS a very close friend and former colleague of the late Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad, former secretary-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry,

I was very touched by the warm tribute to him written by Mergawati Zulfakar in Sunday Star (“The quintessential diplomat”, Beyond Boundaries, July 21; online at tinyurl.com/mr48a8rr).

Mergawati, who had maintained close and longstanding contact with Tan Sri Kadir, covered much of his outstanding achievements.

Beyond what I had mentioned to her that appeared in her column, I would like to add that, being always cool and collected, Kadir’s statements and utterances while engaging with other diplomats, journalists and scholars were all very well thought out, never spontaneous outbursts, even in the heat of intense exchanges during negotiations.

This was a reflection of his concern for details and the veracity of the information he used in his official interactions; so we all had to be equally careful with our own facts in our exchanges with him – something our younger officers had to learn quickly!

Kadir and I were batchmates and were under the tutelage of our then permanent secretary (later renamed secretary-general) of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and we both learned a lot from the Big Boss. I considered him my “mentor extraordinaire”, especially during our weekly “Morning Prayer” meetings with him on regional and international issues – where often Kadir and I would be sitting next to each other. (That term, by the way, had a hidden meaning which I learned soon after joining the ministry – which I may explain if I were ever to write my own memoir....)

Kadir and I were friends, but kind of rivals too, and while sometimes he was above me, and vice versa, in the seniority listing of our long diplomatic careers he obviously excelled over me by becoming secretary-general while I became Malaysia’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.

We remained true and loyal friends throughout our careers, and upon final retirement chose to live in the same residential area of Cyberjaya by the lake, where we used to enjoy cycling and chatting about the good old days. In fact, the house that he and his wife lived in was about to become my house upon my retirement but I ended up not buying it while he did. He and I enjoyed looking at the scenic Lake Putrajaya till his sad passing. That was how close our friendship was. May Allah Bless his soul.

TAN SRI HASMY AGAM

Cyberjaya

Apart from serving at Wisma Putra and the United Nations, the letter writer was chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia from 2010 to 2016.