Malay Mail 11 March : Twelve's victory does alma mater proud

Twelve's victory does alma mater proud

By REENA RAJ

TWELVE out of 15 'old boys' of the Malay College Kuala Kangsar did their alma mater proud when they emerged victorious in the recently concluded general election.
Of the 15, nine were Umno candidates, five contested under the Pas banner and one from Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

However, not all of them were elated with their respective wins. Mohd Zahir Abdul Khalid, who won the Kamunting State seat in Perak, felt that it was a bittersweet victory for him.

"What disappoints me is that even though I won a seat, the Perak State Government will be formed by the opposition, not Barisan Nasional," he said.

Mohd Zahir squeaked through with a 555 majority, defeating Pas' Muhamad Apardi Shaari.

However, he is adamant that it would not deter him from performing his duties as an elected representative. The University Teknologi Petronas corporate services manager has already given up his job to focus on serving the Kamunting community.

His background as an MCKK old boy, he said, has and will be an advantage towards carrying out his duties.

Another victorious alumnus, Umno's Wan Abdul Hakim Wan Mokhtar, who won the Air Putih State seat in Terengganu, said his MCKK background was a source of pride for him but it mattered little to his constituents.

"My educational background is something that I am always proud. But in my constituency, it isn’t that relevant; all they want is for someone to be able to speak for them," he said.

The mechanical engineer said, with his experience and knowledge, he hopes to contribute more to his Felda constituents.

The MCKK old boys who made it in the general elections are: Zaabar Mohd Adib (BN-Umno) Rantau Abang, Dungun (Class of '71) ,Dr Nik Mazian Nik Mohamed (PAS) Gaal, Pasir Putih (Class of '75), Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar (Pas) Tumpat (Class of '68),Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (BN-Umno) Gua Musang (Class of '52).

Also victorious were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department ,Datuk Seri Mohamad Nazri Aziz (BN-Umno) Padang Rengas (Class of '71), Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah(BN-Umno) Temerloh (Class of '78), Datuk Sharir Samad (BN-Umno) Johor Bahru (Class of '65), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (PKR) Seri Setia, Kelana Jaya (Class of '99), Iskandar Samad (Pas) Chempaka, Pandan (Class of '78) and Education Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (BN-Umno) Sembrong.

MCKK, also known as 'the Eton of the East' is one of the nation' most prominent boarding schools with a proud record of producing some of Malaysia’s most illustrious political and corporate leaders.

Amongst the more notable alumni of the Malay College are Umno founder Dato' Onn Jaafar, former Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein as well as former Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is de facto PKR leader.

Taken from Malay Mail