Many young BFers may not know about this man who was quite a powerful Malaysian politician during his time, but many of the veterans among us, especially those from Malaysia and Singapore, will not be unfamiliar with his name. Some revelation from this article was the fact that Punch Gunalan was coach to the Malaysian Thomas Cup winning team in 1976. Bernama.com Malaysian National News Agency Badminton Was Khir's Passion Sports November 20, 2006 00:37 AM By Lakshimi Devi Ramakrishnan KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Badminton was his passion, some would say his calling. Tan Sri Mohamed Khir Johari, who died today, was one of those who was in it for the love of the game. He believed that one must love and understand sports to appreciate its true meaning. "There'no point imposing on oneself interest in sports. It should come naturally" -- was the motto that he upheld until his last breath. Former national badminton star, Datuk James Selvaraj, who was clearly a broken man today recalled Khir as a father figure to him. "I still remember, when I met an accident in 1975, he rushed to the hospital to ensure that everything was taken care of. He even stayed in the hospital for a week to take care of me. "After that for nearly a month he made sure that I was recovering well. It was him who taught me the meaning of confidence and strength," he told Bernama when contacted here today. Selvaraj, who was in the squad that won the 1976 Thomas Cup, said that Khir played an instrumental role behind the victory that year. "The squad was still very young then. In 1972, the entire badminton squad was dropped and they brought in a new batch of players including me into the national team. We were coached by Datuk Punch Gunalan that time and were called Punch's babies because we were a very young squad. "Nobody thought we would make it to the finals. We were to play Singapore in the first round and everyone predicted that we would lose to them. But we proved everyone wrong and marched on to the finals. "The night before the finals, the hotel we were staying got burned down and we had to sleep at the roadside. Even then Khir words to us was to play the game till the end. We went on to play the next day and took the Cup back," recalled Selvaraj. He said that Khir was dedicated to badminton although he held various positions in other sports association and in politics. Badminton was like his 10th child for no one anguished more than Khir when the national teams' fared badly or rejoiced more when they succeeded, he said. Meanwhile, Datuk Punch Gunalan regarded Khir as the father of badminton for his services to the sports. "He was a fatherly figure to the players. He treated everyone like his children. At that time the BAM did not have much money and the only thing that kept us going was his motivating words. He was a good motivator. "He created the feeling of family amongst us that kept us together during the tough times. He was the one who came up with centralised training and basically laid the foundation for modern badminton. Gunalan said that although the rewards for the services rendered by him to the sports were scant and there were more brickbats than kudos, Khir, soldiered on regardless and always got the job done. Extremely affable and known for his patience and perseverance, Khir had always been an administrator for whom proficiency was the keyword in any endeavour.
Also Father Figure to Sepak Takraw Some of his contemporaries and friends spoke of his early years and his qualities. Khir A Sepak Takraw Father Figure Sports November 20, 2006 00:42 AM KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) "I lost a father, a sepak takraw father," said Brig Gen Datuk Husainay Hashim, referring to Tan Sri Mohamed Khir Johari, who died this morning of suspected heart failure. The Umno executive secretary said that the sepak takraw father title was given to him because of his continuous contributions to popularise the sport to the point where the most prestigious championship in the sport was called the Khir Johari Golden Trophy, which was introduced in 1963. "I was also not exempted. I competed for the trophy," said Husainay, who was then studying at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College, Alor Setar, Kedah, and an active sepak takraw player in 1964. Khir Johari was the the first president of the Malaysian Sepak Raga Jaring in 1961, which later became known as the Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association. Husainay said during that time, every player considered Khir Johari as the sepak raga father (before it was officially changed to sepak takraw in 1965) for motivating the young players to be the best at what they did. He said that Khir Johari was a man who was passionate about the country's progress in sports like badminton and sepak takraw. Khir Johari was active in sports, holding numerous key positions like Badminton Association of Malaysia President (1968-Aug, 1985); and Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association President (1985-June, 1993). "During his era, our sepak takraw was strong. We were champions in the Sepak Takraw South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games (now known as SEA Games) in 1965," Husainay said. At that time, Husainay represented the country playing in the "killer" position while his feeder was Amir and Abdul Rahman Md Isa was the tekong in the team. "He was the pioneer of the country's sepak takraw. The loss will be missed particularly from old-time players like us," he said. Khir Johari, who also had held several key positions in politics including Umno secretary-general and was among the longest serving cabinet ministers since 1950's until he retired in 1983, was given a state funeral at the Heroes' Mausoleum here at 7 pm Sunday. Meanwhile, his former political secretary, Hussien Manjoor Shah, who had served under him for 17 years, said Khir Johari was a nationalist who was loved by all regardless of status or age. His old friend, Datuk Murad Hasyim said that Khir Johari was known for his low profile apart from his passion for new reading materials and knowledge. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said his struggles should not be taken lightly, and he was impressed with the Umno veteran's determination in his committments. Former Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Abdul Majid Ismail, who was a close friend of Khir Johari, said he had known him since the 1940's and they both had studied together at the Singapore Medical College. "He was a fun guy, jolly and always jovial," he said. Asked what was Khir Johari's motto in life, Abdul Majid said Khir Johari always said, "Love your country."
Slowly but surely Tunku Abdul Rahman's merry men are quietly leaving us.It's a pity politician in the mould of Khir Johari are hard to come by nowadays.My condolences.
oh ya.. he is with Lord coz of heart attack rite.. but the paper jux mentioned the late was a politic member and m'sia 1st education minister... nvr mentioned abt sports b4.. so i dunno.. keke.. may he'll RIP n left with no worries..
