Monday, December 07, 2015

Farewell, My Dear Prince

Everyone in my family was born in Johore. By that I mean everyone - grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings - apart from my sister, me and our younger cousin who were born in KL. I do not consider myself a Johorean although there is obviously a strong Johorean influence at home from the dishes we eat to the terms we use to describe things. If my parents referred to going back to Batu Pahat, I referred to it as visiting Batu Pahat.

As I said, I don’t consider myself a Johorean although come to think of it, I probably am by virtue of having Johorean blood coursing through me. Anyway, this post isn’t about me or our family. It is about the late Tunku Laksamana Johor, Almarhum Tunku Abdul Jalil Ibrahim.

I don’t know much about the late Tunku Jalil and to be honest, I only know what I do after we heard that he had the dreaded C-disease. I had prayed that he would get the best medical attention possible as befit a royal prince and that he would be recovering well soon but alas, God has other plans for him.

It turned out that the late Tunku Jalil was a very simple, humble, down-to-earth jovial person. He was an animal lover and had even volunteered at the Singapore Zoo, had a stint at the Zoological Society of London and volunteered at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. He was also a caring prince who helped those affected during the Johore floods and he also made regular visits to hospitals to cheer up the patients. In short, he tried hard to be a normal guy. It’s no wonder that he was so loved. Blessed are those who are lucky enough to have passed paths with him including Chef Wan.

I don’t know why but I’ve been weepy ever since I found about the passing of Tunku Jalil. Maybe because he was not a typical arrogant, snobbish, rude prince but exactly the opposite. The good indeed die young. Farewell now, young prince. You have run your race and fought it to the best of your ability. May Allah place you among the pious. Al-Fatihah.

‘I would like to be remembered as someone who touched people’s lives and made an impact on them while staying humble and grounded.’ ~Tunku Jalil. You know what, TJ? So do I. So do I. and I wish you knew it but you had indeed touched lives and made an impact while staying true to your humble self.


Allahummagh firlahu warhamhu wa’aafihi wa’fu anhu. O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him, keep him safe and sound and forgive him. Ya Allah, ampunilah dia, berilah rahmat, sejahtera dan maafkanlah dia.