Al-Fatihah.

Many of us are shocked, many more saddened.

You can read about the man and his life on Malaysiakini or Suara Keadilan.

My life is richer for the little time that I spent with Pak Rustam, a man full of warmth and generosity of spirit. I can only hope that when I reach his age, I show the same wisdom, goodheartedness, and humility.

I first met Pak Rustam a year and a week ago, when a few of usstopped by his house to begin discussions on the KeADILan manifesto. I’d like to believe that some of those discussions paved the way for the final product, some promises of which are being realised and beginning to see the light of day.

The visit and discussion was a very warm affair, and one cannot have hoped for a more gracious host. In fact, tales of the meehoon goreng and karipap are immortalised online, I’m warmed to see.

Pak Rustam also very generously wrote a very moving, if wholly undeserved piece about the responsibility of youth, not long after my release. I have just reread it, possibly for the first time since first reading it then; I confess, it reinvigorated in a me a sense of responsibility - one that may have been fading ever so slightly.

I hope that at the end of the day, I can remain as faithful to the broader movement as Pak Rustam was the entirety of his life, and am saddened that it took his passing to renew that commitment.

I concur with Adi, who reminds us that more than any attack or setback, it is losses such as these and Salman’s who really make recent progress seem hollow. May we ever only honour their memory in our deeds.

*

This comes a little late, as the funeral will be held after Zohor prayers (usually about 1.30pm), but those wishing to pay their respects may do so at his house, or at Kuala Lumpur’s Taman Ibukota Muslim cemetery. I will be heading there presently.

I leave you with two gifts I received from Pak Rustam himself: a map, and his own, painstakingly written for a mere handful of humble visitors, directions to his home. In the interests of privacy, I’ll remove these later in the afternoon.

Sdr Tan yang dihormati:

Terima kasih atas nota sdr. Lokasi yang sdr temui di internet itu memanglah cukup berhampiran dengan rumah saya.

Saya tak tahu sdr akan datang dari mana, tetapi jalan utama yang terdekat dengan rumah saya ialah Jalan Gombak, betul-betul di Kampung Simpang Tiga dalam gambar satelit tersebut. Di simpang tiga itu terdapat sebuah masjid yang terletak di pinggir jejantas (viaduct).

Jika sdr datang dari KL ikut Jalan Gombak, simpang di sebelah masjid (di kiri jalan) menuju ke Batu Caves dan kawasan saya terletak di seberang jalan betul-betul di depan masjid. Tetapi saudara tidak boleh terus membelok ke kanan untuk masuk ke kawasan saya; sdr pelu jalan terus di atas viduct itu untuk kira-kira 500 meter lagi ke arah Universsiti Islam Atarabangsa dan kemudan mengambil u-turn untuk pulang ke arah KL.

Tetapi, jika sdr datang dari arah BatuCaves atau MRR2 (dari Ampang) atau Sentul, bila sdr tiba di masjid di pinggir simpang tiga itu, beloklah ke kiri untuk menuju ke u-turn yang sama untuk berberak menuju KL ikut Jalan Gombak itu.

Bila sdr tiba di depan masjid itu kembali (dengan viaduct di atas kepala sdr), beloklah ke kiri untuk menaiki Jalan Bukit Lela (mendaki bukit). Di sebelah kiri jalan itu sdr akan dapat melihat tangki air besar; bila tiba di sebuah rumah berwarna kuning (di sebelah kanan jalan) beloklah ke kanan di jalan depan rumah itu. Teruskan perjalanan sdr di atas jalan itu (jangan belok ke kanan lagi) hingga jalan yang turun naik dan berbelit belit itu tiba ke jalan mati di depan sebuah pondok kayu berwarna hitan — itulah teratak saya!

Tags: nat //