A towering figure of his time
a reader remembers his uncle, veteran politician datuk dr Goh cheng Teik, with profound awe for a life lived in selfless service.
WE LAST met nearly three years ago as I was preparing the final draft of my manuscript.
I enquired whether he could pen his thoughts about my book. Unfortunately, due to some circumstances, it didn’t happen. The book was duly published and a lot of things were forgotten along the way.
There was a fleeting moment recently when he appeared in my thoughts. I did not know why I suddenly remembered him. In my busy schedule, the thought of calling him vanished into thin air.
I remember vividly when I first heard about him. There was an air of excitement permeating the whole village. I was a young boy then, trying to grasp the realities of the world. Yet I was really curious about this man whom my dad spoke so fondly of.
The big day finally arrived. A middle-aged, bespectacled man in a white, collared shirt greeted my dad at the shop, long after the sun had set. My dad greeted him, smiling earnestly.
He had this aura about him, and you could sense that he was the man of the hour.
Somebody else was with him and after he had warmed the seat, he reached into his bag. He took out a typewriter and lots of writing paper. He was a secretary or something like that, I believed.
Suddenly, folks from all walks of life and various ethnic backgrounds converged at our place. I was stunned. I stood there and observed, as if fully understanding that it was going to be a defining moment in my life.
The queue grew longer by the minute as, one by one, the people took turns to meet this middle-aged, bespectacled man. He listened intently to their problems, and then made some suggestions to the guy with the typewriter.
There was one elderly, skinny lady who stood there patiently for her turn. I did not know her but I could sense that she was in need of help and here was a man whom she put her hope in.
The session ended late. That was the first of many visits that he personally made to my village. When he was around, the atmosphere in the village became lively, as if it were the dawning of a new era.
My dad joined him on many occasions, for lunch or dinner, and whenever he was in town, he would seek out my dad. My dad always had very high regard for him, and he felt the same way about my dad too.
At the height of his career, I had the privilege of meeting him a few times despite his hectic schedule. He was also generous with his thoughts, ever willing to share his words of wisdom.
He was an honourable man. A man of action. An individual who sought nothing but a better tomorrow for the people. He happened to be my uncle – Datuk Dr Goh Cheng Teik.
He was a towering figure among the giants of his time.
He touched our lives in many different ways.
We will always remember him fondly, not only for his political stand but for his true grit, gentlemanly conduct, compassion and his respect for friends and relatives.
He will be sorely missed.