Final farewell to CAP president
Leaders turn out to help lay him to rest
GEORGE TOWN: A large group of men from different races held up the golden cloth shading the remains of Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president S.M. Mohamed Idris as gravediggers prepared his final resting place.
Careful not to expose him to the morning sun, they lifted him out of the coffin and lowered him into the grave.
Watching sombrely were his relatives, friends and confidants, including PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who helped carry the coffin at the mosque after the last rites.
Mohamed Idris, CAP’s founder-president since 1969, died on Friday and was laid to rest at 11am yesterday at the Hashim Yahya Mosque cemetery in Jalan Perak here.
Among those present were Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar, state exco member Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain, state assemblymen Jason Ong and Lee Khai Loon, and several politicians, business and community leaders.
Earlier in the morning, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and former chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon paid their last respects at the family’s home in Rose Avenue.
Bernama quoted Mohamed Idris’ son, Mohamed Ali, 62, as saying his father had not been ill and had been fasting as usual.
“He was in good health. Early on Friday morning, when he was feeling a bit tired, we took him to Gleneagles Penang and he passed away at 5pm due to old age,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after the burial, Anwar said Mohamed Idris had been a family friend since his father’s days.
“He was a legend, a giant of men. Don’t compartmentalise him just as a crusader of consumers. He was very outspoken and articulate in his defence of the environment and against the greed of excessive development that ignores the plight of the poor,” he said.