Son says Hasbullah was strict, but loving
GERIK: Strict but loving. That is how the family of the former Gerik MP, the late Datuk Hasbullah Osman, remembers him.
Hasbullah’s firstborn Mohd Haris Helmi, 34, said that behind his father’s stern facial expression, he was actually a man of few words who cared about his family and community deeply.
“My father is a quiet type. Even in the family WhatsApp group he did not interact much except on important matters, but at the same time he would always put an effort to help anyone in trouble,” he told reporters when met at the family residence in Kampung Ulu Kenderong here yesterday.
Hasbullah, 63, who was also Gerik Umno Division head, died of a heart attack at 7pm on Monday in Raub Hospital, leaving behind two wives, Datin Rosmawati Arifin and Zaini Abu Bakar as well as eight children, with the eighth child – a baby boy – born in September this year.
Mohd Haris said the news came as a shock to him because although he knew that his father had a high-blood pressure, the late Hasbullah had no history of
heart problems.
Meanwhile Hasbullah’s younger sister, Zubaidah, 52, said her late brother had been looking after their seven siblings following the death of their oldest sister.
“I feel such deep regret because the last time I met him here (at Hasbullah’s house) we did not chat, thinking that I could do that next time,” she said.
Former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said Hasbullah’s passing was a big lost to the people of Gerik as he was a very dedicated MP.
“He was not only serving the people in Gerik but also throughout Perak and the country. The last time I met him was last week and he was cheerful, not showing any changes whatsoever,” recalled Zambry. Hasbullah, who was born in Gerik Hospital on Feb 17, 1957, started his career as a teacher at Sekolah Menengah Sultan Idris Shah here, after graduating from Maktab Perguruan Persekutuan in Penang in 1979.
From 1986 until he retired from the government in 1999, the Education Ministry assigned Hasbullah to serve as private secretary to four deputy prime ministers and he had also served as a political secretary to Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when the latter was the deputy prime minister in 2009.
He served as Gerik MP from 2013 and prior to that he was Temenggor assemblyman from 2004 to 2013.
It was drizzling when his remains were laid to rest at Kampung Padang Muslims cemetery here at about 11.30am, attended by family members, friends and acquaintances.
Earlier, Mohd Haris had led the funeral prayers at the Gerik Jamek Mosque, which was also attended by Perak Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Saarani Mohamed, Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria and Pengkalan Hulu assemblyman Datuk Aznel Ibrahim.