Al fatiha...

Former Information Minister and one-time Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat died in his sleep at his Damansara Height home this morning. He was 71.

Tok Mat, as he was affectionately known and the longest serving Umno and Barisan Nasional secretary-general, was buried after Asar prayers at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetry.

According to Tok Mat’s wife, Puan Sri Salbiah Abdul Hamid, her husband had passed away at about 8 am. She discovered his death when she tried to wake him up.

Tok Mat served as the information minister twice, from 1978 to 1982 under then prime minister, the late Tun Hussein Onn, and from 1987 to 1999 under then prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He was also Malaysia's ambassador to Indonesia, with ministerial status, from 1982 to 1984.

He held the post of Umno secretary-general from 1988 to 1996 and as the BN secretary-general from 1988 to 1999.

Tok Mat Went Peacefully, Says His Wife

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 (Bernama) -- "I am thankful because he went away peacefully," said Puan Sri Salbiah Abdul Hamid, on the death of her husband, former Information Minister and former Umno secretary-general Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat on Friday.

Mohamed, better known as Tok Mat, died at his residence at Bukit Damansara, here at about 8.00 Friday morning.

Mohamed, who was to celebrate his 72nd birthday on Monday, was said to have died in his sleep.

Salbiah said she realised that her husband was no longer breathing at about 8am when she was about to switch of the dialysis machine which was attached to his body.

"Usually, at about 8.40 in the morning I would switch off the dialysis machine attached to his body, but this morning at about 8am, I noticed that the machine was 'hanging' and his chest showed that he was not breathing," she told Bernama at their residence.

Salbiah said that she immediately telephoned the doctor and their children to inform them about the situation.

"The doctor (who came) later confirmed that Tok Mat had breathed his last at 8 this morning," she said.

Mohamed had been suffering kidney ailment for the past 10 years and had to undergo dialysis treatment every day.

Salbiah said her late husband had also instructed the family driver to come for work this morning to take her out for a drive.

"Tok Mat instructed our driver to come for work today despite the public holiday. He had asked the driver to take me out for a drive...as if giving a premonition that he was going away," she said.

"Yesterday, he did not call me at all...usually, he would call me every night to help him to urinate and I would push the (dialysis) machine to the bathroom.

"I also did not hear anything except when he switched the TV on and off...he would watch the news for 24 hours. Probably, he did not feel any pain, Alhamdulillah, he went away peacefully," she said.

Salbiah was also thankful that before he died, Mohamed had time to meet Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

"He wanted very much to see Datuk Seri Rais and two days ago, Tok Mat was able to met the minister at the Information Communication and Culture Ministry," she said.

Salbiah also thanked everyone, including top government leaders who had come to pay their last respect to her late husband.

Mohamed would be buried at the Muslim Cemetery at Bukit Kiara, here after the 'Asar' prayer.

-- BERNAMA

Semoga rohnya dirahmati Allah SWT dan diletakkan di kalangan para solihin,