I would like to wish all Malaysians, especially readers of Chedet a Happy Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai
1. I drove to KLIA and I could not help noticing how well the trees have grown. Tan Sri Bashir promised that Sepang would have a forest in the airport and be an airport in the forest.
2. I remember during weekends I would drive to see construction work on the airport. The contractors had cut down all the trees and bushes leaving some 4000 acres of bare land. It looked ugly and I just could not imagine the trees growing back.
3. But Bashir promised he would turn the bare land into a forest and he would have trees growing inside the airport itself. He would also plant oil palms so as to give the airport extra income.
4. But when I drove to the airport to welcome back Dato Sri Najib from Gaza recently I saw tall trees and clumps of bushes and undergrowth all along the road to the terminal building. And in the airport buildings there are a lot of tall trees grown in the spaces between the different buildings of the terminal.
5. Bashir has kept his promise. Unfortunately he died before the forests he had promised became a reality.
6. I write this in my blog because I feel a need to express my appreciation of Tan Sri Bashir Ismail even though posthumously. He was one of the best servants of the country. He should be remembered for the many things he did for Malaysia, including of course the F1 circuit and the races he brought to Malaysia.
7. The younger generation should study his career and perhaps emulate him. Someone should write his biography. He is to me a great man and a great friend. We need more people like him.
