(Written by Affendy Hasni and Farquar Haqqani, Edited by Melissa Kong-this article is published in the July 2011 issue of CEKU)
Allahyarham Adlan Benan Omar was chairman of the founding committee of the United Kingdom Executive Council for Malaysian Students (today known as the United Kingdom and Eire Council of Malaysian Students, or UKEC) in 1994. He studied at Bukit Bintang Boys Secondary School in Petaling Jaya, Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) in Perak, the MARA Institute of Technology, Subang Jaya and pursued his A Levels at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire. He then read History and Law at Jesus College at the University of Cambridge, and graduated in 1997. He passed away at the age of 35 on 24 January 2008.
Larger than life, in both a metaphorical and physical sense, are words often chosen to describe Ben by those who have had the fortune of knowing him. Ben was big in practically every sense of the word. Many likened him to a shooting star, bright and brilliant, but sadly, short-lived.
Ben evidently touched many lives during his time. Search engine results reveal several entries written about Ben. Many stories about him revolve around his wealth of knowledge on a multitude of topics, and occasionally highlight what he envisaged for the future. Most importantly, they also reflected on his enormous capacity for caring.
Those who were close to him knew that Ben had a bigger heart than most people. He would never think twice about investing in someone he met along his journey. Both of us have had the privilege of being coached by Ben in debate when we were studying at Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), Perak.
Allahyarham Adlan Benan Omar was chairman of the founding committee of the United Kingdom Executive Council for Malaysian Students (today known as the United Kingdom and Eire Council of Malaysian Students, or UKEC) in 1994. He studied at Bukit Bintang Boys Secondary School in Petaling Jaya, Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK) in Perak, the MARA Institute of Technology, Subang Jaya and pursued his A Levels at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire. He then read History and Law at Jesus College at the University of Cambridge, and graduated in 1997. He passed away at the age of 35 on 24 January 2008.
Larger than life, in both a metaphorical and physical sense, are words often chosen to describe Ben by those who have had the fortune of knowing him. Ben was big in practically every sense of the word. Many likened him to a shooting star, bright and brilliant, but sadly, short-lived.
Ben evidently touched many lives during his time. Search engine results reveal several entries written about Ben. Many stories about him revolve around his wealth of knowledge on a multitude of topics, and occasionally highlight what he envisaged for the future. Most importantly, they also reflected on his enormous capacity for caring.
Those who were close to him knew that Ben had a bigger heart than most people. He would never think twice about investing in someone he met along his journey. Both of us have had the privilege of being coached by Ben in debate when we were studying at Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), Perak.
Abang Ben (which is what we called him) never emphasised on winning. He constantly pushed his boys to present a matured argument and to be magnanimous each time they faced opponents. Ben was one of a kind – he was never just a debate coach. He was always a friend, and would not hesitate in sending books from overseas (where he was) to those he coached.
Ben’s intelligence inspired a hunger for knowledge amongst the debaters he coached. If anyone had a question about anything under the sun, the best person to ask for an answer was Ben. He was truly a walking encyclopaedia, and was always willing to share his seemingly limitless. A captivating orator, he could effortlessly capture anyone’s attention – every session we spent with him would be interesting. Ben was also a patient teacher, and would always find time to spare to patiently explain any issues we weren’t sure of, even if he had to make expensive phone calls from overseas to do so.
Many people at his age might not have had the patience to deal with those younger than them (especially teenage boys in their formative but immature years), but Ben never saw it as a barrier in engaging the younger generation. He was never a patronizing presence - he would always make the effort to communicate with the young students he knew so as to impart the right knowledge and values upon them. He felt like one of us, like a fellow student you could turn to and rely on for help.
Many people at his age might not have had the patience to deal with those younger than them (especially teenage boys in their formative but immature years), but Ben never saw it as a barrier in engaging the younger generation. He was never a patronizing presence - he would always make the effort to communicate with the young students he knew so as to impart the right knowledge and values upon them. He felt like one of us, like a fellow student you could turn to and rely on for help.
Ben was larger than life not only because of his unrivalled intellect and charisma, but also because his kindness. He firmly believed in giving back to society, and his belief always showed itself through his actions. Ben was ever ready to take the lead in approaching a stranger and taking his hand to guide them and to thus help them develop their true potential.
Even when his health was deteriorating, Ben still came back to MCKK to see those he had coached, even though he knew that his days were already numbered. To us, that was the most inspiring thing about Ben: that other people always come first, even if it was at his own expense.
We hope that Ben would have been proud to see how the organization he founded has grown and developed since its inception. More importantly, we hope that people will always remember that nothing is truly impossible, if one puts endless passion and commitment just as Ben did in the past, up until his last breath. To us, he would have been a classic example for the next generation to look up for each time they plunge into something big and adventurous.
Even when his health was deteriorating, Ben still came back to MCKK to see those he had coached, even though he knew that his days were already numbered. To us, that was the most inspiring thing about Ben: that other people always come first, even if it was at his own expense.
We hope that Ben would have been proud to see how the organization he founded has grown and developed since its inception. More importantly, we hope that people will always remember that nothing is truly impossible, if one puts endless passion and commitment just as Ben did in the past, up until his last breath. To us, he would have been a classic example for the next generation to look up for each time they plunge into something big and adventurous.
Words alone will never be enough to truly capture and portray the magnitude of character that Ben possessed, but we have tried our very best to tell you the story of the man who started it all, and who we have been blessed to know personally.
Thank you, Ben. We will always remember you.
"Ben had a dry sense of humour - this is one of the last quips I remember him making before he passed away. He translated a famous Malay pantun during our annual dinner for MCKK debaters in 2007, referring to the uniqueness of each individual, and how there was only one of him. - Affendy Hasni"
2,3 cats go running-running,
Where got a striped one,
2,3 can finding-finding,
Where got like YOU one
Where got a striped one,
2,3 can finding-finding,
Where got like YOU one
Al fatihah..
ReplyDelete