Former Malaysia Airlines pilot Datuk Gurcharan S Sidhu accompanied the body of then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein back to Malaysia after the latter died of leukaemia in London in 1976. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, January 17, 2015.Every year on January 14 at 5.03pm, former Malaysia Airlines pilot Datuk Gurcharan S Sidhu pauses for a moment to remember the time 39 years ago when he accompanied the body of then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein back to Malaysia.
The pilot, who was a 26-year-old first officer then, was one of three pilots who flew the chartered flight from Kuwait to Kuala Lumpur in 1976."It was a (Boeing) 707 aircraft. I remember feeling so anxious while waiting for Tun's body to arrive in Kuwait from London," Gurcharan, now 65, said.Razak, Malaysia's second prime minister, died of leukaemia in London in 1976, to the shock of the nation, at the age of 54. He was survived by his wife Tun Rahah Noah and five sons, the eldest of whom, is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.The body was flown from London to Kuwait, where the aircraft made a technical stop to undergo servicing and to refuel, and the flight crew was also changed. There were no direct flights to Kuala Lumpur at the time."When news of his death came, we were immediately sent to Kuwait to wait for the body there and fly it back home," Gurcharan, now retired, said."We were quite shocked with his passing… and sad, too. No one knew about his condition. Of course, we knew he was sick when he was in London. We had heard rumours that he was not well. But I had no idea how bad it was."Gurcharan, who was a pilot with five years of experience under his belt at that time, said it was hard to face the mourning entourage, which included Rahah, Najib and other family members."They were all mourning and it was heart-breaking. I remember seeing Najib there."But we did not say much to them except to offer our condolences. Toh Puan was very nice, humble. Despite what she must be going through, she was gracious and seemed to understand how we were feeling, too," he added.Gurcharan, who went on to fly for several other commercial airlines, including Korean Air and India's Jet Airways, said the journey to Kuala Lumpur from Kuwait took about eight hours."It was a sad and sombre experience. As a pilot, I spent most of my time out of the country so I was not politically savvy. But I remember Tun Razak as being one who implemented so many changes to develop the country."It was tough to lose a prime minister like that," said the Ipoh-born retiree. – January 17, 2015.
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