Trust this meets the expectations.
Sad to lose a
friend.
A Tribute to
Ambassador
Dato’ Yusof @
Khalid Bin Hashim
July 12, 1939 to
May 21, 2022
A dedicated
Diplomat of intellect, Ideas & Idealism
=======================
A respected and
seasoned retired ambassador, Dato’ Yusof Hashim passed away in Putrajaya
recently after a brief period of illness.
Educated at the
Malay College in Kuala Kangsar and Sydney University where he qualified with a
Master of Economics degree, he returned home to a civil service career. Dato’
Yusof who had initially belonged to his home state’s Civil Service was one of
the very few from Terengganu to join the Malaysian Foreign Service in the
1960s. In his case it was after a brief
year-long stint at the Prime Minister’s Department.
He served with
distinction in several diplomatic and consular positions.
He was one of
the country’s first diplomats to serve in Wellington, New Zealand when that
mission was set up in 1969 by Tan Sri Lim Taik Choon, an illustrious pioneer of
the country’s foreign service. Later Dato’ Yusof served in Wismaputra, then
located in Kuala Lumpur and went on to serve in Bonn, Hanoi, Medan and in
Washington DC. He later served as ambassador to Rabat, Morocco and eventually
in Islamabad, Pakistan.
A man of
intellect and ideas he also had a teaching stint at the Malaysian Institute of
Administration and Training (INTAN).
Dato’ Yusof was
always approachable, hospitable, tactful and willing to share his experience
and expertise with both his peers and subordinates. Some years after his
retirement in 2005, he wrote a well-researched memoir entitled ‘From The
Pacific to the Atlantic' which was published by the Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia press.
The book provides
a good insight into his work experiences, his interaction with diplomatic
colleagues on various matters, including the Cambodia issue and his genuine
interest in understanding the culture of the countries he served in. Dato’
Yusof also pursued other academic and editorial interests in the last years of
his life.
It would remiss,
in remembering Dato’ Yusof to overlook the role he played for a few years,
almost single-handedly in diligently producing and publishing an international
periodical called The Globalist. Launched by Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim in 2009, the
publication gave particular attention to development challenges facing Malaysia
and South-South cooperation and the ties that bind developing countries. He was
always passionate about promoting Malaysia in other countries.
Dato’ Yusof’s
family which maintained a classy diplomat’s home shared those interests.
He is survived
by his devoted wife and three lovely daughters.
M Santhananaban
June 10, 2022
Dato’ M
Santhananaban is a retired ambassador with 45 years of public sector experience
who had the privilege of serving with Dato’ Yusof in the early 1970s.
