KUALA LUMPUR – The late Royal Professor Tun Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery here at about 9.50pm yesterday.
His remains arrived at the cemetery at about 9.15pm after funeral prayers at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail At-Taqwa Mosque here at 8.55pm.
The funeral, attended by family members and friends, was conducted in accordance with standard operating procedures of the conditional movement control order.
The late Ungku Aziz, 98, died here, at 4.30pm yesterday.
Dr Syed Husin Ali, former lecturer at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti Malaya (UM), described the late professor as an individual who was very concerned about society, especially involving the poverty of the rural population.
“In fact, the late Ungku Aziz was also the first person to fight about the use of the Malay language in UM and organised the language congress in Singapore and Johor Baru at that time (the 1950s),” he told reporters after the funeral.
Meanwhile, Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad vice-president Datuk Mohamad Ali Hasan said Malaysia has not only lost a leading academic figure, but also a fighter for the country’s cooperative movement.
“The late Ungku Aziz strongly encouraged the establishment of cooperatives, including in schools. Malaysia is the only country in the world that has cooperatives in schools.
“Almost 98% of secondary schools have cooperatives. Most cooperatives in schools are able to generate returns of more than RM1 million,” he said. – Bernama, December 16, 2020
