KUALA LUMPUR – Former Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik had passed away in University Malaya Medical Centre.
Born on December 13, 1941, the 80-year-old was reported by Malaysia Gazette to have breathed his last at 8pm tonight.
The Umno veteran first dipped his toes in politics in 1982 when he contested the Temerloh parliamentary seat, which held it for nearly 20 years until 1999.
From 1982 till 1987, Sabbaruddin held the deputy finance minister post and, later, under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s cabinet, held the cultural, arts and tourism portfolio.
He had graduated with a BA (Hons) from University Malaya in 1966, followed by a Master’s in Public Administration from the Netherlands’ Institute of Social Studies in 1974.
Upon graduation, the Umno veteran was in the civil service as assistant state secretary of Negri Sembilan before being appointed assistant secretary for Wisma Putra.
He was later promoted to serve in the Malaysian embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, as the Second Secretary before serving as the Charge de Affairs there from 1969 to 1971.
His final post in the service was as deputy state secretary for Selangor from 1980 to 1981. – The Vibes, December 4, 2021
