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Sunday, November 23, 2008, 12.18 AM

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Memories of times past

Adrian David
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The gentlemen were Air Vice-Marshal (R) Tan Sri Sulaiman Sujak, 74, and Rear-Admiral (R) Tan Sri K. Thanabalasingam, 72.

They were celebrating the fact that Sulaiman had been awarded the Panglima Setia Mahkota which carries the title Tan Sri by the king in June.

Thanabalasingam received his award from the king last year.

Sulaiman and Thanabalasingam were top guns in the armed forces in the 1960s.

Thanabalasingam was appointed navy chief at the age of 31 and Sulaiman became the air force chief at 33.

They were the country's first and youngest service chiefs.

As they chatted, they naturally gravitated to their other "first" colleague, the country's first army and subsequently Armed Forces chief -- the late Gen Tan Sri Tunku Osman Jiwa.

Tunku Osman, whose full name is Tunku Osman Khalil Shah Tunku Muhammad Jiwa, passed away on April 19, 1994 at the age of 75.

"It would have been a perfect tea if Tunku Osman was around. We shared many a moment during our service days," said Thanabalasingam.

Sulaiman said: "The three of us shared great camaraderie during the trying times, leading to a new-born Malaysia.

"We were fortunate to have had British and Australian peers who groomed and guided us."

Sulaiman was commissioned as a pilot officer at Royal Air Force Cranwell in 1958, about the same time Thanabalasingam was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.

Then prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Tunku Osman's uncle, who led the country to independence, had decided that it was time for the country to have Malayan service chiefs.

Tunku Osman became the country's first army chief, replacing General Sir Rodney Moore in January 1964.

Tunku Osman retired in November 1969.

Thanabalasingam took over from Commodore A.N. Dollard of the Royal Australian Navy in 1967, while Sulaiman replaced Air Commodore Alasdair Steedman the same year.

Both retired prematurely in 1976, when Thanabalasingam was 40 and Sulaiman 42.

Thanabalasingam went on to set up a marine consulting firm and served on the board of Tractors Malaysia.

Sulaiman has held a number of posts, including deputy chairman of Malaysia Airlines and adviser of Bank Negara.

Sulaiman said he felt both honoured and tickled at the investiture ceremony.

"At the investiture ceremony, I felt so very young when I was referred to as marsyal muda udara (young air marshal) when I was perhaps the oldest (Tan Sri) recipient," said Sulaiman with a twinkle in his eyes.

The reference to "young air marshal" set Sulaiman thinking about his younger days when he was training in Britain.

"I was able to cash a personal cheque for up to STG5 at any bank," said Sulaiman who keeps busy by going for morning walks at the Lake Gardens every day and meeting friends and relations later in the day.

"The element of trust was there then. And, of course, such was the high standing of the service that if my cheque had bounced, I would have been cashiered."

Sulaiman is married to Puan Sri Zahrah Mahmud Hashim and they have four children and 19 grand-children.

Thanabalasingam, who was "married" to his job, recounted an intriguing moment as navy chief in 1973, during the time when Tun Abdul Razak Hussein was both prime minister and defence minister.

"As our main navy base was in Woodlands, Singapore, we had difficulty celebrating navy day on foreign soil.

"There was a lot of diplomatic clearance and protocol involved to get our king and other dignitaries to attend.

"That's when I approached Tun Razak for his consent to hold the official dinner at Parliament House.

"It was a grand affair every year, complete with naval tradition, including the toast to the king who was the supreme commander of the armed forces.

"The annual dinner was held at Parliament House until our own naval base in Lumut was completed."

Thanabalasingam also recounted how during the great floods of Kuala Lumpur in 1971, a European defence firm was trying to sell its amphibious armoured vehicle to the army.

"I was summoned to Parliament House for a national relief meeting but got stuck at the Defence Ministry because of the floods.

"That's when the idea to test the vehicle came to me and I asked my army counterpart if I could test it.

"I arrived at Parliament House high and dry, much to the amusement of MPs."

Admittedly a classic himself, Thanabalasingam's passion today is driving around in his Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 and trusty BMW 735, both of which are nearly 30 years old.

He also loves playing billiards and swimming, but has not been able to do so lately owing to health problems.