A letter to our friends on the passing of our President, S.M. Mohamed Idris

Dear friends,

It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that our President, S.M. Mohamed Idris has passed away after a brief illness on 17 May 2019.

Mr Idris lived full and very active life, up to the end of his 93 years. He was invited to be President of CAP (Consumers’ Association of Penang) when it was established in 1969. Before that, he had been a member of the Municipal Council in Penang and was already a prominent community leader. He had been involved in the Independence movement.

For 50 years he led CAP, bringing to it and to the public his unique and incomparable blend of understanding of society, history, philosophy, spiritualism and Nature as well as practical action, mobilisation and interaction between civil society and government. Under his leadership, CAP championed the rights and interests of consumers, poor communities including farmers, fishermen, workers, house and land tenants, squatters and indigenous people.

With his deep interest in all matters, from the seemingly small to the biggest, CAP was to take up many issues, including fraud and unethical marketing practices, the safety of food and other products, pollution and destruction of forests and natural resources.

Idris believed that fulfilling the basic and human needs of people are the most important priority and that many mega projects of both the public and private sector can damage the environment and divert precious resources from fulfilling people’s needs.

He also believed in developing and maintaining long-lasting relations with individuals, public interest groups and organisations not only in Malaysia but throughout the world, in a mutual battle to change unjust structures and systems and to create a better world.

The Council and staff of CAP have vowed to continue the work of Mr. Idris. CAP is also very touched by the many messages of condolences and promises to carry on the work pioneered by Mr. Idris. We are thus confident that his great deed will live on in the hearts and minds and in the actions of the many people he inspired.

We thank you for the friendship, care and cooperation that you, his friends, have shown through the years to Mr Idris nd to CAP, and we hope this will continue and strengthen in the years to come.

CLICK HERE to find a tribute to Mr Idris by a close associate of his.

Mohideen Abdul Kader
Vice President
on behalf of The Council of the Consumers’ Association of Penang