Tribute to a Great Teacher and Advocate

Haji Sulaiman Abdullah, an eminent lawyer and a good friend of the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), passed on three days ago. Council members and staff of CAP extend our deepest condolences to his family.

In the early years of CAP, he, as Assistant Secretary, contributed to its growth and development.   He was living in Penang then and interacted with the late President Haji S.M. Mohamed Idris, a pioneer and trendsetter in the consumer and ecological movement.

After leaving legal practice to teach in the University of Malaya’s law faculty, he still maintained his link and cooperated with CAP.  He used to bring his students to CAP’s mega conferences so that they would be exposed to issues of social justice, environmental protection, cultural subversion, and the loss of traditional values of gotong-royong and sustainable development.

The students were taken on trips to the rural areas to learn how our farmers and fishing community contributed to our food supply and well-being, and the problems they faced. They visited industrial sites and saw the pollution of our rivers and waterways.

He also sent some of his students on attachment with CAP so that they would understand the problems facing our society and how lawyers can contribute to alleviating them. A few were influenced by what they saw and learned during their attachment and decided to work with CAP in the legal section.

He was also instrumental in organizing CAP annual lectures, particularly for first-year students, to increase their awareness of consumer and environmental issues. The message was how law can serve as an instrument for promoting social justice and environmental protection. As a result of these activities, UM introduced consumer education as a subject in the law faculty.

May his soul rest in peace!

Mohideen Abdul Kader
CAP President, Council Members and Staff 

Letter to the Editor, 21 December 2023