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Thursday June 21, 2012

First Speaker ‘Noah Beirut’ fondly remembered


KUALA LUMPUR: The first Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Tan Sri Mohamed Noah Omar is fondly remembered for his sense of humour and personality by his grandson Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“Personality-wise, he (Mohamed Noah) was ‘old school’, with old-fashioned values and one who was always careful not to overspend,” said Najib during the “Malam Jasa Mu Dikenang” dinner held at the Putra World Trade Centre.

The Johor native was the father-in-law to two of the country’s Prime Ministers, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn, as well as the grandfather to Najib and Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

Mohamed Noah, known by the nickname “Noah Beirut” due to his time in the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut, Lebanon, was a firm believer in education and established the Noah Foundation in 1971.

The function yesterday was also attended by the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and Noah Foundation chairman Datin Paduka Dr Faridah Abdullah.

Najib also launched a coffee table book on Mohamed Noah.

Mohamed Noah was born in Muar, Johor, in 1898 and passed away in 1991 at the age of 93.

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