KLANG: Former Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Tan Sri Zainal Rampak (pic) had been battling poor health for the last two years, and was confined to a wheelchair due to spinal issues.
According to his son Zulkifli, Zainal, 84, who passed away early yesterday morning at the Selayang Hospital, was rather tight-lipped about his health.
Zulkifli said Zainal had been feeling a little better for a while but became ill again three months ago, and his condition declined rapidly.
The liver cancer was only discovered last Thursday when Zainal went to a private hospital for a check-up due to unbearable pain.
“He wanted to do everything as usual until his last days, and being the workaholic he is, he even went to work at the Workers Institute of Technology (WIT) up to last Saturday, even though he was in great pain,’’ said Zulkifli.
Zainal, who was the MTUC president from 1986 to 2004, took the reins of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) as its general-secretary and was still the incumbent until his demise.
He had taken over the role of leading the MTUC from one of Malaysia’s most renowned unionists – National Union of Plantation Workers secretary-general, the late Dr P.P. Narayanan.
He played a pivotal role in establishing WIT together with his mentor, the iconic V. David, to provide youths with skills training.
The outspoken unionist had held various international appointments, including being a governing body member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) from 2000 to 2004.
Zainal also served as senator in the Dewan Negara for two terms after being appointed to the position in 1998.
Zainal entered the trades union movement at the tender age of 17, and it was at TWU that he met David, who was the then general-secretary of the organisation.
David took Zainal under his wings and mentored him, leading to the creation of a formidable team for over three decades.
In MTUC, Zainal was the president while David was the secretary-general, and the duo shaped the nation’s trades union movement.
But the pair broke up in 1988 when Zainal backed the late G. Rajasekaran, who defeated David as the MTUC secretary-general.
Both Zainal and Rajasekaran, who passed away last year, also made a formidable pair for years until Zainal was replaced as MTUC president in 2004 by Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud.
Zainal leaves behind his wife Puan Sri Zainab Abdullah, 84, and four children Zulkifli, 54, Muhamad Zain, 54, Zalina, 50, and Zahari, 43, along with 10 grandchildren.
