Al Fatihah

Learned this morning that a dear friend and a former colleague passed away after some period of illness. He had a big scare a month ago, but recovered and we were optimistic than he would get better. Unfortunately that was not to be.

He was among the first few people who welcomed me when I first joined Universiti Malaya. An imposing fella, but a gentle giant deep down, he soon left for Germany to complete his PhD and further studies. He came back a few years back, and since then, I learned that he had been fighting diabetes.

He bounced back somewhat, but since the beginning of the year, he had not been well. Enough about that.

Prof Salem. Alfatihah. I would miss his quip about computers and gadgets. Even after I left UM, I still get the occasional emails or Facebook messages about tech. He had been updating his social media outlets until recently, but I only learned about the sad news this morning. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to attend his solat this morning as I learned about the news an hour too late.

It had certainly been a sad year for the Medical Department at UM. We had lost a couple of very capable Faculty Members. Alfatihah to both of you, and condolences to the family.