Disabled senator ( Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh) dies

KUALA LUMPUR: First disabled senator, Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh has died on a flight from China to Singapore. He was 61.
An officer at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore said Ismail was pronounced dead on arrival at the Singapore General Hospital at about 8am on Thursday.
The hospital will conduct a post-mortem to determine the cause of his death, he told Bernama.
A father of six children, the visually challenged Ismail became the first person from the disabled community to be appointed as senator in December 2007.
Born in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, he was totally blind since he was 13, but the limitation did not stop him from getting his degree, masters and PhD, all in the United States.
For his achievements, Ismail was named as the first blind person to receive a doctorate by the Guinness Book of World Records.
He also held various key positions including Twintech International University College vice-chancellor, Twintech Holdings Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, National Association of Bumiputera Private Colleges president, a member of the National Implementation Task Force in the Prime Minister’s Department and Institute of Strategic and International Studies former deputy director-general.

Prof Ismail Suffered Cardiac Arrest In Plane

SINGAPORE, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- Economist Senator Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh who died while on a flight from China to Singapore early today suffered a cardiac arrest on the plane, said his wife Datin Hasnah Wahab.
Hasnah, who was accompanying him, said her husband was asleep on the seat next to her on the plane when suddenly his head tilted and came to rest on her shoulder.
"I noticed he was no longer breathing and when I held his hands they felt cold," Hasnah told Bernama when met at the Ba'alwie Mosque in Jalan Lewis here while her husband's remains were being prepared for the funeral.
Hasnah said her husband died in the aircraft at 2.30am, about an hour before it was due to arrive at Changi Airport.
According to her, Ismail, 61, was in China to attend a meeting involving his university, International University College of Technology Twintech.
They had left for Beijing on Aug 25 and departed from the Chinese capital yesterday and were scheduled to arrive in Singapore at 3.45am Thursday.
On arrival, his remains were brought to the Singapore General Hospital for a post-mortem before being brought to the mosque.
Malaysian High Commission staff in Singapore led by Deputy High Commissioner Datuk Ahmad Anuar Adnan helped in preparing his remains for burial.
His remains were then brought to the Senai airport in Johor in a van before being transferred on to a Royal Malaysian Air Force plane to be transported to the Subang Airport outside Kuala Lumpur.
Hasnah said her husband's remains would be brought to their house at no. 7140, Jalan Melati 2, Sungai Kantan, Fasa 2, Kajang.
According to her, they had been married for 27 years and were blessed with six children.
She said she was saddened that Ismail would not be around to witness the first marriage among the children at the end of this year.
"He was really looking forward to this," said Hasnah, adding that three of the children were already adults while the other three were still in school.
Ismail made history when he was appointed as the first senator from among disabled people in Malaysia. Ismail is visually impaired.
He was also deputy director-general of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS), chief executive officer of Twintech Holdings and Vice Chancellor of International University College of Technology Twintech.
Ismail was born in Pasir Mas, Kelantan on Sept 2, 1947 and throughout his life was awarded numerous awards for academic excellence including from the Guiness Book of Records for becoming the first visually impaired person in the world to obtain a doctorate degree.
Meanwhile, in KAJANG, Ismail's elder brother, Zakaria Salleh, 64, said his brother's remains were expected to arrive at 6.30pm and would be buried at the Sungai Kantan Muslim Cemetery.
He said his brother was his normal self before he left for Beijing on Tuesday.
On Monday, Ismail had gone for his usual dialysis treatment as normal, he said.
Zakaria has been the "seeing eye" for Ismail and has been his guardian, personal assistant and driver since the latter was still small.
"It was a promise I made to my mother (that I would always look after him)," he said.

Dr Ismail Laid To Rest

KAJANG, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- Economist Senator Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Md Salleh who died early this Thursday's morning was laid to rest AT 10.30PM at the Sungai Kantan Muslim Cementery here after funeral prayers at his home nearby.
His remains arrived at the Royal Malaysian Airfoce (RMAF) Base in Subang from Senai Airport at about 7.30 pm.
Dr Ismail, who become the first disabled to be appointed a Senator, died of cardiac arrest while on a flight from Beijing to Singapore.
He was in Beijing for a two-day working visit.
He leaves behind wife Datin Hasnah Wahab and six children between ages of 12 and 26.

tunku : he was such an intelligent and a very nice man.may he rest in peace.AL FATIHAH.