My condolences to the family of the late Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayob, who passed away at 5.25 this morning of cancer at the Pantai Medical Hospital.I used to go to the same school with his daughter, though we weren’t in the same class. He lost in the General Elections in 1999, and soon after retired from politics on the 5th May 2001, with the reason of frustration with ‘money politics’.

He started his career in politics in 1972 when he joined UMNO and elected to be Alor Setar’s UMNO Youth Chief. 3 years after, Dr Mahathir, who was the Prime Minister took him under his wings and made him his special officer. A year later, he was promoted to be Dr Mahathir’s political secretary.

His career bloomed when he won the Pasir Salak seat in the 1982 general elections.

From then onwards until 1997, he held the post of Deputy Minister of Home Affairs before being elected as Minister of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs. He held his post for several years after that, but in the General Elections in 1999, surprisingly he lost to Mat Basri of PAS.

Megat Junid also held the post of Deputy UMNO chief of Pasir Salak since 1984 before defeated by Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib on the 15th of April 2001.