Rotarian Robin Arumugam shared this writing during the recent club meeting and one minute of silence
The loss of our midwife so to speak PDG Dato' Seri Yang, has been an immensely sad and emotional time for us all members of the Rotary Club of Kinta. As many of you know, he was a great man who was not only well known in the government service, but also had tremendous humility and an abiding sense of community, which led him to become involved in many aspects of life outside Rotary. He was a Rotarian with a long and distinguished service record. His most outstanding work being the legacy he has left in an outstanding history of his Club and its activities.
It was typical of the manner in which he approached problems, in many cases through imagination, hard work and leadership, turning adversity into opportunity.
Fifty years later in the dying months of 1979 when the Rotary Club of Ipoh celebrated its 50th Anniversary of the Club made the significant decision to initiate a new club in Ipoh. PDG Dato' Seri Yang was the then President of the Rotary Club of Ipoh. As special committee was headed by him at the first meeting there were about 50 interested people listening to the explanation of the aims, objectives, privileges and responsibilities of Rotary to them. The following year Rotary Club of Ipoh-Kinta was Chartered while PDG Dato' Seri Yang was still the President. He spent considerable time nurturing us and was always present whenever we had functions to lend us support.
He was the District Governor for the year 1985/86 and I had the distinct honour of serving the District as the joint secretary for him when the appointed Editor of the DG Newsletter suddenly resigned before the year started for reasons best known to him. I had already accepted to serve as Chairman for Youth Service for the District 330. And because of the DG's Newsletter being delayed, several letters of criticism were received from two brothers: Tan Sri Dato' PDG James Peter Chin and PDG Gilbert Chin he approached me to fill in. Together we produced the best DG's Newsletters which received commendation and praise not only from the two foremost critics but from other Districts as well.
PDG Dato' Seri Yang showed a great flair for friendship, not only because of his endearing personality and ability, but also because he showed a genuine interest and curiosity in the wants and needs of Rotarians. I will always remember him as the "Singing Governor' for he wrote his song, titled 'Smile,' for his Rotary year for all Rotarians to sing with him during his official club meetings and fellowship gatherings. I can vividly remember the starting lyrics, "Smile and the world will smile with you."
I remember his saying to us,” You will experience many pressures in life, in your job or profession, in your family life and in your community involvement. Be tolerant of others. Don’t ride roughshod over them. If you reach positions of responsibility where you have influence over others, never lose the common touch. There are not many who reach the top. The control or direction of people is both a privilege and a responsibility. All people with whom you are in contact are entitled to consideration and courtesy. People can be and often are very sensitive and you must always bear this in mind. They often have many more worries and problems than you do, although you may never know what they are. Remember that all occupations are worthy and should be treated as such. Human kindness is the greatest balm of all.”
He went on to speak of other things, culminating with the following: “Finally, be tolerant of each others' weaknesses, because who are we to stand in judgement of others, in the home, in business or in the community.”
These and other sayings encapsulate his sense of propriety and fair play – laying further foundation to a District run on honest and ethical guidelines.
He will be remembered for many things by all of us who in some way touched during his life. His enthusiasm for life and for living, his common touch with people at all levels, his energy and activity levels, his passion for things he loved or believed in and his honesty and humility at all times will be aspects of his life that we shall never forget. Farewell to a great man, an outstanding Rotarian and a dear friend.
My wife would vividly remember both Dato' Seri and Datin Seri for they found time for her during many Rotary functions. Datin Seri would sit and chat with my wife until the official time.
PDG Dato' Seri set for us a great example by his adherence to proper ethics and his willingness to guide and to trust young Rotarians. Well, that was how he thought, and that’s how he was.
PDG Dato' Seri was a ‘people’ person; one of his great skills was with young people – he liked young people, and was good at communicating with them. As the number one in Scouting he was there when the young needed him. I spent considerable amount of time with him because I was a Scout Master once. In fact, he liked people, and saw the best in them. It was a rare day to hear PDG Dato' Seri say something critical of another person, and then only if the circumstances really demanded it.
When I was chatting with him some days before he left for his home, he told me that he would write some thoughts on how he thought people, and in particular, his children and grandchildren should aspire to behave in their lives. I didn't know of the existence of what he had written until the last few days after his death. His own words speak far more eloquently of him than any I could pen.
PDG Dato' Seri Yang believed that it was very important to serve his community, and to try and leave it a better place than he found it. We will miss his cheerful optimism and his ready smile. We will miss his boundless enthusiasm for whatever new project he or we were embarking on. We will miss his love, encouragement, guidance and support. But we will have, for the rest of our lives, great memories of a warm and wonderful man.
Robin Arumugam
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