A diehard idealist who struggled to the end

Aliran Monthly 2004:1

He was deeply committed to truth, justice and democracy.

Desmond John Muzaffar Tate died in the afternoon of 3 January in his elegant new house in Gombak. In the middle of last year, Desmond found that he had a heart condition and he was receiving treatment for it.

I first met Desmond in 1972 when I was an editor at the Oxford University Press and Desmond was a leading history author. I was struck by how friendly, unassuming and soft-spoken he was. We became good friends in the early 1980s, when we were both editorial managers with OUP. We often lunched together and discussed common interests: books, literature, history, films, drama and politics.

Desmond was very excited about the work that Chandra and his group were doing in Penang and he was convinced that it would bring about a sea-change in social and political consciousness in Malaysia. Desmond decided that I should join ALIRAN and I acquiesced. Since then he has been a gentle presence in my life, prodding me every now and again when he felt I should pay attention to a public interest issue.

Opening Minds

Desmond spoke very little about his early life in England. He was born in London in 1929, an only child. He read South-East Asian history at the SOAS, University of London. He first came to Malaya in 1952 as part of his national service in the British army and he loved the country. He went back to Europe and taught in English in Barcelona for two years before he returned to Malaya to serve the Ministry of Education in 1956.

He taught at some of the leading schools: Anderson in Ipoh, the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar and Sultan Abdul Halim in Kedah. He was a legendary teacher of history and a noted career counsellor. Students who needed advice in career choice called on him. He would take them to Ipoh and other major towns, often at his own expense, to meet professionals to get first-hand information. He invited well-known politicians, scholars and eminent Old Boys to speak on topics of educational or career importance. He thus opened the minds of many young Malaysians and inspired their career choice.

Much Loved

He was most distressed by the events that undermined the judiciary and the constitution. More recently, he was upset by the Anwar Ibrahim episode and was actively involved in the protest.

He was always calm and courteous and he never ever raised his voice, even under the most trying circumstances. His students loved him because he was approachable, helpful, kind and generous, but also because of the way in which he made history come alive. He inspired deep loyalty and abiding affection. Years later, in 2001, when disaster struck and a landslide demolished his house and took the life of his eldest son, his ex-students rallied and raised funds to help him build a new house. Desmond was deeply touched and somewhat awed by their generosity, little realizing, with his characteristic humility, that he was now reaping what he had sown.

Desmond was a diehard idealist. He was deeply committed to truth, justice and democracy. He was most distressed by the events that undermined the judiciary and the constitution. More recently, he was upset by the Anwar Ibrahim episode and was actively involved in the protest.

Immensely Talented

The remarkable thing about Desmond is that he was open to revising his opinions and even orientation. He was never dogmatic. He did move from being a traditional historian to one of the post-colonial school. In international affairs, his outlook changed radically from the first Gulf War to the second. He became more deeply thoughtful and contemplative in the last ten years of his life, when he found deeper spiritual fulfillment in Islam.

Desmond was a scholar without academic appellations. He had a broad and deep knowledge of history and an infinite fund of wisdom. He could speak authoritatively on a wide range of topics.

He was an immensely talented writer, with a remarkable command of the English language. He often juxtaposed words in startling combinations that gave arresting new meanings. He dredged long-forgotten and rarely used words through his quick wit for sheer amusement and enjoyment. In this sense, he was the quintessential Englishman. He had a great sense of humour and was most entertaining company.

Creative Genius

In the last fifteen years, Desmond made a living out of writing corporate profiles, club and society histories. Ever the creative genius, Desmond was not always practical in terms of time and budget constraints. He delved so deeply into a subject, researching for the sheer love of history, that he often wrote too much and took too long. If anything, he was too generous with his time and too concerted in his commitment.

Teacher, headmaster, administrator, school inspector, author, editor, publisher, commentator, activist. Has anyone else such compass?

Home Again

I last saw Desmond on 11 October, when another good friend, Noor Azlina Yunus, and I were the first guests of the Tates for afternoon tea at their new house. Desmond met us at an appointed place in Gombak. We realized he had grown smaller and appeared frail. He fitted rather neatly into his little Kancil.

He was so proud of the fact that Rogayah, his beloved wife, had squirreled away cash and bought a piece of land without his permission in Kampung Pusu, not far from their old house. The beautiful little bungalow they built there was tastefully furnished with some old English Tate family pieces. It is altogether fitting that Desmond and Rogayah enjoyed their very own house once again for four months before he died.

Desmond never took a break. He worked very hard on several projects simultaneously. He continued his commitments to public interest causes to the end. He did not realize how tired he was. Rest, dear friend, rest.

Edda de Silva

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