Al Fatihah Din Merican

I just got news that the legendary DJ Blogger Din Merican passed away at 11.05 am in Kuala Lumpur.

Din was a good friend and supporter of me for the last twenty-years. I was a young and inexperienced writer, but Din often posted my work from the Asia Sentinel on his blog Din Merican: The Malaysia DJ Blogger. Din knew people from all sides of politics and took his blog very seriously in putting out the cases and opinions of the day. Din’s blog in its day was a go to site for all those interested in Malaysian politics and other Asian issues relevant to Malaysia.

Din was an Alor Setar boy and went to school locally and then onto University of Malaya to study economics. Later, Din went to study at the George Washington School of Business at George Washington University. Din also studied at INSEAD in France. Din went into the Malaysian foreign service and later Bank Negara Malaysia. He then went on to work in a Sime Darby subsidiary.

In later life Din became and academic, becoming a visiting senior research fellow of the Penang based Socio-Economic Research Institute which later became the Penang Institute. Din then began his relationship with the University of Cambodia moving through several positions until he became the head of the School of Government and International Relations.

Many Malaysians made it a mandatory task to go and meet with Din when they travelled to Cambodia.

Unfortunately, Din suffered a stroke in 2016 and returned to Malaysia to live with his brother for the last 10 years. For many years he was married to Dr Kamsiah Haider.

Din’s blog is still available and acts as a reference point for many researchers in political science. Din’s commentary was often very influential.

Although Din has not been active as a blogger on Malaysian affairs for a decade, he will be missed by the generation who experienced Malaysian political evolution with him. I personally miss his advice which I often asked for. I was last in contact with him a couple of months ago when he made one of his rare calls to me.

Din was very much part of our gaining of political maturity in Malaysia. His comments are missed and now his spirit goes out into the universe.

Din was conferred with Darjah Dato Setia DiRaja Kedah (DSDK) by DYMM Sultan of Kedah on DYMM Tuanku’s 83^rd birthday. Din also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambodia for his services to international relations.

I guess the last words for Din Merican should be what he said in his blog:

Vitaques mancipio nulli datur, omnibus usu. - lucretius

This roughly translates as “To none is life given in freehold; to all on lease. This is a last piece of wisdom to ponder on.