The two people who started it all
Allahyarham Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Yusof dan Allahyarhamah Tun Fatimah Hashim.
Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Yusof
(1915-1992)
Tan Sri Abdul Kadir was born in Parit Sakai, Muar, Johor in 1915.
He was a lawyer by profession and held many important roles including being the Attorney General and Solicitor General.
In addition to that, Tan Sri Abdul Kadir was a politician and Minister of Law. With his wife, Tun Fatimah Hj Hashim, they made up the first and only couple to both be in the Malaysian Cabinet.
Tun Fatimah Haji Hashim
(1924-2010)
Tun Fatimah Hj Hashim was a freedom fighter. She saw that people were suffering under colonial rule and fought to change things.
Tun Fatimah headed Kaum Ibu Malaya, later known as Wanita UMNO. After Independence, she served as a Member of Parliament and later as the Welfare Minister.
Tun Fatimah and her husband made up the first and only couple in the Malaysian Cabinet to date.
The following is an account from Tun Fatimah HJ Hashim and Tan Sri Abdul Kadir’s 3rd son, Datuk Ali Kadir
Our dad once told us of a story from his time as a Magistrate in Ipoh. It was about an Indian student who was charged with stealing a bicycle and brought before him in court. When questioned, the student said that he had borrowed the bicycle to get to school as it was very far away and he was late. He was caught as he was returning the bicycle. Dad gave him a discharge and arranged with the Chief Clerk to get the student a second-hand bicycle.
When I was 17, I went for my driving test. The test supervisor asked me who my father was. When I replied that he was the Attorney General, he told me that my father had helped his younger brother and his family would never forget my father’s kindness.
His acts of kindness were like second nature to him. Once, I was fishing with him in Mersing when he heard that the tekong could not afford to repay the bank and would have his boat repossessed soon. Next thing I knew, he had bought the boat and payed off the bank and lent the boat to the tekong for a lower amount.
He also built the mosque in Tenglu and the surau in Parit Sakai. In addition, he wakafed a house near Masjid Bangsar in order to house students there.
Our mother, Fatimah Hj Hashim, was similar, she was always helping with something or other. She wakafed a property in Kuala Lumpur to help support an orphanage in Mersing and donated funds to help build a hostel at a University in Johor.
Both my parents never forgot their poor background. When they got married, all they had was a mattress and two pillows. During the Japanese Occupation, they ran to Mersing and lived at the edge of the jungle, growing their own food and supporting two younger brothers.
Dad was diagnosed with cancer in late 1991. One day, he and my mother had a chat with some of us (their children). They asked us to continue his legacy of charity. The had set up a family company for us and given us our education so we agreed that they could do that with the remaining two properties they had. They suggested a foundation in their name so I proceeded to apply for it. Incorporating the company to have limited liability took some time and Dad passed away on April 18th 1992. Finally, we got the approval and Yayasan Kadir dan Fatimah was incorporated on 8th February 1993 with Mum as the Chairperson.
Two apartment units in Vista Angkasa belonging to each of our parents were injected into YKF. My brother, Abdul Karim, took the initiative to organise a Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Charity Golf Tournament as part of our Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Golf Group and raised RM 40,000. Older brother, Prof. Emeritus Dr Khalid donated funds to sponsor a medal at his alma mater, the University of Melbourne. And that was how Yayasan Kadir dan Fatimah was started.
