Najib pays tribute to Jamaluddin Jarjis

Datuk Seri Najib Razak Monday paid tribute to the late Tan Sri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis when he chaired the 5th annual meeting of the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC), here.

Describing him as one of the architects of GSIAC, the prime minister said the late Jamaluddin contributed substantially to the creation and subsequent growth of the GSIAC.

“The late Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis left us all too soon, and very suddenly, last April. Let’s take a moment to remember him,” Najib said before a two-minute video presentation in Jamaluddin's memory, at the meeting Monday (Tuesday in Malaysia).

The former minister and Rompin MP and five others were killed in a helicopter crash in Semenyih, Kajang last April 4 enroute from Kuantan to Subang.

Najib said: “JJ’s demise was a personal loss to me, as he was a very dear friend and someone who has done much for the nation. When he was our Ambassador in Washington, he played a vital role in building relations with the United States.

“We are here today continuing the work that JJ helped initiate. I am sure he will be proud of what we have accomplished and the work we will continue to do today,” the prime minister said.

The late Jamaluddin as Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, together with Tan Sri Zakri Abdul Hamid, had been instrumental in assembling international experts, academicians, Nobel laureates and captains of the industry to discuss Malaysia’s rapidly growing economy with an emphasis on implementation and tangible results.