Former People’s Action Party (PAP) MP and office-holder Maidin Packer passed away, quite unexpectedly, on June 24 (Former MP and journalist Maidin Packer dies at 66, June 25).

I knew Mr Maidin well before I joined politics in 1997. He was a well-known and respected community leader. I would meet him at community events and forums. His insights into the Malay/Muslim community never ceased to amaze me. In an interview with the National Archives, he revealed during an interview with then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong for PAP candidature, that he considered himself unsuitable for political office as he was not a graduate. He accepted the offer and became political secretary before becoming an MP in the eighth Parliament of Singapore.