Anwar joins in prayers for the late consumer activist Idris

The body of SM Mohamed Idris being carried out in a casket after a solat jenazah at the Hashim Yahaya Jamek Mosque at Perak Road, George Town, today.

GEORGE TOWN: Prominent personalities today paid their last respects to Consumers’ Association of Penang president SM Mohamed Idris who died yesterday at 93.

He was buried at the Perak Road Muslim Cemetery at 10.45am, witnessed by his close relatives, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Human Resources Minister Mahfuz Omar.

Anwar and over 500 others had earlier performed a solat jenazah for the late Idris before he was interred together with his late family members.

Speaking to reporters later, Anwar regarded Idris as a “simple and pious Muslim”, which he said was a rarity these days.

He said Idris, besides being a consumerist, was a fighter for justice and reform in the country.

“Mr Idris is a legend and a giant. He cannot be compartmentalised as just someone who crusaded for consumers’ rights.

“He was articulate in his defence on the environment and against greed, due to excess development that ignored the plight of the poor,” he said.

Earlier, Penang Governor Abdul Rahman Abbas, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and former chief minister Koh Tsu Koon paid their last respects to Idris at his home on Rose Avenue.

Penang executive councillors and state assemblymen were also there.

Idris had been hospitalised for two weeks at the Gleneagles Medical Centre on Pangkor Road for the past two weeks for a lung infection.

Those close to him said he was in great spirits and was able to converse normally before his death at 4.45pm yesterday.

Idris is best known as the founding president of CAP and Sahabat Alam Malaysia, an environmental NGO, for the past 50 years. - FMT