ENTITLED “The Future of Freedom”, the ninth anniversary celebration of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) and the commemoration of the birthday of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj was a simple but elegant evening, consisting of four speeches and a book launch accompanied by a tasty dinner.

I began by welcoming members of Tunku Abdul Rahman’s family and two special guest speakers – Dr Ong Kian Ming and Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Mazlan Othman – noting that while the director of the International Science Council regional office for Asia and the Pacific could not possibly have a fake degree, deputy ministers in the Malaysian government can.