OBITUARY | It was a sad Christmas day for me. I woke up this morning to receive a message from a friend that Law Hieng Ding, a long-time federal minister, had passed away. He breathed his last at 4.56am. He was 82.

I have many fond memories of Law. I have known him since 1979 – that’s almost four, long decades. He introduced me to politics and social activism, but probably never realising the latter.