Remembering Dr Badriyah Haji Salleh (1942–2015)

Dr Badriyah Haji Salleh

Editor’s Note: I had the good fortune to work with Dr Badriyah Haji Salleh at Universiti Sains Malaysia in the 1980s. During one of our first conversations she related a story about entering East Berlin from the western part of the city at a time when the city was divided and perpetually tense. Why did she go? Simply because she wanted to see what was on the other side. Coming from someone whose appearance was demure rather than dramatic, that conversation was an early introduction to a person who I came to realize embodied strong determination and an intrepid spirit.

The following tributes are written by colleagues and friends who knew her at Universiti Sains Malaysia, and at her final academic position with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris. Sometimes she is referred to as ‘Bad’, an affectionate short form of her name, which (for those unfamiliar with Malay) should be pronounced in the same way as the first three letters of the word ‘body’.

Dr Paul H Kratoska
Editor, JMBRAS

The following tributes have been prepared by some of Dr Badriyah’s many friends and colleagues.

Kobkua S. Pian, formerly of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and later of the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

Anyone who met Dr Badriyah Salleh could not fail to be charmed by her calm posture, her gentleness, her wide knowledge of Malaysian history, and her readiness and generosity to be of assistance if ever required. In my opinion, Bad, as her friends called her, was truly an embodiment of all goodness that one would expect to find in the Malay world. Hailing from Perak, she was clearly very proud of her Malay heritage and of her Islamic faith and identity, and yet she was very aware and sensitive of others, almost to a fault. Throughout our lengthy friendship, Bad was always a kind and helpful friend and colleague.

I first met Bad during her time at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. We had a chance to become colleagues at the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris through similar invitations from Dr Adnan Nawang, then Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Being senior faculty members, we found ourselves bonding together even more, especially in our dealings with new generations of students. Countless times we shared our amazement of our students’ antics and their attitude towards learning, our frustrations, and our rare joy when a student surprised us with an academic breakthrough and scholarship. It was also during our time at Tanjung Malim that I became amazed at how far Bad‘s professional generosity would extend in fulfilling requests from younger colleagues in the History Department. It seemed there was no limit to her willingness to be of help. It was not surprising that she was greatly valued and appreciated by both her colleagues and students.

We retired in the same year. We talked on the phone. We emailed each other. We kept telling each other to always stay in touch. Bad had her health complaints, but everything appeared to be under control. Then suddenly she was no more. It seems unreal. It is hard to come to terms with the loss of a very dear friend. Dearest Bad, you are deeply missed.

Mahani Musa, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang

The death of Dr Badriyah Haji Salleh on 2 July 2015 came as a great shock to fellow historians of Malaysia and others who knew her. Badriyah will be long remembered for the meticulousness and honesty and compassion that were the guiding principles of her life.

Born into the religious family of Haji Salleh, founder of Kampung Haji Salleh and of a madrasah in Temoh, Perak, Dr Badriyah began her career in 1964 as a teacher in Perlis. As one who loved knowledge, she always endeavoured to improve herself. In 1967–1969 she attended a course on Library Science at the Berliner Akademiebibliothek in West Berlin, the Federal Republic of Germany. Six years later, in 1975, she enrolled at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, graduating in 1978 with first class honours in history...