If young coconuts, for instance, are in popular demand and rural folk are earning from the sale of the fruit, it is in no small measure due to Sanusi who was agriculture minister from 1986 to 1996, when he was appointed Kedah menteri besar.
Having been a banker before joining politics and Umno, Sanusi saw money in coconuts. And he wanted the rural Malay to benefit from it. To promote the drinking and sale of young coconuts, the maverick minister even organised an international coconut tree-climbing contest.
Today, one can find young coconuts being sold beside roads, and coconut water is even canned for export.
Sanusi saw worn-out tyres being discarded, and promptly got officials to collect these and dumped loads of them into the sea to create artificial reefs to increase the fish population so that the earnings of fishermen would increase.
Such programmes, although causing amusement among some people, including his colleagues, at that time, benefitted the rural, land- or sea- dependent ordinary Malaysian.
But he was equally adept when engaging with urbanites and could easily hold discussions on policy matters and international politics with all and sundry. After all, the man knew at least four languages: English, Bahasa Malaysia, Tamil and German.
As Daim Zainuddin, his cabinet colleague and one time finance minister recalled, Sanusi was intelligent, knowledgeable, full of ideas and “always ahead of his time”.
It is not surprising, therefore, that many people have expressed messages of condolence to his family, among them Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Najib tweeted that Sanusi’s contributions to Umno and the Barisan Nasional would be remembered and cherished.
“Condolences to the family of former Kedah Menteri Besar Tan Sri Sanusi Junid who passed away this morning. His contributions to Umno and the BN will be remembered and cherished. May his soul be blessed by Allah SWT. Al-Fatihah,” he said.
Born in Yan, Kedah, Sanusi studied at the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar before furthering his studies at London University. He joined Standard Chartered Bank in 1963, and the same year became an Umno member.
In 1974, he stood and won in the Jerai parliamentary constituency in Kedah, and in 1978 was made deputy minister of land and regional development. In 1980 he served as deputy home minister, before being promoted to become minister of land and regional development the following year.
He died at his residence in Pantai Dalam here at the age of 75. The cause of death has yet to be ascertained. Sanusi’s son, Akramsyah, was reported as saying that his father was waiting for the Subuh call to prayer when he died.
He was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery after the Friday prayers.