Malaysia’s oldest retired police commissioner died of old age at 1.55am at the Ara Damansara Medical Centre.
Raj had been in and out of hospital after a fall in September at his Damansara Kim home here.
On his 100th birthday on July 27, Raj told FMT: “The best way we can all live is with love. The affection and support of my family and friends have kept me going all my life.”
He earned great respect and admiration from his peers for his professionalism during his 30-year career in the police force.
His key posts included being the former chief police officer of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang, as well as deputy commissioner in Sarawak. He retired in 1976 as federal director of management, with the rank of commissioner.
Raj stamped his mark in many areas of policing, showing a commitment to authentic issues with care, sympathy and integrity.
Retired senior police officers, in paying tribute to Raj, said he was inspiring, much-liked and respected as an officer who wasn’t afraid to tackle head-on some of the most difficult issues facing society.
Lawyer Sharad John said his grandfather lived a fulfilling life as a loving family man and served the nation with distinction, adding: “He never complained and focused on getting the job done.
“He inspired his officers, staff, and the ordinary man and had time for anyone in need, doing everything from the heart.
“His legacy of caring and devotion to family and friends will be cherished and emulated by many,” Sharad said.
Raj served during some of the most tumultuous years in our nation’s history – World War II, the two Malayan emergencies and also played a key role in the historic events that followed.
He witnessed the Japanese Occupation of Malaya and their surrender, the British reoccupation, the anxious period of the Malayan Union, and the formation of the Federation of Malaya.
Raj’s experiences are recorded in his two memoirs, “The War Years and After” (published in 2000) and “The Struggle for Malaysian Independence” (2007) which, among other things, delved into how close the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) was in realising the establishment of the Socialist Republic of Malaya.
He had often said the Bukit Kepong incident, one of the darkest days for the police force, remained one of his most agonising memories.
Twenty-three policemen and their families were massacred in the attack on Feb 23, 1950. Some of them were burned alive.
Writing a chapter, Gallant Last Stand at Bukit Kepong, in a book, “Operation Sharp End (Smashing Terrorism in Malaya 1948-1958)” by a British author, Raj paid tribute to the gallant men and women who defended the police station.
Then, the Pagoh district police chief with the rank of inspector, Raj related the story of how 13 Malay policemen, supported by their wives, held the enemy off for several hours against overwhelming odds.
And how, finally, the incensed communists showed their usual barbarity and threw men, women and children, some still alive, into the burning remains of the police station.
Raj’s heroics were detailed in a Bukit Aman tribute to him this morning, highlighting how he and his Tiger Squad traversed the thick jungles and swamps for three hours to do battle with the terrorists and rescue those who survived the Bukit Kepong tragedy.
The name JJ Raj Jr came about as his late brother, who was 10 years his senior and retired as federal criminal investigation department director, also carried the same name, JJ Raj Sr.
The brothers were raised in Hulu Chemor, Perak, by their parents, John Ravi Raj and Rosalind Raj.
After Senior Cambridge (Form Five) at St Michael’s Institution in Ipoh, Raj moved to Jelutong, Penang, with his mother and brother following the death of his father.
After World War II ended in 1945, he briefly joined the British Military Administration before joining the police as part of the first intake of 10 probationary police inspectors a year later.
He later served under luminaries such as British high commissioner and security operations chief Gerald Templer and the last British inspector-general of police Claude H Fenner.
Raj was handpicked by Fenner as commandant of the Police College to nurture more Malaysian officers to take over from the Britons.
Upon retirement, Raj was appointed as a member of the Federal Pardons Board which reviews cases of inmates appealing for release from prison.
He served the board continuously for more than 42 years under 10 kings and five prime ministers and was bestowed the Tan Sri title for his enormous contributions to the nation.
Raj was also actively involved in the corporate sector and non-governmental associations. In the field of sports, he served as deputy president of the National Shooting Association of Malaysia.
He is survived by four children, John Ravi and his wife Andrea from UK; Indrani and her husband, former federal court judge Prasad Abraham; Rohini and her husband Dr J D John; and Shantinee who resides in Greece.
Raj also leaves three grandchildren, Juliet, Sharad, Shalini and her husband, Mogan.
His wife, Irene, died in 2007.
The wake will be held at the Nirvana Memorial Park in Shah Alam today (1.30pm to 7pm) and Sunday (10am to 7pm). The cremation is on Monday at about 9.30am.