From Bamako to Makkah, Two Memories That Will Never Be Forgotten

PUTRAJAYA: Who would have thought that a shopping trip in Bamako, Mali, in 1984 would become one of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail’s most cherished memories of the late Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

While accompanying Dr Siti Hasmah on the trip, Dr Wan Azizah took a liking to an engraved silver bracelet but realised she had no cash with her, while the market did not accept card payments.

Faced with the predicament, Dr Siti Hasmah offered to pay for it first.

“She asked me, ‘Do you like it?’ I felt embarrassed to say yes — how could I let the Prime Minister’s wife pay for it? But Kak Hasmah insisted that she could pay for the bracelet first.

“I thought to myself, if I didn’t buy it then, when would I ever get the chance to come here again? In the end, I agreed to let Dr Siti Hasmah pay first and I reimbursed her later,” she said in an exclusive interview with Sinar Harian at the Prime Minister’s official residence, Seri Perdana Complex, here on Wednesday.

Dr Wan Azizah said what she remembered most was not the money, but the way Dr Siti Hasmah treated her like an elder sister helping her younger sibling.

The memory dates back to 1984, when Dr Wan Azizah and Dr Siti Hasmah travelled to several African countries, including Mali, before continuing their journey to perform umrah.

From Bamako, the journey led to another unforgettable experience for Dr Wan Azizah when she was given the opportunity to enter the Kaaba.

She said Dr Mahathir was also given the opportunity to enter the Kaaba at the time, and she never expected that she would be given the same privilege.

However, Dr Wan Azizah first had to perform ablution before entering Masjid al-Haram and was worried that she might miss the opportunity.

“I thought Dr Siti Hasmah wouldn’t wait and that I would miss the chance to enter. But she waited for me to finish, and we entered the Kaaba together with the delegation. Alhamdulillah,” she said.

Dr Wan Azizah said the experience was deeply meaningful because she had never imagined that she would have the opportunity to enter the Kaaba.

For her, the two experiences in Bamako and Makkah remain among the most personal memories she holds of Dr Siti Hasmah.

Those small moments also reflected the caring side of the woman she affectionately called “Kak Hasmah” — an elder sister figure who was loving and always attentive to those around her.

More than four decades later, Dr Siti Hasmah’s gesture of helping her buy the bracelet in Bamako and waiting for her before entering the Kaaba remain priceless memories.

“She was an inspiration in my life. She set an example for me and also taught me valuable lessons,” she said.

Sinar Harian