Obituary Siddick Chady

By Dawood Auleear

A late WhatsApp message last Sunday night from Rafick Santally informed me of the critical health condition of Siddick Chady, who was admitted to Artemis hospital due to a complicated heart condition. He did not survive the stroke after a bypass. I am saddened to see the departure of a man who devoted a great part of his life in the service of others, first as a doctor and then as an MLA and cabinet minister. He will be missed by many.

Siddick comes from a well-known family in Rose-Hill. His grandfather was known by his first name of Abbas Khan, a name made famous by his link with the Buckingham cinema hall. When home cinema lost its appeal, Siddick and his family expanded the cinema business by opening a chain of public cinema theatres under the name of ABC which attracted large crowds of cinema goers. It became a reason to go out with friends and families. The other enterprise Siddick had started was a private clinic which he had opened on his premises in Belle Rose even though his political activities left him little time to look after it.

Siddick was a kind man, always smartly dressed and soft-spoken, a man who could win over people with his all-embracing smile. Maybe it is this image that helped him win his first stint as an MLA in 1991. He served two terms, first as Minister of Public Utilities and the second one as Minister of the Environment. He left his mark as a highly-performing member of the cabinet and a most memorable one at that. Plaine Verte still remembers that during the tenure of Siddick all its streets were resurfaced, all its pavements repaired and all its canals cleaned up. No matter what portfolio he held, he was committed to make his constituency attractive and his electorate happy by opening his welcoming arms to everyone indiscriminately.

As happens in politics, one can fall foul of party line as was the case with our departed. Some Labour leaders who did not have much time for him must at least respect him for having been the main Labour politician who won over for Labour the majority of the Muslim electorate, which was close to the MMM at the time, and made Constituency number three a Labour bastion. Very few politicians can rival him in his kindness and openness and his capacity to win over opponents.

I had not known Siddick personally. But when I sought his help as a Minister at the time when I had invited a high-level delegation from a renowned Malaysian University, he cut to the chase and asked me straightaway to list my requests. I submitted three. With a surprised look, he asked me” is that all?” It was my turn to be surprised. All three were granted within minutes. His contribution goes a long way to enable Alif Society to send students to Malaysia for higher education with a record number of over four hundred young boys and girls of humble background, and counting. Recently I contacted Siddick and invited him for a cup of coffee. He accepted my offer with his usual smile but we could not make it as Allah swt had other plans for him by his side.

On behalf of all those graduates who are now able to support their families and look forward to a brighter future, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Chady family and all those touched by his death. May Allah swt pardon his sins and admit him in Jannat ul Firdaus.