Former minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob died this morning of cancer at the Pantai Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur. He was 65.

Known more for his long held tenure as the deputy home minister than as the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister, Megat Junid died at 5.25am with his two wives, Faizah Shuaib and Norzilah Jalil, and their children by his bedside.

His remains were taken to his residence at No 2, Jalan SS7/3 Kelana Jaya before burial at the Islam Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery after Zuhur prayers.

His remains will be taken to Masjid Nurul Yakin, Kelana Jaya, for prayers before burial.

Megat Junid’s prostate cancer was detected 16 months ago and he had undergone surgery in Singapore to remove a growth on the prostate gland.

He was admitted to the Pantai Medical Centre last Nov 19 for a blood clot in the stomach.

His family members were reported as saying that the doctors found him to be weak because the cancer had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and brain.

Megat Junid’s political career began in 1975 as a special assistant to then education minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Born in Teluk Intan, Perak, he then went on to become Mahathir’s political secretary.

He was a Mahathir-loyalist, so much so that the then premier made him the deputy home affairs minister in 1986 and allowed him to ‘run’ the ministry.

Dropped from cabinet

Megat Junid, an ex-teacher, was at the ministry until 1997 when he was made the domestic and consumer affairs minister.

He was dropped from the cabinet after the 1999 general election where he lost to a PAS candidate in the Parit parliamentary seat.

He was one of the four ministers to have lost their seats in the wake of the reformasi movement to protest the jailing of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.

Megat Junid became an Umno supreme council member in 1987 and was made Umno information chief in 2002.

In 2001, he lost to Ramli Ngah Talib in the Umno Pasir Salak division election and that essentially put an end to his three-decade-long political career.

He was also the chairperson of Stemlife Bhd until May 2007 and president of the Kuala Lumpur Football Association.

Today, his former mentor Mahathir and Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan were among the dignitaries present when his remains arrived at his residence at 9.10am.

Also present were former information minister Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, Umno information chief Muhammad Muhd Taib and MCA president Ong Ka Ting.