A Malaysian oasis in the desert

I met two towering Malaysians many thousands of miles away from home base over the weekend during a short trip to Bahrain.

One, many Malaysians would instantly recognize as the Iron Maiden – Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood – the feisty, gutsy lady whose professional life is a biography marked with acts of humanity. She is now leading a life in retirement, but don’t take any bets she has taken her foot off her medical and professional pedal.

The other is a young civil engineer, who left the comfortable – and comforting – bussom of life in big city Kuala Lumpur, for bigger challenges here in even bigger and internationally bustling Bahrain, at the center of the economic, religio and geo-political life at the heart of the Gulf.

This young man introduced himself as Khaizul Yusoff – ambo dari Pasir Mah Kelate (I am from Pasir Mas, Kelantan).

The three of us – Tan Sri, he; and me; met while nibbling away at dates after feasting on briyani and some comforting home-cooked curry at the residence of Malaysian ambassador to Bahrain Dato’ Ahmad Shahizan Abd Samad.

We were united to celebrate the achievements of Dr Jemilah who made Malaysia proud by being the first awardee of the Isa Award for Service to Humanity. (Someone in the party sardonically remarked that he thought the Internal Security Act – ISA – had been banished into the dustbin of Malaysian legal infamy; but that’s a different story).

So while our education elites are kept awake trying to plot our way towards the vision of creating the Malaysian mind worthy of bagging a Nobel Prize, here we have Tan Sri Jemilah actually having scaled the peak. Inaugural it may be, the ISA Awards carries the same cash cachet – a cool US$1 million (multiplied by three at any Malaysian moneychanger) and a gold medal to boot (discount I proffer, the up-again, down-again price of this glistening metal). The award is global in nature, and its shortlisting methods, empanelled assessors, judging process and auditing eye is just as demanding and equally rigorous. Bear in mind the Nobel celebrated its centurion status in 2009, the same year the ISA was established – so give it time.

Who could be a more appropriate awardee than the Assunta alumna (motto Ad Veritatem, Per Caritatem). She famously took a bullet that remain lodged in her hip, selflessly postponing its removal as it would impose on what was already hard-pressed medical facilities in war-torn Iraq.

Dr Jemilah herself is not necessarily easily enamoured by the aura of awards per se, it is the effect that such recognition brings that she likes to direct attention when showered with plaudits.

Firstly, she generously credits the foresight of the Bahrainis for harnessing the region’s prosperity and emerging gravitas through its oil and gas wealth to undertake an initiative that is global in nature.

Further, she said it displayed tremendous foresight and intuition in looking beyond traditional metrics in the field of social, welfare and humanitarian organization and aid. In combing every corner of the world, the ISA Awards committee had highlighted Mercy Malaysia’s humble origins, far-reaching scope, whose efforts lead to sustainability and long term results following the extension of humanitarian aid.

The award embellishes Mercy Malaysia’s profile which reflects very much the nation’s assertion of its growth and development, gender emancipation that leaves behind baggage and ditches angst. Further, it is a manifestation of local efforts originating from nations that at one time was recipient rather than extender of aid efforts.

Khaizul the 32-year-old budok Kelate (the lad from Kelantan) has not yet won any million dollar bounty but every sweat from the brow of this thoroughly Made-in-Malaysia civil engineer would certainly qualify him to be in the running for the ISA Awards as he matures in his professional career.

Khaizul received a local education that combined traditional and religious aspects (he went to both a Sekolah Kebangsaan and a Sekolah Agama Rakyat for his primary and secondary education, followed by attendance in a Sekolah Teknik in upper secondary before going on to UiTM.

He earned his spurs working with a Chinese property developer in Kota Baru before moving to the UEM group in Kuala Lumpur. When the Second Penang Bridge is opened this year, thank Khaizul – he was in the pioneer project management team well before the first piles were sunk to set its foundations.

Being young and restless, he felt a wanderlust when the stable team working on the project was broken up through a variety of normal promotion as well as professional attrition. He spotted an advertisement for civil engineers in the Middle East and took the plunge.

Far from braggadocio nor misplaced bravado, he had built up enough confidence and expertise having benefitted from the UEM Group brand of vocation and education to so much as dare to want to swim with the sharks on a global stage.

Now that he has seen what life is like as an expatriate professional in a foreign land working for the Bahraini Ministry of Works, Khaizul positively revels in the challenge. Together with another Malaysian colleague, the Malaysian duo take charge as project manager on various civil engineering and construction projects that appear to be undertaken in this vibrant nation everywhere you look.

Life is positively upbeat for Khaizul, so much so that his wife is able to leave a comfortable job in Kuala Lumpur to come and live with him here in Bahrain.

What is it about the experience living as an expat he likes and values so much? “Its the quality of life,” he immediately profers. And why not – when the remuneration is so much higher! More importantly, Khaizul finds more gets done in a much shorter period of time. This leaves him aghast that working long hours back in Kuala Lumpur is an accepted feature of working life.

Indeed, normal working hours start at seven in the morning and ends at 2:30 in the afternoon. “No one answers emails beyond that time,” he says. Not that nothing gets done as a result, only that all effort and concentration is spent to complete whatever task is being tackled within the hours allotted.

My trip to Bahrain ends today and I leave for home richer for the experience. I return bringing with me images and memories of how Malaysians are making their mark on a global stage. Thanks to their exploits, I am energized by the efforts of two towering Malaysian, one richer by a million dollars.

Ends.

RAZAK CHIK believes there is room to change our work ethics and that Cyril Northcote Parkinson’s observation that work expands to fill the time available for its completion does not apply here in Bahrain; and they are certainly none the worse for it.