For Suhaimi's a jolly good fellow

(-)UCK (- )E I(-) T(-)E A(-)(-) T(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)T

He’ll most probably size you up first – whether you are a Boko Haram-IS sleeper part-time agent sent to cleanse this world of personal levity; or that is your pickup line trying to cut the long queue to get your hands on one of his desirable batik couture creations.

If he decides you are the latter; he’ll cheekily give you his diplomatic solution – LUCK BE IN THE AIR TONIGHT!

After almost eight years at the helm of Astro AWANI, the channel bade farewell to the chief.

Suhaimi Sulaiman has called the daily 9-to-5 grind a day; to begin a new 9-to-9; 24-hour workday. Far from slaving away at the stove though, his new 24-hour daily schedule is no grind. It is going to give him pure fun, plenty of play, and there’s nothing to sniff at with the pay.

That he has created for himself a new niche in the world of business is all down to pluck, not wholly luck.

Suhaimi is now an entrepreneur – despite the cheeky ribbing of an erstwhile boss describing him as giving up the glamour of the broadcast media for the sweaty toil and plebeian stamp of the cottage industry.

Suhaimi Sulaiman

DOWN IN THE COTTAGE

But wait for it, it could not have been anything Freudian as Suhaimi indeed has chosen to move to the rag industry.

His fertile mind is the progenitor of the Su & Ash line of couture batik with his signature stamp of classy sparsity. Indeed, it is a clever reworking of the theme that 'Less is More'.

You won’t find every inch of the lush fabric battling cheek-by-jowl shouting for print. What there is either strategically sewed to the pocket or shuffled to one side ; giving a sense of straight line and slim design.

I doubt the bataks of Brastagi or the milliners in Makkasar, much less the buluh runcing bunch in Ciliwong will find ammo to fuel narrow nationalist claim to dispute patent origins and brand ownership. (By the way, Suhaimi more than likely has Sumatran blood coursing through his veins from the generation of migration from the hills of Bukit Tinggi to the shores of Lubok Cino!)

Before taking the plunge, Suhaimi had done his maths. He now resides and operates in a market where prosperity is measured, not by the hemline but by the girth of the waistline.

Personally, I credit people of that ilk and his persuasion as having more money than sense – which makes them a lot of fun to be around.

But if there’s enough men (and soon women – the ladies line is to come I am reliably informed) out there with bulging wallets who find joy in his couture creations; then Suhaimi has found a rich seam to mine.

So the task before those amongst us who Suhaimi left behind was how to organise a suitable sendoff in his last weekend. In the event, the team managed to pull off a raucous farewell bash over the weekend.

My own verdict was the boisterous hilarity and risque entertainment laid out went down a treat.

But always at the back of the minds amongst the revellers was this was a great loss.

Hands up those of you who share with me the desire that goodbyes should be banished from the dictionary.

I for one like to bawl out Auld Lang Syne – so long as it is sung in great gusto as one heralds in the new year and proffer good riddance to the old one.

But when you have to bid Bon Voyage and say adieu to a leader, a colleague, a superior and a friend; no amount of silent tears can soften the sorrow and sense of great loss.

After helming Astro AWANI since inception in 2007; Suhaimi Sulaiman rode the descending escalator of the Bursa Malaysia annexe on Friday, March 6 for the last time just a little after 10pm.

Sure, no organisation is perfect. He may have a relaxed view of proper convention and even relent when his religiosity is questioned; but before we cast the first stone, it would do us well to remind ourselves that only the Prophet is Perfection.

Before becoming a part of the Awani family; my only acquaintance with 501 was the numerical mountain I had to chip away in a boozy game of pub darts. Friend and foe, supporters and detractors now look at Awani with envy and respect. This did not come about without blood, sweat and tears. The constant that took Awani on this journey was Suhami.