Ahhh to be born a Malay. To be born a Malay and a Bugis...remember what Kept Man said? We Bugis are warriors. And to be born a Malay, a Bugis, and in Selangor...Segambut to be exact...what else can anyone ask for? But wait, there is more. I am also a MACOBA - a Malay College Old Boy...so why, I am asking myself when you were born a Malay, of Bugis lineage, a Selangorian and a MACOBA...why are you living 6000km away in Melbourne? Well, the tale is long and convoluted, so let us not go there. Suffice to say that when life throws curve balls at you, be prepared to take what comes your way, deal with it the best way you can, and move on.
I have been in business for most of my life, except for the first two years of my working life, when I worked as an underwriter for MNI. While working with MNI, I started selling Beefburgers after work with help from my wife who made the burgers and sold the burgers with me till late, at Padang Brown beside the Penang Jail. My pay from MNI was RM$600 a month. We made RM$1500 the first month we started selling burgers. I handed in my resignation to MNI at the end of the first month and have been in business since.
When later we moved to KL and started doing business with the government - trading, and tendering - one of the first things I remembered was having competition from Pernas. And until today, I still remember me asking myself...how am I to compete with Pernas?
And I also remember the corruption.
From office supplies for government departments to supplying Mindef with water tanks on trailers, always, corruption was everywhere. Money in envelopes, free lunches and dinners that escalated to 'entertainments' - and later, much later, full-tilt corruption that involve breathtaking sums of cash carried in briefcases. I saw it all.
It got nasty when we had to deal with ministries where the various tiers of littler napoleons, Ketua Pengarahs, Political Secs of Ministers, and the Ministers themselves were involved. I know of Pol Secs who will nonchalantly toss envelopes of cash that we gave them into their drawers - where, if you managed to have a look - there will be other envelopes also stuffed with cash either for themselves, their ministers or, as they will always insist, for Umno......your guess is as good as mine.
It is at this level, that things get complicated. When you are dealing with these gatekeepers, you are dependent upon what they say their bosses want. Dato wants this, Dato wants that. Dato thinks this and Dato thinks that. Dato wants an upfront and then Dato wants some cash for expenses for an upcoming election or even a trip overseas. If you do not have a way to check if that is what Dato wants, then you will have to take the word of the gatekeepers as being gospel - sometimes expensive gospels that have no relevance to the 'business' that you are doing with that ministry.
All things considered, this was the way things are in those days when Umno was in charge with a two-thirds majority and nothing can shake them as the powers that be. And the gravy train kept chugging along and there was always enough for everybody - and damm the rakyats.
I am sure that that mentality and that way of doing things are still the way of doing things today under this PH government - but what may change will probably be that things aren't that open anymore. Greed is no longer a good thing - you have to be more discreet. For those in business, it is more of the same modus operandi - only the characters have changed.
Every time there is a change in KPs, KSUs. Ministers and government - a new batch of people and their gatekeepers moved into Putrajaya and there is a scramble by the business sector to start new relationships, make new friends, and build up new contacts so that business can continue uninterrupted.
It is a buyer's market. If you want to get to the Ministers...you pay or buy your way upwards. Even knowing their drivers is a plus because you have first-hand information as to where the minister is at any given point in time in case you need to meet with him - accidentally or intentionally. If your best friend is an in-law of the Minister's PA you are already halfway in. If your in-law is the Pol Sec...you will soon be laughing all the way to the bank.
Such is life for those who are in positions of power or have access to those with political power. And the closeness or distance from political power is critical and crucial to the success or failure of what you want to do - whatever that thing you want to do lah. Nudge nudge wink wink.
I hope PMX will short-circuit all this nonsense and really keep his word on zero tolerance for corruption. Enough said.
Learn the Singapore way.