Ku Li: State seat contest claims mere speculation
KOTA BARU: Mere speculation – this is how Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah described claims that he would be picked to contest in a state seat in Kelantan.
The former Umno strongman, the longest-serving parliamentarian in the country, said speculation would continue until nomination day.
It is learnt that the state Umno, as part of efforts to recapture Kelantan, is planning to field Tengku Razaleigh in a state seat.
Part of the plan also involved having Tengku Razaleigh, who is fondly called Ku Li, appointed the mentri besar.
However, several state Umno insiders expressed doubt that the 71-year-old Kelantan prince would contest at state level, believing that he would prefer to be at federal level.
“It's belittling. Perhaps, it is a spin from the Opposition to confuse Umno members here. Ku Li was once linked to the mentri besar's post but that was way back in 1969, when he contested a state seat,” said a source.
Tengku Razaleigh said candidates for the general election should be nominated from the division level as they represented the machinery that would spearhead the campaigning efforts in each parliamentary constituency.
“We hope that the leadership will listen closely to the voices at the division level. The divisions play a role in determining the winning factor. Where I stand will also be determined by members from my own division,” the former finance minister said.
State Umno information head Datuk Md Alwi Che Ahmad said Tengku Razaleigh was correct in saying that the divisions could nominate the candidates as this was part of the party constitution.
“However, the party president (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) will have the final say in determining the list of candidates,” Md Alwi said.
He also described claims that Tengku Razaleigh would contest in the state seat as speculation, adding that Umno should not “put the cart before the horse” here as the most important thing was winning back Kelantan first before deciding on who should be the mentri besar.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Ku Li bidas kerajaan Pas rampas tanah Felcra - Berita Harian 26 Jan 08
GUA MUSANG: Ahli Parlimen Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (gambar), berkata kerajaan Pas tidak sepatutnya mengambil kembali tanah seluas 1,400 hektar yang sudah dimajukan Felcra sejak 20 tahun lalu di sini.
Katanya, sebelum ini kerajaan negeri menggalak dan memberikan persetujuan kepada agensi itu membangunkan tanah berkenaan, katanya.
Penyerahan tanah itu membabitkan empat kawasan iaitu ladang Panggung Lalat 1, 3 dan 4 di sini yang diusahakan dengan tanaman getah dan ladang Gual Tambun di Rantau Panjang yang ditanam dengan kelapa sawit.
Rancangan tanah itu sudah dimajukan oleh sebuah agensi kerajaan Pusat tetapi dengan senang kerajaan Pas merampas balik tanah itu tanpa sebab hingga agensi berkenaan kehilangan hasil RM24 juta setahun, kata Tengku Razaleigh kepada pemberita selepas majlis perjumpaan dengan Jentera Peti Undi di Rancangan Kemajuan Tanah (RKT) Kesedar Paloh Dua, di sini, semalam.
Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pentadbiran Awam, Perancangan Ekonomi, Kewangan dan Pembangunan Masyarakat negeri, Datuk Husam Musa baru-baru ini, berkata tanah yang diusahakan Felcra itu adalah milik kerajaan negeri dan agensi berkenaan turut bersetuju membayar RM5.9 juta kepada kerajaan negeri sebagai ganjaran.
Beliau berkata, tanah ladang itu akan memberi pendapatan kira-kira RM900,000 sebulan kepada kerajaan negeri.
Tengku Razaleigh berkata, kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) pernah menebus semula tanah yang digadai kerajaan Pas seluas 140,000 hektar di Hulu Kelantan, kepada sebuah syarikat asing pada era 70-an.
Penebusan semula tanah sejumlah RM3 juta itu, membolehkan kerajaan BN membuka rancangan pembangunan tanah secara besar-besaran seperti Felda dan Lembaga Kemajuan Kelantan Selatan (Kesedar) yang memberi faedah besar kepada rakyat Kelantan sekarang ini, katanya. - Bernama
Katanya, sebelum ini kerajaan negeri menggalak dan memberikan persetujuan kepada agensi itu membangunkan tanah berkenaan, katanya.
Penyerahan tanah itu membabitkan empat kawasan iaitu ladang Panggung Lalat 1, 3 dan 4 di sini yang diusahakan dengan tanaman getah dan ladang Gual Tambun di Rantau Panjang yang ditanam dengan kelapa sawit.
Rancangan tanah itu sudah dimajukan oleh sebuah agensi kerajaan Pusat tetapi dengan senang kerajaan Pas merampas balik tanah itu tanpa sebab hingga agensi berkenaan kehilangan hasil RM24 juta setahun, kata Tengku Razaleigh kepada pemberita selepas majlis perjumpaan dengan Jentera Peti Undi di Rancangan Kemajuan Tanah (RKT) Kesedar Paloh Dua, di sini, semalam.
Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pentadbiran Awam, Perancangan Ekonomi, Kewangan dan Pembangunan Masyarakat negeri, Datuk Husam Musa baru-baru ini, berkata tanah yang diusahakan Felcra itu adalah milik kerajaan negeri dan agensi berkenaan turut bersetuju membayar RM5.9 juta kepada kerajaan negeri sebagai ganjaran.
Beliau berkata, tanah ladang itu akan memberi pendapatan kira-kira RM900,000 sebulan kepada kerajaan negeri.
Tengku Razaleigh berkata, kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) pernah menebus semula tanah yang digadai kerajaan Pas seluas 140,000 hektar di Hulu Kelantan, kepada sebuah syarikat asing pada era 70-an.
Penebusan semula tanah sejumlah RM3 juta itu, membolehkan kerajaan BN membuka rancangan pembangunan tanah secara besar-besaran seperti Felda dan Lembaga Kemajuan Kelantan Selatan (Kesedar) yang memberi faedah besar kepada rakyat Kelantan sekarang ini, katanya. - Bernama
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Pas tidak mampu - 24 Jan
GUA MUSANG: Pengalaman Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (Semangat 46) yang pernah bekerjasama dengan PAS selama dua penggal sejak 1990 membuktikan yang PAS tidak mampu melakukan apa yang dirancang untuk rakyat, kata bekas Presiden Semangat 46, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
Beliau berkata sepanjang tempoh itu banyak perkara yang melibatkan kebajikan rakyat tidak terlaksana menyebabkan rakyat naik muak dengan janji-janji yang dibuat.
Tengku Razaleigh yang juga anggota Parlimen Gua Musang berkata kenyataan Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang baru-baru ini yang berjanji akan menjadikan Malaysia sebagai negara kebajikan sekiranya parti itu menang dalam pilihan raya umum ke-12, merupakan satu kenyataan yang tidak berpijak di bumi nyata.
"Setakat hendak cakap, siapapun boleh bercakap tapi buat tidak boleh," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan bantuan Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pelajar Miskin (Kwapm) kepada 850 pelajar di Sekolah Kebangsaan Jerek, dekat sini Rabu.
Parti Melayu Semangat 46 ditubuhkan oleh Tengku Razaleigh bersamasama dengan Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim (kini Menteri Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan) pada 1988. Semangat 46 pernah bekerjasama dengan PAS dalam pilihan raya umum pada 1990 dan 1994.
Selepas Semangat 46 dibubarkan pada bulan Mei 1996, Tengku Razaleigh dan Dr Rais menyertai UMNO semula.
Tengku Razaleigh berkata apa yang dijanjikan oleh PAS merupakan manifestasi yang tidak mungkin dilakukan.
Katanya kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) telah melaksanakan tanggungjawab untuk membantu rakyat kurang kemampuan melalui pelbagai bantuan dan sumbangan.
Mengenai pilihan raya umum akan datang, Anggota Majlis Tertinggi (MT) Umno itu yakin rakyat Kelantan sudah bersedia menukar kerajaan dan memberi mandat kepada BN memerintah negeri itu.
"Rakyat sudah tahu siapa kerajaan yang mampu memberi perubahan kepada rakyat Kelantan," katanya.
Mengenai pencalonan beliau dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang, Tengku Razaleigh berkata beliau menyerahkan perkara itu kepada pucuk pimpinan untuk menentukannya. Bernama
Beliau berkata sepanjang tempoh itu banyak perkara yang melibatkan kebajikan rakyat tidak terlaksana menyebabkan rakyat naik muak dengan janji-janji yang dibuat.
Tengku Razaleigh yang juga anggota Parlimen Gua Musang berkata kenyataan Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang baru-baru ini yang berjanji akan menjadikan Malaysia sebagai negara kebajikan sekiranya parti itu menang dalam pilihan raya umum ke-12, merupakan satu kenyataan yang tidak berpijak di bumi nyata.
"Setakat hendak cakap, siapapun boleh bercakap tapi buat tidak boleh," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan bantuan Kumpulan Wang Amanah Pelajar Miskin (Kwapm) kepada 850 pelajar di Sekolah Kebangsaan Jerek, dekat sini Rabu.
Parti Melayu Semangat 46 ditubuhkan oleh Tengku Razaleigh bersamasama dengan Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim (kini Menteri Kebudayaan, Kesenian dan Warisan) pada 1988. Semangat 46 pernah bekerjasama dengan PAS dalam pilihan raya umum pada 1990 dan 1994.
Selepas Semangat 46 dibubarkan pada bulan Mei 1996, Tengku Razaleigh dan Dr Rais menyertai UMNO semula.
Tengku Razaleigh berkata apa yang dijanjikan oleh PAS merupakan manifestasi yang tidak mungkin dilakukan.
Katanya kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) telah melaksanakan tanggungjawab untuk membantu rakyat kurang kemampuan melalui pelbagai bantuan dan sumbangan.
Mengenai pilihan raya umum akan datang, Anggota Majlis Tertinggi (MT) Umno itu yakin rakyat Kelantan sudah bersedia menukar kerajaan dan memberi mandat kepada BN memerintah negeri itu.
"Rakyat sudah tahu siapa kerajaan yang mampu memberi perubahan kepada rakyat Kelantan," katanya.
Mengenai pencalonan beliau dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang, Tengku Razaleigh berkata beliau menyerahkan perkara itu kepada pucuk pimpinan untuk menentukannya. Bernama
Pas promises 'unrealistic'
GUA MUSANG: The experience of the defunct Parti Melayu Semangat 46, which collaborated with Pas in the 1990s, has shown that the Islamic party was incapable of carrying out its plans for the people, said former Semangat 46 president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
He said that during that period, many things concerning the people's welfare were not implemented, resulting in the people getting fed up with the empty promises.
Tengku Razaleigh, who is the Umno-Barisan Nasional Gua Musang Member of Parliament, said Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's recent promise to make Malaysia a welfare state if it won the 12th general election, was unrealistic.
"It's all talk. Anyone can talk but they cannot perform," he said after presenting aid from the Poor Students Trust Fund to 850 pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Jerek near here yesterday.
Semangat 46 was set up by Tengku Razaleigh and Datuk Dr Rais Yatim (now Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister) in 1988.
It collaborated with Pas in the 1990 and 1994 general elections.
Both leaders rejoined Umno after Semangat 46 was dissolved in May 1996.
Tengku Razaleigh said the BN government had carried out its duty to help the less fortunate.
On the next general election, Tengku Razaleigh who is also an Umno supreme council member, said he believed the people of Kelantan were ready for a change in government and would give BN the mandate to rule the state.
"The people already know which government can bring change to the people of Kelantan," he said.
He also said he was leaving it to the party leadership to decide on his candidacy. -- Bernama
Peranan Ku Li di dalam KL - Kepong
KL-Kepong, The Plantation Powerhouse That Chin Hin & Loy Seng Built
By Yong Soo Heong June 02, 2007 18:45 PM
IPOH, June 2 (Bernama) - Kuala Lumpur-Kepong Bhd (KLK) would not have been a
plantation powerhouse today if not for the dreams of two young men - Yeoh
Chin Hin and Lee Loy Seng - in the 1950s.
With most of the big plantations owned by the British back then, both Lee
and Yeoh thought that they too could be just as good as the Brits, if not
better.
"We reckoned that we could do it, too," said Yeoh, one of the founding
directors of KLK, who probably became the oldest recipient of the Darjah
Dato' Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) award from the Sultan of Perak recently at
the ripe old age of 86.
Yeoh, who said that he was grateful to the Perak sultan for the conferment,
added: "If Loy Seng were to be alive today, I think he will be very happy
for me, too."
Lee, who became a Tan Sri for his contributions to the country's plantation
industry, was popularly known as "taiko," Cantonese for elder brother as he
was the elder of a pair of twins. He passed away in 1993 but not before he
had built up KLK from a smallish firm into one of the major plantation
entities in this region together with Yeoh, who had always kept a low
profile all these years.
Yeoh, in an interview with Bernama in conjunction with the country's 50th
year of independence, said he struck a long and lasting friendship as well
as partnership with Lee although they were in different businesses
originally.
Yeoh, who was then running his family-owned building materials company in
tin-rich Ipoh back in the 1950s, got to know Lee who used to own a tin mine.
"I was supplying building materials for his tin mining operations and that
was how we got to know each other," Yeoh told Bernama at his residence at
Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, which was completed in 1957.
"You can say that it's a Merdeka house," he said of the modest bungalow.
As a result of their frequent meetings, both Yeoh and Lee gradually reckoned
that plantations were the way forward in the future.
They were proven right because the business not only provided a steady
income from the tree crops, but the land itself formed a valuable financial
resource if there was ever a need to change the land use and develop it into
real estate.
They decided to buy into Kuala Lumpur Rubber Co Ltd, which later changed its
name to Kuala Lumpur-Kepong Amalgamated Ltd ("KLKA"), the forerunner of the
present KLK.
In 1967, Yeoh and Lee were appointed to KLKA's Board. Four years later, KLKA
set up its head office in Kuala Lumpur and in 1972, KLKA's tax residence was
transferred from the United Kingdom to Malaysia.
In 1973, KLK was incorporated in Malaysia and under a Scheme of
Reconstruction, KLKA went into voluntary liquidation with KLK taking over
the assets and liabilities of KLKA.
It was at this juncture that the expansion of KLK began, with the group
acquiring 28,000 acres of jungle land in north central Johor. It was at this
time when both Yeoh and Lee received strong support from UMNO stalwart and
former finance minister Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah.
"Tengku Razaleigh wasn't a minister as yet and was also one of the company's
founding directors. It was he who mobilised many thousands of young
Kelantanese to go to Johor to work on the plantations," said Yeoh.
Till today, Tengku Razaleigh's younger brother, Tengku Robert, still sits on
the KLK Board.
Asked on the achievements of KLK, which has today become one of the largest
plantation companies in Malaysia, he said it was proof that Malaysians can
do the job just as well as the British planters, if not better.
He said that Malaysians had formed the backbone of the plantation industry
more than 50 years ago although the British planters had called the shots
prior to Independence in 1957.
The government, he said, played a strong part in helping companies like KLK
becoming major plantation players in the country.
He said the peaceful conditions in the country brought on by a stable
government and the continued industrial harmony in the plantation sector had
enabled many plantation companies to prosper.
Looking back into what had been achieved by KLK, Yeoh, whose son, Eng Khoon
is also on the board of KLK together with two children of Lee (Oi Hian and
Hau Hian), said he and Lee had been proven right by going into large-scale
acquisition of plantation land.
Such purchases, which became strong business cases where the land could also
be turned into valuable real estate, was best exemplified the fact that
plantation land previously owned by the company had been transformed into
much-sought real estate at Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya and into the
country's new federal administrative capital, Putrajaya.
Today, KLK has emerged as a powerhouse in palm oil, rubber, cocoa and
oleochemicals, with some interest in pharmaceuticals, toiletries and
property development as well.
As far as plantations are concerned, it has even ventured into Indonesia in
a big way.
When asked on what he hopes for KLK in the future, the experienced Yeoh had
this to say to the younger people in the company today: "Do listen to your
elders. Ask if you don't know."
-- BERNAMA
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Berita Malaysia / bmalaysia mailing lists
By Yong Soo Heong June 02, 2007 18:45 PM
IPOH, June 2 (Bernama) - Kuala Lumpur-Kepong Bhd (KLK) would not have been a
plantation powerhouse today if not for the dreams of two young men - Yeoh
Chin Hin and Lee Loy Seng - in the 1950s.
With most of the big plantations owned by the British back then, both Lee
and Yeoh thought that they too could be just as good as the Brits, if not
better.
"We reckoned that we could do it, too," said Yeoh, one of the founding
directors of KLK, who probably became the oldest recipient of the Darjah
Dato' Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) award from the Sultan of Perak recently at
the ripe old age of 86.
Yeoh, who said that he was grateful to the Perak sultan for the conferment,
added: "If Loy Seng were to be alive today, I think he will be very happy
for me, too."
Lee, who became a Tan Sri for his contributions to the country's plantation
industry, was popularly known as "taiko," Cantonese for elder brother as he
was the elder of a pair of twins. He passed away in 1993 but not before he
had built up KLK from a smallish firm into one of the major plantation
entities in this region together with Yeoh, who had always kept a low
profile all these years.
Yeoh, in an interview with Bernama in conjunction with the country's 50th
year of independence, said he struck a long and lasting friendship as well
as partnership with Lee although they were in different businesses
originally.
Yeoh, who was then running his family-owned building materials company in
tin-rich Ipoh back in the 1950s, got to know Lee who used to own a tin mine.
"I was supplying building materials for his tin mining operations and that
was how we got to know each other," Yeoh told Bernama at his residence at
Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, which was completed in 1957.
"You can say that it's a Merdeka house," he said of the modest bungalow.
As a result of their frequent meetings, both Yeoh and Lee gradually reckoned
that plantations were the way forward in the future.
They were proven right because the business not only provided a steady
income from the tree crops, but the land itself formed a valuable financial
resource if there was ever a need to change the land use and develop it into
real estate.
They decided to buy into Kuala Lumpur Rubber Co Ltd, which later changed its
name to Kuala Lumpur-Kepong Amalgamated Ltd ("KLKA"), the forerunner of the
present KLK.
In 1967, Yeoh and Lee were appointed to KLKA's Board. Four years later, KLKA
set up its head office in Kuala Lumpur and in 1972, KLKA's tax residence was
transferred from the United Kingdom to Malaysia.
In 1973, KLK was incorporated in Malaysia and under a Scheme of
Reconstruction, KLKA went into voluntary liquidation with KLK taking over
the assets and liabilities of KLKA.
It was at this juncture that the expansion of KLK began, with the group
acquiring 28,000 acres of jungle land in north central Johor. It was at this
time when both Yeoh and Lee received strong support from UMNO stalwart and
former finance minister Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah.
"Tengku Razaleigh wasn't a minister as yet and was also one of the company's
founding directors. It was he who mobilised many thousands of young
Kelantanese to go to Johor to work on the plantations," said Yeoh.
Till today, Tengku Razaleigh's younger brother, Tengku Robert, still sits on
the KLK Board.
Asked on the achievements of KLK, which has today become one of the largest
plantation companies in Malaysia, he said it was proof that Malaysians can
do the job just as well as the British planters, if not better.
He said that Malaysians had formed the backbone of the plantation industry
more than 50 years ago although the British planters had called the shots
prior to Independence in 1957.
The government, he said, played a strong part in helping companies like KLK
becoming major plantation players in the country.
He said the peaceful conditions in the country brought on by a stable
government and the continued industrial harmony in the plantation sector had
enabled many plantation companies to prosper.
Looking back into what had been achieved by KLK, Yeoh, whose son, Eng Khoon
is also on the board of KLK together with two children of Lee (Oi Hian and
Hau Hian), said he and Lee had been proven right by going into large-scale
acquisition of plantation land.
Such purchases, which became strong business cases where the land could also
be turned into valuable real estate, was best exemplified the fact that
plantation land previously owned by the company had been transformed into
much-sought real estate at Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya and into the
country's new federal administrative capital, Putrajaya.
Today, KLK has emerged as a powerhouse in palm oil, rubber, cocoa and
oleochemicals, with some interest in pharmaceuticals, toiletries and
property development as well.
As far as plantations are concerned, it has even ventured into Indonesia in
a big way.
When asked on what he hopes for KLK in the future, the experienced Yeoh had
this to say to the younger people in the company today: "Do listen to your
elders. Ask if you don't know."
-- BERNAMA
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Berita Malaysia / bmalaysia mailing lists
Pas incapable of delivering
By BERNAMA
25 January, 2008
The experience of the defunct Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (Semangat 46), which collaborated with PAS in the 1990s, shows that PAS is incapable of carrying out its plans for the people, former Semangat 46 president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today. He said that during that period, many things concerning the people’s welfare were not implemented, resulting in the people getting fed up with the empty promises.
Tengku Razaleigh, who is the Gua Musang member of Parliament, said PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent statement promising to make Malaysia a welfare state if it wins the 12th general election, was an unrealistic one.
“It’s all talk. Anyone can talk but they cannot perform,” he told reporters after persenting aid from the Poor Students Trust Fund to 850 pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Jerek, near here.
Parti Melayu Semangat 46 was set up by Tengku Razaleigh and Datuk Dr Rais Yatim (now Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister) in 1988. It collaborated with PAS in the 1990 and 1994 general elections.
Tengku Razaleigh and Dr Rais rejoined Umno after Semangat 46 was dissolved in May 1996.
Tengku Razaleigh said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had discharged its duty to help the less fortunate by giving various aid and contributions.
On the next general election, Tengku Razaleigh, who is also an Umno supreme council member, said he believed the people of Kelantan were ready for a change in government and would give BN the mandate to rule the state.
“The people already know which government can bring change to the people of Kelantan,” he said.
On his candidacy, he said he was leaving it to the party leadership to decide.
25 January, 2008
The experience of the defunct Parti Melayu Semangat 46 (Semangat 46), which collaborated with PAS in the 1990s, shows that PAS is incapable of carrying out its plans for the people, former Semangat 46 president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said today. He said that during that period, many things concerning the people’s welfare were not implemented, resulting in the people getting fed up with the empty promises.
Tengku Razaleigh, who is the Gua Musang member of Parliament, said PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s recent statement promising to make Malaysia a welfare state if it wins the 12th general election, was an unrealistic one.
“It’s all talk. Anyone can talk but they cannot perform,” he told reporters after persenting aid from the Poor Students Trust Fund to 850 pupils of Sekolah Kebangsaan Jerek, near here.
Parti Melayu Semangat 46 was set up by Tengku Razaleigh and Datuk Dr Rais Yatim (now Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister) in 1988. It collaborated with PAS in the 1990 and 1994 general elections.
Tengku Razaleigh and Dr Rais rejoined Umno after Semangat 46 was dissolved in May 1996.
Tengku Razaleigh said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had discharged its duty to help the less fortunate by giving various aid and contributions.
On the next general election, Tengku Razaleigh, who is also an Umno supreme council member, said he believed the people of Kelantan were ready for a change in government and would give BN the mandate to rule the state.
“The people already know which government can bring change to the people of Kelantan,” he said.
On his candidacy, he said he was leaving it to the party leadership to decide.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Joceline Tan on Tengku, The Star. 11 Sept 2005
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was once one of the most powerful men in the country.
He keeps a reduced profile these although he is on the sidelines of Umno, the
party’s affairs are still of key interest to him, writes JOCELINE TAN -
THE door to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s office slid open so smoothly and silently
that one only noticed it was open when he stood in the doorway.
The Kelantan politician-prince was wearing a linen shirt of the palest yellow
over kaki-toned trousers.
His cream-and-white circular shaped office is, as most people would know by
now, a smaller-scaled replica of the American president’s Oval Office.
His private residence is situated behind the office and the entire complex has
been along Jalan Langgak Golf in KL’s diplomatic enclave for more than 20 years
now.
The office had a well-used air about it.
And despite his confessed claim of being “slightly colour blind,” his taste for
colour and design has always been constant, whether at his Kuala Lumpur
quarters or at his Gua Musang base in Kelantan.
But quite typical of the old money generation, he is no spendthrift. His
loafers have seen better days and his black plastic Casio wristwatch costs only
RM200 although he has four or five of them.
And no expensive multifocals for him either for his bifocals have a clear line
running across the middle.
A framed photograph of his grandfather standing alongside his father has place
of honour in the office, hanging over the mantle.
Kelantan’s historical links with Thailand was evident for his father’s hair was
styled along the old Siamese fashion – clean shaven, with a knot of hair at the
crown.
The original photograph had come from the album of a Thai royalty. Tengku
Razaleigh had the photograph enlarged and tinted by an expert, then printed on
canvas. It looked like an oil painting from afar.
But the energy in the oval room emanated from its owner.
A former Finance Minister and Umno treasurer, Tengku Razaleigh remains one of
Malaysia’s more fascinating political personalities.
He still has the complexion of a baby – pink, smooth and glowing. And the
infectious smile has not dimmed.
Most of all, there is what some say is his greatest asset as a politician, that
is, his easy social grace. He has a seemingly effortless ability to mingle,
chat and laugh with people, regardless of their social class.
The man, known widely by the abbreviated Kuli, turned 68 in April.
He is an Aries (energetic, ambitious and bold) like his one-time political
rival Tan Sri Musa Hitam, and was born in the Chinese year of the ox
(iron-willed, fearless and persevering) like yet another former political rival
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is 12 years his senior.
If the astrological traits are to be believed, it was little wonder then that
the politics between the three had kicked up such a storm.
A ship can only have one captain, and the stars of the time seemed to have
produced one too many captain-minded individuals in Umno.
But history, as they say, belongs to the victors, and neither Tengku Razaleigh
nor Musa dominates the national consciousness of the X-generation the way Dr
Mahathir does.
Yet, he was a central figure in the politics of the 1980s and into the 1990s.
He fought Musa for the Umno No 2 post in 1984 and his fight with Dr Mahathir
for the leadership of Umno in 1987 resulted in Umno being deregistered.
He is very particular about the fact that he did not leave Umno. The original
Umno, he will patiently tell his listeners, was dissolved and the two disputing
sides were forced to set up their own political parties.
Semangat 46 went on to collaborate with PAS and win control of Kelantan. But
its ties with PAS soured and in 1996, it was dissolved and the members absorbed
into Umno.
Tengku Razaleigh remains Gua Musang MP but has stayed on the political
sidelines of Umno.
His diehard supporters would insist that his political career ended too
prematurely but he was philosophical about it: “It’s part of the game. You win
or you lose.”
But for as long as the game was in play, he and Dr Mahathir were a formidable
pair of opponents.
He remains an iconic figure in Kelantan and, particularly in Gua Musang where
he often slips into the aristocratic mode of referring to his constituents as
“my people.” But he is not wrong, they are like his subjects and they do revere
him as those who have seen him on home ground would testify to.
Tengku Razaleigh still receives strings of visitors, from politicians to
business groups and journalists.
He keeps a keen eye on finance, trade and industry here and globally and of
course he is quite undetached about the political-goings-on.
In fact, he had started the interview talking about China’s revaluation of the
Renminbi and Katrina’s impact on oil prices. Global politics, he said, would
continue to be driven by energy issues.
But he is not involved in any business, not even as directors or chairmen of
any company boards.
“I don’t want to kowtow to anybody to get favours. It’s beneath me to do that
and to free myself from doing that, I simply say no when I’m offered,” he said.
Is he quite fabulously rich?
“No, I am just part of the middle-class,” he said quite unconvincingly before
bursting into laughter.
However, he admits to being in great health.
He uses the treadmill everyday, does qi gong once a week, swims a few times a
week in his half-Olympic size pool and walks about his constituency when back
in Kelantan.
His rancour about PAS and Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat has also diminished with
time.
He made cutting remarks about his former ally shortly after their break-up but
now acknowledges that Nik Aziz’s strength lies in his reputation as a Tok Guru,
a religious preacher.
However, he does not see PAS maintaining its clout in Kelantan without Nik
Aziz.
As to whether Umno would be able to regain Kelantan, that would depend on the
personalities and issues.
“The present (Umno) leadership in Kelantan is doing its best but it’s not the
time for people to make a decision,” he said.
He said PAS rides on the miseries of Umno. In 1990, it was the Team A-Team B
issue and in 1999, it was the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sacking.
“The PAS religious agenda does not sell. The women do not support them and if
they are going to say no, no, no, to things, the young are not going to support
them. If they go along the route of the Islamic party of Turkey then they have
a chance. But then, what would be the difference between them and Umno?
“Even Anwar (Ibrahim) ? I told him that PAS had rejected him when he came to
see me.”
Does he take holidays now that he has more time on his hands?
“Where would I go? I’ve been everywhere. Besides all my friends have died or
retired. When I call them, they talk about their aches and their rheumatism,”
he joked.
But he does have a few old favourites like Hong Kong where he has good,
long-time friends, and Paris, which he enjoys for the food and cultural
sophistication.
His reduced profile these days sometimes lends the impression that he is about
to retire from politics.
“I'm still a division head and an MP. Even if I'm no longer an MP, as long I
have the people's interest at heart, I will be active.”
He caused a stir last year when he offered himself to be nominated for the Umno
president post.
He said it was to send a message to the grassroots that they had the right to
contest any post, however high or ordinary the post.
It was not because he coveted the post nor did he have anything against
incumbent Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
In fact, it was more of a statement on what he sees as an unfair party rule
instituted during the era of Mahathir.
Tengku Razaleigh may be on the sidelines of Umno but Umno affairs are still
central to him.
“I don't think I will ever retire. Politicians never really retire ? look at
Mahathir!” he said with another burst of laughter. //Thestar 11 Sept
He keeps a reduced profile these although he is on the sidelines of Umno, the
party’s affairs are still of key interest to him, writes JOCELINE TAN -
THE door to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s office slid open so smoothly and silently
that one only noticed it was open when he stood in the doorway.
The Kelantan politician-prince was wearing a linen shirt of the palest yellow
over kaki-toned trousers.
His cream-and-white circular shaped office is, as most people would know by
now, a smaller-scaled replica of the American president’s Oval Office.
His private residence is situated behind the office and the entire complex has
been along Jalan Langgak Golf in KL’s diplomatic enclave for more than 20 years
now.
The office had a well-used air about it.
And despite his confessed claim of being “slightly colour blind,” his taste for
colour and design has always been constant, whether at his Kuala Lumpur
quarters or at his Gua Musang base in Kelantan.
But quite typical of the old money generation, he is no spendthrift. His
loafers have seen better days and his black plastic Casio wristwatch costs only
RM200 although he has four or five of them.
And no expensive multifocals for him either for his bifocals have a clear line
running across the middle.
A framed photograph of his grandfather standing alongside his father has place
of honour in the office, hanging over the mantle.
Kelantan’s historical links with Thailand was evident for his father’s hair was
styled along the old Siamese fashion – clean shaven, with a knot of hair at the
crown.
The original photograph had come from the album of a Thai royalty. Tengku
Razaleigh had the photograph enlarged and tinted by an expert, then printed on
canvas. It looked like an oil painting from afar.
But the energy in the oval room emanated from its owner.
A former Finance Minister and Umno treasurer, Tengku Razaleigh remains one of
Malaysia’s more fascinating political personalities.
He still has the complexion of a baby – pink, smooth and glowing. And the
infectious smile has not dimmed.
Most of all, there is what some say is his greatest asset as a politician, that
is, his easy social grace. He has a seemingly effortless ability to mingle,
chat and laugh with people, regardless of their social class.
The man, known widely by the abbreviated Kuli, turned 68 in April.
He is an Aries (energetic, ambitious and bold) like his one-time political
rival Tan Sri Musa Hitam, and was born in the Chinese year of the ox
(iron-willed, fearless and persevering) like yet another former political rival
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is 12 years his senior.
If the astrological traits are to be believed, it was little wonder then that
the politics between the three had kicked up such a storm.
A ship can only have one captain, and the stars of the time seemed to have
produced one too many captain-minded individuals in Umno.
But history, as they say, belongs to the victors, and neither Tengku Razaleigh
nor Musa dominates the national consciousness of the X-generation the way Dr
Mahathir does.
Yet, he was a central figure in the politics of the 1980s and into the 1990s.
He fought Musa for the Umno No 2 post in 1984 and his fight with Dr Mahathir
for the leadership of Umno in 1987 resulted in Umno being deregistered.
He is very particular about the fact that he did not leave Umno. The original
Umno, he will patiently tell his listeners, was dissolved and the two disputing
sides were forced to set up their own political parties.
Semangat 46 went on to collaborate with PAS and win control of Kelantan. But
its ties with PAS soured and in 1996, it was dissolved and the members absorbed
into Umno.
Tengku Razaleigh remains Gua Musang MP but has stayed on the political
sidelines of Umno.
His diehard supporters would insist that his political career ended too
prematurely but he was philosophical about it: “It’s part of the game. You win
or you lose.”
But for as long as the game was in play, he and Dr Mahathir were a formidable
pair of opponents.
He remains an iconic figure in Kelantan and, particularly in Gua Musang where
he often slips into the aristocratic mode of referring to his constituents as
“my people.” But he is not wrong, they are like his subjects and they do revere
him as those who have seen him on home ground would testify to.
Tengku Razaleigh still receives strings of visitors, from politicians to
business groups and journalists.
He keeps a keen eye on finance, trade and industry here and globally and of
course he is quite undetached about the political-goings-on.
In fact, he had started the interview talking about China’s revaluation of the
Renminbi and Katrina’s impact on oil prices. Global politics, he said, would
continue to be driven by energy issues.
But he is not involved in any business, not even as directors or chairmen of
any company boards.
“I don’t want to kowtow to anybody to get favours. It’s beneath me to do that
and to free myself from doing that, I simply say no when I’m offered,” he said.
Is he quite fabulously rich?
“No, I am just part of the middle-class,” he said quite unconvincingly before
bursting into laughter.
However, he admits to being in great health.
He uses the treadmill everyday, does qi gong once a week, swims a few times a
week in his half-Olympic size pool and walks about his constituency when back
in Kelantan.
His rancour about PAS and Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat has also diminished with
time.
He made cutting remarks about his former ally shortly after their break-up but
now acknowledges that Nik Aziz’s strength lies in his reputation as a Tok Guru,
a religious preacher.
However, he does not see PAS maintaining its clout in Kelantan without Nik
Aziz.
As to whether Umno would be able to regain Kelantan, that would depend on the
personalities and issues.
“The present (Umno) leadership in Kelantan is doing its best but it’s not the
time for people to make a decision,” he said.
He said PAS rides on the miseries of Umno. In 1990, it was the Team A-Team B
issue and in 1999, it was the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sacking.
“The PAS religious agenda does not sell. The women do not support them and if
they are going to say no, no, no, to things, the young are not going to support
them. If they go along the route of the Islamic party of Turkey then they have
a chance. But then, what would be the difference between them and Umno?
“Even Anwar (Ibrahim) ? I told him that PAS had rejected him when he came to
see me.”
Does he take holidays now that he has more time on his hands?
“Where would I go? I’ve been everywhere. Besides all my friends have died or
retired. When I call them, they talk about their aches and their rheumatism,”
he joked.
But he does have a few old favourites like Hong Kong where he has good,
long-time friends, and Paris, which he enjoys for the food and cultural
sophistication.
His reduced profile these days sometimes lends the impression that he is about
to retire from politics.
“I'm still a division head and an MP. Even if I'm no longer an MP, as long I
have the people's interest at heart, I will be active.”
He caused a stir last year when he offered himself to be nominated for the Umno
president post.
He said it was to send a message to the grassroots that they had the right to
contest any post, however high or ordinary the post.
It was not because he coveted the post nor did he have anything against
incumbent Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
In fact, it was more of a statement on what he sees as an unfair party rule
instituted during the era of Mahathir.
Tengku Razaleigh may be on the sidelines of Umno but Umno affairs are still
central to him.
“I don't think I will ever retire. Politicians never really retire ? look at
Mahathir!” he said with another burst of laughter. //Thestar 11 Sept
OPINION: The tide is turning for BN in Kelantan
By : ZUBAIDAH ABU BAKAR
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Umno has gained ground in Kelantan since 1990, the year Pas handed a 39-0
knockout to Barisan Nasional. With talk of the general election around the corner, ZUBAIDAH ABU BAKAR takes a look at the coalition’s chances against Pas
AFTER 17 years of Pas rule and retarded economic growth and opportunities, there are many in Kelantan who want to see a change of government.
Yet, despite the Barisan Nasional coalition's vast inroads in the state, almost defeating Pas in the 2004 general election, it is still a toss-up whether the BN can break the stranglehold Pas has had on Kelantan since 1990.
Kelantan is one of the few states in the country which has experimented with change in government by voting in the opposition six times since independence.
What, therefore, will stop Kelantan folk from giving the BN victory this time?
One man who has dominated the Kelantan political scene since the late 1970s, former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, believes it is not all doom and gloom for the BN.
"There is an even chance for the BN to win because Pas has not done much for the state. It (Pas) has depended greatly on (Datuk) Nik Aziz (Nik Mat), who of late is ill.
"Pas is not strong. People may give the BN their support if they feel comfortable with leaders they can trust," Razaleigh, who is Gua Musang MP, says.
Leaders they can trust -- that seems to be the key phrase used by astute Kelantan political analysts.
To be fair, Umno, the dominant partner in the BN, has introduced many programmes and development projects which have brought benefits to Kelantan.
And promises are being made to pour in greater amounts of money and projects into the state -- if the BN wins.
Yet, one cannot shake off the doubts that some Kelantan folk have when it comes to the leadership of Kelantan after Nik Aziz.
Umno veteran and former party information chief Tan Sri Hussein Ahmad says: "Umno is just playing Pas' game. They copy what Pas has done but they have yet to convince the people they are ready to take charge."
"We must offer alternatives, not copy what Pas is doing. Like football, your team will lose if you follow the opponent's game," he says.
But there are others who disagree with Hussein, remembering that he was at the peak of his power. They say Umno lost Kelantan to Pas and despite being in a key position as Umno information chief for much of the 1990s, neither Hussein nor his colleagues could strategise well enough to achieve as good a result as the current crop of Umno leaders did in 2004.
Umno, to win the next election, is coming up with a manifesto titled "Wresting Control of Kelantan".
State Umno liaison chief Datuk Annuar Musa, whose leadership is disputed by some within Umno circles and exploited by Pas, says the thrust of the programme are three mega projects worth RM2 billion to complement what has been outlined under the East Coast Economic Region to jump start development in the state.
Annuar is confident that Umno is doing the right thing.
"I can see that the momentum for Umno and BN is increasing and there is no reason why we can't unseat Pas this time."
But another Umno leader disagrees.
"We have programmes but nothing close to what Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh did months before the 2004 general election. He and Terengganu Umno leaders were on the ground almost 24 hours a day," the leader, from the Kota Baru division, says.
"We may not have a towering figure like Nik Aziz. But if we have a combination of leaders with good leadership skills and a clean image, we will be accepted by the people."
The great Pas hope, Datuk Husam Musa, a party vice-president and state executive council member, who himself is not without detractors among the rank and file, says he is not sure whether the BN manifesto will be able to swing votes to Umno.
But perhaps the greatest indicator that people yearn to see BN back in power after 18 years under Pas rule is the fact that the coalition has slowly, but surely, been gaining ground since 1990.
It won seven state seats and two parliamentary seats in 1995. The 1999 general election saw it being trounced again, winning just two state seats and a parliamentary seat.
Then it went on to secure 21 of the 45 state seats and eight of the 14 parliamentary seats, emerging as a credible opposition party in 2004.
Pas' majority was further eroded when the BN won the Pengkalan Pasir state seat in a by-election in 2005, leaving Pas hanging with a one-seat majority.
"The 2004 results were a pleasant surprise to Umno. It also shows that many people are with us. We should concentrate on issues such as health, education and the economy. This is fardhu kifayah (collective obligation)," says Datuk Hassan Harun, an Umno veteran who is one of those entrusted to fine-tune Kelantan BN's manifesto.
The BN's defeat in Kelantan in 1990 was because of internal bickering and defections by many good Umno leaders who joined its splinter party, Semangat 46, headed by Tengku Razaleigh.
The effects of the party's internal problems continued until the 1995 election, shortly after which Razaleigh returned to Umno.
But in 1999, in the early waves of the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issue which turned many Malays in the green belt states, the electorate again abandoned BN.
But once former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed -- the man most associated with the sacking of Anwar -- retired in 2003, things changed dramatically. In the 2004 general election, Umno came within a whisker of wresting control of Kelantan.
This gives confidence to people like Annuar that victory is within reach -- if Umno plays its cards well.
The battle between Pas and Umno in Kelantan is getting hotter by the day with both parties trying to outdo one another.
The recent floods saw leaders from both sides competing for support in helping flood victims. On flood rounds, Umno and Pas leaders kept bumping into each other, such as when Husam had to exchange friendly words with Tendong assemblyman Mohd Fauzi Muhammad while visiting evacuees in Pasir Mas.
Pas is not taking chances either.
It has introduced several welfare programmes, which later were emulated by Umno.
Nik Aziz believes that Umno's move to entice Pas supporters to switch camps through the use of schemes for the poor and needy will not work.
He says he is in fact happy, thanking Umno for "helping" Pas take care of the well-being of the Kelantan people.
"The programmes are well received but they do not necessarily translate into votes for Umno," says the 76-year-old party spiritual leader.
Umno had introduced the zakat ibu tunggal or "Zaitun" -- an alms scheme for single mothers to counter Pas' similar scheme called Armalah.
Kelantan Umno had also requested a RM4 million allocation for a special scheme for senior citizens, to counter the Takaful Kifaalah insurance for senior citizens introduced by Pas.
Since the battle between the arch rivals is more between personalities, Pas is prepared to field new and younger candidates to rejuvenate the party.
Pas had learnt a bitter lesson in 2004 because it did not drop certain elected representatives who were deemed unfit to contest.
"Pas' defeat was mainly due to it retaining some old faces at the last minute despite proposals for new faces to contest. Tok Guru gave in to last-minute lobbying and, true enough, these old faces failed to retain their seats," a party insider says.
Kelantan may be backward compared with other states but its people are no political simpletons.
They have no reason to support Pas, which has the leisure of ruling without doing much to help solve people's problems, but yet they are reluctant to let Umno rule unless it can assure them of good leadership.
Tumpat division information chief Datuk Wan Johani Wan Hussin believes the BN can form the new government although it is difficult to get a two-thirds majority.
But even the most confident Umno members caution that "any wrong move will lead us to be again so near and yet so far".
The Star on Tengku - July 06
SEVEN PRINCELY TIPS
By BARBARA SKADIANG-TEY
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
MANY know Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the country’s Finance
Minister in the late 1970s to the 80s, but few are aware that
this scion of Kelantanese royalty was once chairman of the
Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) from 1973 to 1976.
Established on Jan 29, 1966, MIM was initially a society-based
organisation till it was incorporated as a company limited by
guarantee on March 28 1975.
MIM was entrusted with the mandate to raise the level of
managerial competence in Malaysia, enhance and maintain
management standards, and provide a bridging platform for the
free exchange of management knowledge and experience.
“Everyone was highly supportive that MIM should become the
training body of management in Malaysia. Although there were a
shortage of course leaders then, we were able to run the
programmes reasonably well and the response to MIM’s efforts was
very encouraging,” Tengku Razaleigh recalls.
Fate intervened in 1976 when Tengku Razaleigh was appointed
Finance Minister. Now, 30 years later, MIM was able to catch up
with him again and draw seven management tips from the regal
finance and banking aficionado.
Professionalism
A stickler for professionalism, Tengku Razaleigh clarifies, “If
management training were properly facilitated in a more
structured manner, the professionalism in the training would
eventually be reflected in the enterprises managed by these very
people in the future. To imbue a more professional touch into
our management courses, selected trainers were sent for the
necessary training to ensure they were appropriately equipped.”
Having been very involved in banking, Tengku Razaleigh
acknowledges that most of his experiences have revolved around
the management of resources, manpower and money, which were so
scarce in developing countries and companies in the 1960s and
1970s.
Therefore, he remembers, it was very difficult to find highly
trained management professionals, except in established
organisations such as ICI, Shell and the other major trading
agencies.
Tengku Razaleigh believes that people, generally, are capable of
devoting their time to managing resources, but first they must
possess the spirit of sacrifice.
Good managers, he observes, are willing to give their all to not
only absorb but also contribute as much knowledge as possible to
properly manage their respective departments.
He adds, “Managers must manage as prudently as possible and be
prepared to work long hours. In those days we used to start work
at 7.30am and work until 11pm.
“We were so short-staffed, even new recruits had to stay back
and learn on the job. There was no equipment to help managers of
our generation. But when we started Bank Bumiputra, we were one
of the first to introduce computers into the banking industry.”
Decades ago, many came into the organisation because their
parents were there before and they were encouraged to join as
well, says Tengku Razaleigh.
“They learned mostly by trial and error, unlike today where
people are more professionally trained, are attuned to the
changing times and have plenty of guidelines to follow.
“In the banking profession, having a good family background is
important because it means the person will hold on to his family
values and it won’t be so easy for them to deviate from the
values they uphold, unless of course they are beset by problems
or choose to live beyond their means.”
However, Tengku Razaleigh admits that human weakness appears to
be more prevalent in part due to technology.
Like a double-edged sword, technology enables us to learn things
more quickly, yet enables some to emulate bad examples more
easily. Fortunately, he notes, the low percentage of bad
managers falls within manageable limits.
TIPS 1: The future of the enterprise is reflected in the
training given to its managers.
2: Good managers fundamentally possess the spirit of sacrifice.
3: Manage prudently for the future but labour like there’s no
tomorrow.
4: Technology is a double-edged sword – through it good managers
receive knowledge more quickly but bad managers deceive more
easily!
5: Whether or not you are in the profession of your heart’s
desire, acquire both formal and informal training to enhance
your competence, he advises.
6: With technology and globalisation, no management problem
remains irresolvable – there is always help available from
somewhere.
7: There is always someone who is one up on you. So never stop
learning; keep striving for your best.
Choices
Asked about his analysis of management evolution from the 1960s
till now, Tengku Razaleigh opines that today’s young managers
have far greater professional choices than their predecessors
ever had.
“Today, those who become part of the management team are the
ones who have been given the opportunity to acquire an
education. They are able to pick the profession they really want
although a few might grab what is available due to a lack of
options.
“Even so, once they land the job, they must try to acquire
formal and informal training to gain greater expertise
especially with the innumerable sophisticated tools available
today.
“It now becomes a race as to whether these managers have made
the grade or whether they have chosen the right profession in
the first place.”
“Fortunately for many, they can still change midstream if they
find something more suitable in the future. There is no shortage
of opportunities for young managers who are knowledgeable and
well trained. I can see this tremendous growth today especially
in the field of management.”
Informed intuition
A chairman, according to Razaleigh, has to stay one step ahead
of everyone below him.
“There was hardly anything like mentorship or advisory services
then. It was mostly using one’s common sense and guided purely
by intuition, and it was usually very personal; the most was
you’d ask your neighbour for advice, that’s all.
“I think Malaysian managers are sufficiently exposed to be
global in their mindset even for those during my generation.
“Many people earlier thought we were ‘living under a coconut
shell’ and therefore unable to acquire companies beyond our
shores. But we proved them wrong! We bought entities including
Sime Darby, Guthrie and London Tin, had them transferred and
domiciled here, all within months.
“Others were very taken aback that we seemed to know exactly
what to do, but we knew exactly the game we were playing with
these people,” he reminisces.
“Today our people are much more exposed and capable compared to
when we first ventured out. Management over the decades has
improved tremendously because of information and communications
technology, so managers are now more aware of best practices and
are better equipped to handle issues.
“However, the problems of today are far more complex compared to
those of yesteryear. Managers need to be able to solve problems
more ably than ever before. It helps too that things are done
more transparently today and bosses undertake shared
responsibility with their underlings.
“Before, one just operated within one’s own circle of friends
and colleagues, but now this has expanded to beyond our shores.
As such, no problem can remain unresolved because there is
always help from somewhere. Now problems in one place can have
implications elsewhere – the world has become so small!”
Future
On the future of management itself, Tengku Razaleigh sees the
prospects as being bright and assured, provided we are sensible
enough to place the right people in the right place.
“If there is instability, for instance, it will depend on the
kind of people we have put there to handle the crisis.
“Sometimes we can easily dismiss problems because we get a feel
of the problems much faster and can dispatch them quickly. I
don’t think we are doomed if we cannot solve complex problems.
Our abilities all stem from education and access to information.
As long as people are able to use their knowledge, then our
future is assured,” he stresses.
So what would be his advice to the young managers of today?
“Keep on learning. One should never stop learning because there
are so many new things coming up each time, one can never be one
up on the others. We can try to be the best but we should
remember that there is always someone else who is one up on you.
So every day, there is something you can learn because if you
stop learning, then you are doomed.”
By BARBARA SKADIANG-TEY
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
MANY know Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as the country’s Finance
Minister in the late 1970s to the 80s, but few are aware that
this scion of Kelantanese royalty was once chairman of the
Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) from 1973 to 1976.
Established on Jan 29, 1966, MIM was initially a society-based
organisation till it was incorporated as a company limited by
guarantee on March 28 1975.
MIM was entrusted with the mandate to raise the level of
managerial competence in Malaysia, enhance and maintain
management standards, and provide a bridging platform for the
free exchange of management knowledge and experience.
“Everyone was highly supportive that MIM should become the
training body of management in Malaysia. Although there were a
shortage of course leaders then, we were able to run the
programmes reasonably well and the response to MIM’s efforts was
very encouraging,” Tengku Razaleigh recalls.
Fate intervened in 1976 when Tengku Razaleigh was appointed
Finance Minister. Now, 30 years later, MIM was able to catch up
with him again and draw seven management tips from the regal
finance and banking aficionado.
Professionalism
A stickler for professionalism, Tengku Razaleigh clarifies, “If
management training were properly facilitated in a more
structured manner, the professionalism in the training would
eventually be reflected in the enterprises managed by these very
people in the future. To imbue a more professional touch into
our management courses, selected trainers were sent for the
necessary training to ensure they were appropriately equipped.”
Having been very involved in banking, Tengku Razaleigh
acknowledges that most of his experiences have revolved around
the management of resources, manpower and money, which were so
scarce in developing countries and companies in the 1960s and
1970s.
Therefore, he remembers, it was very difficult to find highly
trained management professionals, except in established
organisations such as ICI, Shell and the other major trading
agencies.
Tengku Razaleigh believes that people, generally, are capable of
devoting their time to managing resources, but first they must
possess the spirit of sacrifice.
Good managers, he observes, are willing to give their all to not
only absorb but also contribute as much knowledge as possible to
properly manage their respective departments.
He adds, “Managers must manage as prudently as possible and be
prepared to work long hours. In those days we used to start work
at 7.30am and work until 11pm.
“We were so short-staffed, even new recruits had to stay back
and learn on the job. There was no equipment to help managers of
our generation. But when we started Bank Bumiputra, we were one
of the first to introduce computers into the banking industry.”
Decades ago, many came into the organisation because their
parents were there before and they were encouraged to join as
well, says Tengku Razaleigh.
“They learned mostly by trial and error, unlike today where
people are more professionally trained, are attuned to the
changing times and have plenty of guidelines to follow.
“In the banking profession, having a good family background is
important because it means the person will hold on to his family
values and it won’t be so easy for them to deviate from the
values they uphold, unless of course they are beset by problems
or choose to live beyond their means.”
However, Tengku Razaleigh admits that human weakness appears to
be more prevalent in part due to technology.
Like a double-edged sword, technology enables us to learn things
more quickly, yet enables some to emulate bad examples more
easily. Fortunately, he notes, the low percentage of bad
managers falls within manageable limits.
TIPS 1: The future of the enterprise is reflected in the
training given to its managers.
2: Good managers fundamentally possess the spirit of sacrifice.
3: Manage prudently for the future but labour like there’s no
tomorrow.
4: Technology is a double-edged sword – through it good managers
receive knowledge more quickly but bad managers deceive more
easily!
5: Whether or not you are in the profession of your heart’s
desire, acquire both formal and informal training to enhance
your competence, he advises.
6: With technology and globalisation, no management problem
remains irresolvable – there is always help available from
somewhere.
7: There is always someone who is one up on you. So never stop
learning; keep striving for your best.
Choices
Asked about his analysis of management evolution from the 1960s
till now, Tengku Razaleigh opines that today’s young managers
have far greater professional choices than their predecessors
ever had.
“Today, those who become part of the management team are the
ones who have been given the opportunity to acquire an
education. They are able to pick the profession they really want
although a few might grab what is available due to a lack of
options.
“Even so, once they land the job, they must try to acquire
formal and informal training to gain greater expertise
especially with the innumerable sophisticated tools available
today.
“It now becomes a race as to whether these managers have made
the grade or whether they have chosen the right profession in
the first place.”
“Fortunately for many, they can still change midstream if they
find something more suitable in the future. There is no shortage
of opportunities for young managers who are knowledgeable and
well trained. I can see this tremendous growth today especially
in the field of management.”
Informed intuition
A chairman, according to Razaleigh, has to stay one step ahead
of everyone below him.
“There was hardly anything like mentorship or advisory services
then. It was mostly using one’s common sense and guided purely
by intuition, and it was usually very personal; the most was
you’d ask your neighbour for advice, that’s all.
“I think Malaysian managers are sufficiently exposed to be
global in their mindset even for those during my generation.
“Many people earlier thought we were ‘living under a coconut
shell’ and therefore unable to acquire companies beyond our
shores. But we proved them wrong! We bought entities including
Sime Darby, Guthrie and London Tin, had them transferred and
domiciled here, all within months.
“Others were very taken aback that we seemed to know exactly
what to do, but we knew exactly the game we were playing with
these people,” he reminisces.
“Today our people are much more exposed and capable compared to
when we first ventured out. Management over the decades has
improved tremendously because of information and communications
technology, so managers are now more aware of best practices and
are better equipped to handle issues.
“However, the problems of today are far more complex compared to
those of yesteryear. Managers need to be able to solve problems
more ably than ever before. It helps too that things are done
more transparently today and bosses undertake shared
responsibility with their underlings.
“Before, one just operated within one’s own circle of friends
and colleagues, but now this has expanded to beyond our shores.
As such, no problem can remain unresolved because there is
always help from somewhere. Now problems in one place can have
implications elsewhere – the world has become so small!”
Future
On the future of management itself, Tengku Razaleigh sees the
prospects as being bright and assured, provided we are sensible
enough to place the right people in the right place.
“If there is instability, for instance, it will depend on the
kind of people we have put there to handle the crisis.
“Sometimes we can easily dismiss problems because we get a feel
of the problems much faster and can dispatch them quickly. I
don’t think we are doomed if we cannot solve complex problems.
Our abilities all stem from education and access to information.
As long as people are able to use their knowledge, then our
future is assured,” he stresses.
So what would be his advice to the young managers of today?
“Keep on learning. One should never stop learning because there
are so many new things coming up each time, one can never be one
up on the others. We can try to be the best but we should
remember that there is always someone else who is one up on you.
So every day, there is something you can learn because if you
stop learning, then you are doomed.”
M Bakri Musa on Tengku Razaleigh
Concept of Co-Leader
Early in his tenure while he was still contemplating selecting his deputy, I suggested that Abdullah Badawi ignore tradition and go beyond the then existing UMNO Vice presidents and choose someone whose skills and experience would complement his. My choice was Tengku Razaleigh. He would bring his vast experience in business and finance, precisely the areas Abdullah is sorely lacking. Abdullah should do what George Bush, Jr., did in picking Richard Cheney as his running mate. By doing so Bush acknowledged his limitations. The experienced Cheney, by reasons of age and health, could not possibly succeed or challenge Bush. Similarly, Razaleigh, by virtue of his age, would unlikely challenge or succeed Abdullah.
I suggested that Tengku Razaleigh not be treated as the traditional deputy, meaning, someone always deferring to the boss and patiently awaiting his turn. Rather he should be considered as an associate or co-Prime Minster, fully using his talent and experience for the good of the nation.
This is a tricky proposition, for the ship of state can have but one skipper. Poorly handled and with the wrong personal chemistry mix, it could result in continuous conflict. Malaysia had been through the disastrous Mahathir-Anwar rivalry. Skillfully managed however, the nation would benefit from the complement of talent and experience of its two most seasoned leaders.
Such co-leadership is common in my profession. Modern surgery is increasingly complex, requiring the skills and contributions from various specialists. Take breast cancer. Often patients want the curative cancer surgery combined with reconstructive procedures to minimize the psychological trauma. This requires the combined and complementary skills of both the general and plastic surgeons. Such instances of co-surgeons operating on the same patient simultaneously are becoming increasingly common. Yes, differences of opinions do arise, but they are resolved through discussions and compromises, always keeping uppermost the patient’s best interest. There is no place in today’s highly complex operating suites for prima donnas strutting imperiously and expecting everyone to kow tow to them.
We see similar co-leadership arrangements in big corporations. Microsoft has Bill Gates as its Chairman, and Steve Ballmer, the chief executive. You do not see them scheming to topple one another or jostling to grab the limelight. They are both confident of their own considerable abilities. Besides, they have enough on their own plate without having to bother the other.
As William Bennis observed, “Co-Leadership is not a fuzzy-minded buzzword designed to make non-CEOs feel better about themselves and their workplaces. Rather it is a tough-minded strategy that will unleash the hidden talent in any enterprise. Above all co-leadership is inclusive, not exclusive.”3
If nothing else, having a co-leader would take care of the immediate succession issue. Yes, it would take an exceptional individual to be willing to play the acknowledged second fiddle, just as it would take an equally exceptional leader to accept someone as equally capable as he is to share the podium. The personal and professional chemistry of both individuals must be right and compatible.
Bennis identifies three groups of individuals who would fit the co-leader role. First would be the “fast trackers,” talented subordinates fast on their way up, as Tun Razak was to Tunku. Second would be “backtrackers,” former chiefs who have willingly downshifted. The classic example of this was Chou En-Lai giving up the leadership of the Chinese Red Army to a gifted junior officer, Mao Zedong. Third would be the “on-trackers,” individuals who are just not interested in the top slot. They are content with their present position. Tengku Razaleigh would have been a good example, had Abdullah chosen him.
Had Abdullah picked Tengku Razaleigh, Abdullah would have strengthened his leadership team. With their combined strength and integrity, they could have revamped the cabinet and together groomed the next generation of leaders. At the very least, with Razaleigh at his side, Abdullah would not look overwhelmed with all the problems. One sure way for a leader to lose his or her effectiveness is to appear beleaguered.
As events later proved (in particular Mahathir’s relentless criticisms of Abdullah’s leadership that came out in the open in late 2006), Abdullah was then under considerable pressure from Mahathir to name Najib Razak as Deputy Prime Minister. Unfortunately both Abdullah and Najib have no love or much respect for each other. More importantly, each does not bring any complementary quality to the top leadership team. By late 2006, both looked pathetic in the face of criticisms from Mahathir and others.
Early in his tenure while he was still contemplating selecting his deputy, I suggested that Abdullah Badawi ignore tradition and go beyond the then existing UMNO Vice presidents and choose someone whose skills and experience would complement his. My choice was Tengku Razaleigh. He would bring his vast experience in business and finance, precisely the areas Abdullah is sorely lacking. Abdullah should do what George Bush, Jr., did in picking Richard Cheney as his running mate. By doing so Bush acknowledged his limitations. The experienced Cheney, by reasons of age and health, could not possibly succeed or challenge Bush. Similarly, Razaleigh, by virtue of his age, would unlikely challenge or succeed Abdullah.
I suggested that Tengku Razaleigh not be treated as the traditional deputy, meaning, someone always deferring to the boss and patiently awaiting his turn. Rather he should be considered as an associate or co-Prime Minster, fully using his talent and experience for the good of the nation.
This is a tricky proposition, for the ship of state can have but one skipper. Poorly handled and with the wrong personal chemistry mix, it could result in continuous conflict. Malaysia had been through the disastrous Mahathir-Anwar rivalry. Skillfully managed however, the nation would benefit from the complement of talent and experience of its two most seasoned leaders.
Such co-leadership is common in my profession. Modern surgery is increasingly complex, requiring the skills and contributions from various specialists. Take breast cancer. Often patients want the curative cancer surgery combined with reconstructive procedures to minimize the psychological trauma. This requires the combined and complementary skills of both the general and plastic surgeons. Such instances of co-surgeons operating on the same patient simultaneously are becoming increasingly common. Yes, differences of opinions do arise, but they are resolved through discussions and compromises, always keeping uppermost the patient’s best interest. There is no place in today’s highly complex operating suites for prima donnas strutting imperiously and expecting everyone to kow tow to them.
We see similar co-leadership arrangements in big corporations. Microsoft has Bill Gates as its Chairman, and Steve Ballmer, the chief executive. You do not see them scheming to topple one another or jostling to grab the limelight. They are both confident of their own considerable abilities. Besides, they have enough on their own plate without having to bother the other.
As William Bennis observed, “Co-Leadership is not a fuzzy-minded buzzword designed to make non-CEOs feel better about themselves and their workplaces. Rather it is a tough-minded strategy that will unleash the hidden talent in any enterprise. Above all co-leadership is inclusive, not exclusive.”3
If nothing else, having a co-leader would take care of the immediate succession issue. Yes, it would take an exceptional individual to be willing to play the acknowledged second fiddle, just as it would take an equally exceptional leader to accept someone as equally capable as he is to share the podium. The personal and professional chemistry of both individuals must be right and compatible.
Bennis identifies three groups of individuals who would fit the co-leader role. First would be the “fast trackers,” talented subordinates fast on their way up, as Tun Razak was to Tunku. Second would be “backtrackers,” former chiefs who have willingly downshifted. The classic example of this was Chou En-Lai giving up the leadership of the Chinese Red Army to a gifted junior officer, Mao Zedong. Third would be the “on-trackers,” individuals who are just not interested in the top slot. They are content with their present position. Tengku Razaleigh would have been a good example, had Abdullah chosen him.
Had Abdullah picked Tengku Razaleigh, Abdullah would have strengthened his leadership team. With their combined strength and integrity, they could have revamped the cabinet and together groomed the next generation of leaders. At the very least, with Razaleigh at his side, Abdullah would not look overwhelmed with all the problems. One sure way for a leader to lose his or her effectiveness is to appear beleaguered.
As events later proved (in particular Mahathir’s relentless criticisms of Abdullah’s leadership that came out in the open in late 2006), Abdullah was then under considerable pressure from Mahathir to name Najib Razak as Deputy Prime Minister. Unfortunately both Abdullah and Najib have no love or much respect for each other. More importantly, each does not bring any complementary quality to the top leadership team. By late 2006, both looked pathetic in the face of criticisms from Mahathir and others.
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