"Meanwhile, the ugly head of racism was rising in Malaysia. Razak died in early 1976 in London, and Hussein Onn became prime minister. The Malaysian government requested that a man called Datuk Saffian sits on the MISC board.
"Saffian was virtually head of the prime minister's secretariat, a young man who had both ears of the prime minister. He was an ordinary board member, but he was quite aggressive at meetings and became increasingly personal," Kuok said.
Kuok, who was MISC chairperson, said in one board meeting, Saffian targeted the company's managing director Leslie Eu, whom Kuok admitted had hastily put together the board's papers.
As the meeting became heated, Kuok said he told Saffian the latter could raise a motion to sack Eu.
"Saffian insisted that he wasn't suggesting that we get rid of the managing director. I demanded, 'Then what are you saying?'. He got up and we almost came to blows - tempers were so frayed.
"I thought to myself: 'My God, what is going to be the future of this company?' From then on, I realised how impossible it would be for me to run such a corporation.
"I felt that in future it would be very difficult to operate this business properly, as for a business to succeed there must always be unity and harmony.
"It was likely some people in the government thought that it was shameful for Chinese Malaysians to run the national shipping line.
"When I sensed that this was their attitude, it was time for me to call it a day. Kuok Brothers eventually sold all their MISC shares and pulled out of the national shipping company completely," he said.
"Saffian was virtually head of the prime minister's secretariat, a young man who had both ears of the prime minister. He was an ordinary board member, but he was quite aggressive at meetings and became increasingly personal," Kuok said.
Kuok, who was MISC chairperson, said in one board meeting, Saffian targeted the company's managing director Leslie Eu, whom Kuok admitted had hastily put together the board's papers.
As the meeting became heated, Kuok said he told Saffian the latter could raise a motion to sack Eu.
"Saffian insisted that he wasn't suggesting that we get rid of the managing director. I demanded, 'Then what are you saying?'. He got up and we almost came to blows - tempers were so frayed.
"I thought to myself: 'My God, what is going to be the future of this company?' From then on, I realised how impossible it would be for me to run such a corporation.
"I felt that in future it would be very difficult to operate this business properly, as for a business to succeed there must always be unity and harmony.
"It was likely some people in the government thought that it was shameful for Chinese Malaysians to run the national shipping line.
"When I sensed that this was their attitude, it was time for me to call it a day. Kuok Brothers eventually sold all their MISC shares and pulled out of the national shipping company completely," he said.
I have personally come across such a clone of the above 'Datuk Saffian' when I was last working in KL. I was about to leave under 'friendly' conditions with a handshake and warm hug from my then-Boss plus cheers from my office mateys.
But alas, the HR bloke who was processing my departure was extremely hostile to me for no other reason than I was Chinese.
Now, how would I know that if not for the fact that he told me precisely in my face that to him, Chinese were a parasites, cheats and malingerers and should leave, nay, be kicked out from the company without any gratuities.
Needless to say, he made my departure procedures felt like hell and in that horrid process even deprived me of some due benefits. But I was so sick of him that I left quietly, glad to be FINALLY away from such a small-minded racist and his ilks.
Needless to say, he made my departure procedures felt like hell and in that horrid process even deprived me of some due benefits. But I was so sick of him that I left quietly, glad to be FINALLY away from such a small-minded racist and his ilks.
And everyone in the company, including my then-Boss, knew he was parachuted into the HR assistant manager's seat without any qualifications or proper interviews but merely because of his uncle who was a bigwig in the company.
The English word to describe the hostile (yes, hostile) arrogance of such people is 'insufferable'. Just my bad luck to meet him prior to my final departure from the company.
People like this Saffian dude got where they are is because of their blow horning their masters.These people cannot stand on their own two feet,so they feed off their sugar daddies.Or else these bums will be cleaning the toilets.
ReplyDeleteIt may also be possible you have an insufferable personality, that other ordinary folks can't stand...look in the mirror.....wakakakaka...
ReplyDeleteOh, how coulD you say that when my late Mother loved me to bits, wakakaka
DeleteWhere is this dude Saffian now?
ReplyDeleteIf he is still alive, and reading Kuok's Memoirs today, does he have the balls to retort? Will he concoct his own memoirs?
During that period as described by R Kuok, almost all the companies of substance in bolihland were told 'quietly' that the HR Dept must be headed by a nominated Melayu.
ReplyDeleteThe objective was obvious - to stuff as much as possible Melayu into the company. When selection was required, Melayu was the first picked regardless of qualifications & ability!
The hand-picked Melayu nominees were first & foremost Malay nationalists with a rail-tracking ketuanan mindset - memartabatkan bangsa Melayu at all costs!
From then onward, the productivity of these companies went downhill. This is especially so for govt depts & 'forcely' acquired companies à la carte Kuok's MISC.
An ironic comparison of the fortune of MISC & Pacific Carriers NOW WOULD clearly distinguish the wheat from the chaff under the current management thought founded by the same person!
Hussein On was a good man with a weak will. Thus, he COULDN'T lessen/divert the ketuanan waves agitated by razak on all working facades of the bolihland.
So, KT must correct that mamak's was not the initiator of the ills of bolihland. Razak was & he created a positive feedback chain reaction that slowly led to the current meltdown stage. Mamak was an active provocateur for his lopsided & bigoted view, especially towards the Chinese M'sians. He was/is JUST an opportunistic politikus true to his mamaky nature.
Sorry KT, want to divert a bit from subject.
ReplyDeleteR Kuok's record of setting up of the MISC resolves one long time financial puzzle about mca's 20% shareholding in that original ownership structure.
That 20% shares was ACTUALLY the cost of the two bulk carrier ships COMPENSATEd by the wartime Japanese govt for the atrocities done on the Chinese Malayans!
It belongs to the ALL the Chinese M'sians!
Quiet, quietly it becomes the sole asset of mca ONLY!
Just like the TM shares mamak awarded to mic, in trust of the Indian M'sians, being turned into personal wealth of some black-hearteds!
人在做天在看,举头三尺有神明! 善恶终有善恶果。
These insidious scumbags will face their eventuality w/o exceptions!
could it be at that time u r excessively suck up to mahathir like all his chinese crony did n thats the reason u were label a parasite? of course today we use the term dedak eater, which u evidently demonstrate in yr love to najib, quick quick go bertaubat.
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