Maritime work runs in the family for Dahari

FOR Klang Port Management (KPM) secretariat manager, Dahari Ujud, the 29 years he has spent in the port can be likened to the tides--everyday has its highs and lows.

But judging from his background, it would not be too far off the mark to say that his career has been relatively smooth sailing.

Dahari, 48, said his late father, who used to work in the British Naval Base in Singapore, was one reason why he joined the port.

"We used to stay in the quarters at the base and from a young age I was used to seeing ships.

"My interest to work in the maritime industry was further fired when my father was transferred to the Sembawang Shipyard," recalled Dahari, who has four daughters.

Working in the maritime industry seems to run in the family.

Dahari's elder brother who used to work in Malaysia International Shipping Corporation now works in Esso, while his younger brother is attached to Jurong Shipyard in Singapore.

Not surprisingly, two of his daughters have also taken after him. His eldest Josphina, 25, is an executive in a local shipping company.

His second daughter Daryanie, 22, is working in a company which handles dry bulk facility in Port Klang.

"Now my third daughter who is doing her diploma in IT says that she wants to do her practical in KPM," he said.

When he first joined Klang Port Authority (KPA) in 1970, Dahari, who is also KPM's company secretary, worked as an investigating and prosecution officer in its security department.

There, he was responsible for ensuring that goods and ports were safe from thefts and other mishaps.

"We were given the power to prosecute and even had our own intelligence team working together with the police," he said.

After eight years in this department, Dahari was posted to the training department where he worked as a training officer.

He was involved in the development and implementation of training programmes in KPA, and was an instructor for the UNCTAD-TRAINMAR.

During this time, he got to visit Malaysian ports to conduct courses and sessions and made many contacts and friends.

In 1990, KPA set up the Management Development Unit and he was among those asked to set it up.

He also established the secretariat department in KPM.

While adding all these to his working experience, Dahari completed his Chartered Institute of Transport and obtained certificates in personnel management and training development and obtained a licence as a company secretary.

"I enjoyed the years with the port and have seen it grow from just four wharfs in North Port in the 70s to what it is today.

"I appreciate the experience and exposure as the port is a good place to make friends because you deal with many people," he said.

Dahari is married to Junaidah Ahmad, 46, a homemaker, and they live in Klang.

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