Sunday May 3, 2009

Slow and steady rise to the top

By FOO YEE PING

Politics is a blood sport but sometimes players emerge unscathed even after a long battle, as seen in the case of Malaysia’s new Second Finance Minister.

MEN, says Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, should not forget the river where they drink from.

It is a Chinese proverb that he takes to heart, and so he was back at his Tambun constituency the evening after he was sworn in as Second Finance Minister to thank his supporters from the villages.

These people were the backbone of his ascent in politics, never mind that it was a journey that took him 25 years. “I owe a lot to them,” he says.

Gesture of gratitude:Husni returned to Tambun to thank the constituents whom he describes as the backbone of his ascent in politics soon after he was sworn in as Second Finance Minister last month.-Bernama

Despite his long career, Husni the politician was not on everybody’s radar until his appointment to the Finance Ministry on April 9. Within the diplomatic circle, people wondered who he was. Some even mistook him for another grey-haired politician who settled a multimillion ringgit divorce suit recently.

Husni, in actual fact, has been married since 1981 and has four sons.

However, he acknowledges his anonymity among people who do not follow Malaysian affairs closely.

“My life is just about work,” he says. “I don’t venture beyond that. I hardly make any political statements. Even the press do not seek me for comments on politics.”

That, however, was an indication of how cautious he has been in the business. He has walked the line, knowing that a misstep would be costly. It is rare to find him dipping his toes on lightning rod issues.

Aside from some sporadic skirmishes with other leaders, he has appeared in the news mostly on matters pertaining to heavweight subjects (read dull) like FTAs and Matrade or local topics like Ipoh pomeloes.

Neither has he made headlines for scandals or controversies, at least not yet.

In that sense, he is a boring politician.

During a private dinner with him last week, he talked about philosophy and history, from Socrates to Julius Caesar to Egyptian civilisation.

"When things are done accordingly, people would find it easy because there is no need for name dropping"- DATUK SERI AHMAD HUSNI HANADZLAH

That’s quite a nightmare when all you wanted was a gossip or two about the current scenario.

Husni concedes the downside of Malaysian politics. “It’s very tough; I can lead but I am not cut out to be what is usually required of a politician.”

He says he is often amazed at the PR skills of his counterparts, how they mingled with the crowds and the way they networked. “People see me as a very serious person.”

And he confesses that he did not consider himself a national leader.

“I don’t have the network,” he says.

“As a politician, you must have that but I tend to keep more to myself.”

To prove his point, he recalls the night after the Umno election results came out. Party leaders and supporters were swarming to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s house but he stayed put at his own home where his friends had gathered.

“I wasn’t even aware that people were going to his place,” he claims.

Husni, by his own contention, doesn’t know how to play the game although he moved to Kuala Lumpur from Ipoh in 2004 following his appointment as Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister.

But perhaps his advantage lies in his long association with Najib which began in 1987 when the Prime Minister was then heading the Youth movement and Husni was the Tambun Youth chief.

In fact, it was Najib who somewhat persuaded him to contest for an Umno supreme council seat this time. He had not been keen, having lost his bid in 2004.

“I wasn’t sure about it. In fact, I had a feeling I wouldn’t win,” he says, explaining his initial reluctance.

He says he prepared his family for the aftermath, discussing with them plans to move out from their government-owned bungalow near the National Monument should he be out of job.

No expectations

In politics, he stresses, one must not create expectations.

“If something good happens to me, I would just say ‘thank God’. I am ready for any eventuality.”

But this 56-year-old former banker who spent eight years working in the private sector – for the then Chase Manhattan Bank, Bumiputra Merchant Bank and Coopers and Lybrand – has earned the faith of the Prime Minister. His appointment as Umno treasurer is further evidence of Najib’s trust in him.

It would seem that Najib went over Husni’s record and found that he had not taken even a sen throughout his 25-year career as a politician, which explains why he has been given a free hand in looking after the Finance Ministry. Husni will essentially be running the show there.

He had an inkling of his promotion prior to Najib’s announcement. People in the inner circle had described Husni as the person with the know-how for the job without hijacking the headlines.

He says he is honoured by his appointment to the ministry.

“How many people have been born since Merdeka?” he asks.

“Based on that, I’m one of the lucky few who ended up as Finance Minister.”

That’s why, he says, he is “obsessed” with changing the way things work. First off, he told his aides that “if I hear of anybody taking money, that person will be out of my office.”

Husni is aware of the perception that the MOF is seen as “the devil of everything”, despite the prestige that comes with the portfolio.

He wants an end to what has been known as “toll collectors” – people who wanted inducement in exchange for favours such as setting up meetings with the minister.

Now, there must be frequent monitoring of projects and accurate estimation of revenue. Projects or contracts must be approved based on principles, he says, that would save taxpayers money when properly executed.

This, he says, would lead to an effective circular flow of money, generating growth for Malaysia as leakages would be minimised.

“When things are done accordingly, people would find it easy because there is no need for name-dropping.”

Husni, apparently, is also one of the few Umno ministers who has hired a non-Malay senior private secretary because “work performance cuts across racial background.”

He knows the talk that is going around; that it is the wrong time to be a Finance Minister because of the global economic meltdown.

“But I believe that if you are sincere, everything will work to your favour.”

Still, life with a prestigious portfolio has its perks.

“People have been good to me. Now, they are extra good to me,” he says, laughing.

He will also have to contend with a bodyguard, something which he managed to avoid as a deputy minister although he was entitled to one then.

His simple life is well-known among Tambun locals. Visitors are often surprised to see his no-frills single-storey house in Kampung Sg Rokam, Ipoh.

“Is that Datuk Husni’s house?” they would ask.

“It isn’t a house that befits someone who has a title,” Husni claims.

For now, he has finally peaked after playing it safe in the rough-and-tumble of Malaysian politics.

“In politics, honesty seldom pays,” he says, ruefully. So when he made it this time, his wife of 29 years, Fauziah Kamarudin, says simply: “Syukurlah.”

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