WHAT do you do for fun if you are a busy minister?
For Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, 41, it is to write a book, his fifth.
“I have a life beyond work,” he says with a laugh as he shares how he still makes time for his personal interests even as he grapples with the workload in his ministry and oversees his constituency.
“I think more importantly my writings are a reflection of what I believe, my principles, my life and my experience.”
The youngest minister in the current Cabinet has previously published four books, including an anthology of Malay poetry.
His upcoming book is a biography of a politician from the 1950s representing Bukit Mertajam, Penang, who was committed not to wealth or position, but to serving his community, says Sim.
“That is a reflection of what I’m going through as well in my current role as a politician, as an elected representative and as a minister,” Sim says.
When asked who the politician is, he plays coy, telling us to wait until the book comes out, hopefully within this year.
Sim, shown here in his role as Bukit Mertajam MP, says he wants to embrace the politics of service through his work in his constituency. — STEVEN SIM/Social media
The late politician is not very well known, he admits, but Sim happened to be classmates with his grandson in school.
After doing research into the politician’s life, Sim realised how much he has done not only for Bukit Mertajam, but also for Penang and Malaysia in general.
“But many young people do not know about this person. So I think, whether as the Bukit Mertajam MP wanting to give recognition to one of our early fathers or as a politician wanting to promote or embrace this value of politics of service, this was something I felt I had to do.”
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Sim appears to be walking the talk with the politics of service, as he has recorded a myriad of achievements as the Bukit Mertajam MP since 2013.
One of his proudest achievements, he says, is improving flood mitigation in the area.
“This is one of the things that is very close to my heart because I am a Bukit Mertajam boy. I grew up having to deal with floods two or three times a year in my area. I wouldn’t say we have resolved the flooding issues 100% but we have substantially minimised flood occurrences in Bukit Mertajam.”
Another thing he is proud of is instilling a sense of belonging in the Bukit Mertajam community.
A few years ago, with the help of local NGOs, he started the annual Bukit Mertajam Arts and Music Festival, an independent, community-run festival.
“As we begin to organise more such activities, they nurture a higher sense of awareness about the need and importance of preserving our heritage and culture.
“Therefore, if someone who went to Bukit Mertajam 10 years ago were to come back and visit us today, they would realise that the historical centre of our town has been transformed.”
Another initiative he is proud of was born during the Covid-19 pandemic, when he decided to try to provide aid to the local community by gifting laptops or tablets to students in need when schooling went online.
“There were many people already giving food aid, especially in Penang. So we had to think of creative ways to give to the people what was needed most. At the time, I had a son in primary school and we had to get him his first laptop and I thought, what about families who had no means?”
At the time, some said he was doing “crazy work” because electronic devices are much more costly than food.
But with the help of kind- hearted Malaysians, such as former badminton great Datuk Lee Chong Wei who donated 50 laptops, Sim says his team managed to distribute about 600 new laptops and tablets to children in Bukit Mertajam.
“For me, that is a very personal experience because I felt that this was something we needed to do and we worked very hard to get those 600 laptops.”
