Azmi not interested to contest in Tanjung Datu
KUCHING: Director of Yayasan Sarawak Azmi Bujang, who was a close aide and family friend to Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem said in no uncertain term that he was not interested to be the candidate for the vacant seat of Tanjung Datu.
“I am a civil servant and I adhere strictly to professionalism within the civil service. I have found my place in Yayasan Sarawak and there are many plans I have in store for the organisation. I have no interest to stand as a candidate or to be a YB,” Azmi told The Borneo Post amid rumours of him being one of the potential candidates.
Instead of by- election, Azmi preferred to talk about the life journey which he had shared with his late boss who was his mentor and role model for the past 26 years.
Azmi first met Adenan when he was the Sarawak Administrative Officer ( SAO) of Samarahan district.
“During that time, he was the Land Minister and Muara Tuang assemblyman. I knew them (Adenan and Datin Patinggi Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu) at the functions as I needed to make arrangements for them every time they visited the area.”
“And on a Saturday in March 1991, I was called to go to their house at Arang Road for an interview which I went. I was a nervous wreck because I was just a young SAO. I saw them often especially, Adenan who would get off from a helicopter with long hair, dark glasses, white suit and white pants. That was his style in those days. But I did not know them personally then.”
After that interview, Azmi, a young chap of 26 became Adenan’s private secretary.
The interview sealed their journey together until the recent demise of Adenan.
When Adenan changed his constituency from Muara Tuang to Tanjong Datu in 2006, Azmi received a call from the state secretary office that he was promoted to be district officer (DO) of Lundu.
“It was popular belief that he wanted me to be there. But no. It was the state government who wanted me there. When I told him (Adenan), he was as surprised as me,” said Azmi.
From there, the two continued to work hand in hand to serve the Lundu folks with Adenan as the policy maker and Azmi, the implementor.
“He would visit Lundu about twice a month. He would just call me and asked me to wait for him at Lundu office at 10am. Then we would talk about development programmes for Lundu.”
And when Adenan became the chief minister, many had expected Adenan to call Azmi.
“No, he did not call me. I was the one calling him to congratulate him. And he said, “I want you back”. Since he was then coming to Lundu that Saturday, we agreed to meet in Lundu to talk about that. After that, I became his principal private secretary.”
“Among my duties was to sort out Datuk Patinggi’s correspondence and invitations as well as appointments. I was also given the special task to look into his minor rural project fund and his constituency because I was the DO of Lundu before and I knew well the needs of the area. And after he became the chief
I am a civil servant and I adhere strictly to professionalism within the civil service. I have found my place in Yayasan Sarawak and there are many plans I have in store for the organisation. I have no interest to stand as a candidate or to be a YB.
minister, funds were coming in for the various projects such as Centre of Technical Excellence, the market, the hawkers centre, waterfront and basic infrastructure. Lundu was transformed after he became the chief minister.”
One of the perks of the job as principal private secretary was the fact that he knew most of “all the things to come”.
“Prior to the announcement of the 53 initiatives, we knew of them already but we could not talk about them or reveal them. And sometimes, when we read newspaper about speculations on this or that, we just laughed off the reports. We knew the answer, but we had to pretend we did not now.”
However busy Adenan might be, he would make it a point that courtesy calls be limited to a few days in the week where one day in a week he must be left undisturbed.
“‘ I must have one thinking day’– Datuk Patinggi said. So on the day, he would just sit, think, strategise and envision. That was why the people saw a lot of new policies and new things happened to Sarawak.”
And in his time as chief minister, Adenan had made it a point to cut down protocol such as doing away with full salutation during functions and no waiting in the airport for him.
But still people would queue up at airport.
“Datuk Patinggi did not want people to wait for him at the airport because he did not want them to stay under the hot sun. But no one listened. Finally, he had to ask the state secretary to issue a notice before people started to listen.”
“He was that kind of simple man. Even when he was just a minister, I remembered we used to sit at Sibu Airport queueing up for flights where we ended up meeting a lot of people.”
Azmi claimed that his relationship with Adenan was professional but with so much trust in it, it was definitely a relationship more than just superior and subordinate.
“Being professional means telling him the truth of the matter but if it is the minister’s wish to make decision otherwise, you have said your piece. Most time he listened. Sometimes, I just wonder whether he just wanted to test me. But when I insisted of the truth, he gave in instantly, and that was very satisfying to me.”
On his personality, Azmi said Adenan was an amazing downtoearth individual who was a no-nonsense person with a good sense of humour but few words.
“Before I started working, my father was the influential figure in my life. But after I have started working, he (Adenan) had been my role model until people in Lundu said – you gave directive like Datuk Nan.”
“I became like him. His way of doing things just got into me. I became task- oriented like him and would rather get things done than complain. His favourite quote was ‘ It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness’. And that has become mine too.”
After knowing and working with each other for so long, a deep and unspoken trust had established between Adenan and Azmi where both shared some secrets from Jamilah.
“In many occasions, we share
Azmi Bujang, director of Yayasan Sarawak
food and drink where he just took whatever I was drinking or eating. And I am always the one to the rescue when Datin Patinggi (Jamilah) did not allow him certain drinks or food especially cold icy drinks. For example, during Balingian by- election, I happened to have a cold icy fruit juice in my hand. He just took it from me and finished it when that was prohibited by Datin Patinggi for fear that the cold drink might cause him to cough and unable to make speeches.”
“And when we were at the hotel, he would come knock on my door to ask for the cold isotonic drinks which I usually kept in stock. When I told him that Datin Patinggi would scold me for giving him, he would brush it off saying, ‘just a bit only’ (sikit aja). He would finish his drink and left. We would both keep quiet about it. This is kinda of like ‘brotherhood’ thing that we don’t mention anymore.”
Azmi had picked up reading habit from Adenan who read on every topic and every disciple and because of Adenan, Azmi has started to build up a good collection of books.
“When we went overseas, after checking in and settling down, he would ask me to go to bookstores. He was also the one who first brought me to a museum and after that, I started to learn how to appreciate museum and I would go by myself.”
An incident which really touched Azmi was Adenan making the effort to attend Azmi’s book launch despite still suffering from sprained ankle and had to be confined to bed and wheelchair.
“I thought he would not make it but he did against the doctor’s advice.
When he called me that morning saying he would make it. The world suddenly became colourful. The flowers all seemed to bloom. I was on cloud nine that morning. This is Adenan. A person who would walk extra mile for me. What more could I ask of such a person? In return, I would also walk an extra mile for him.”
“And for more than two decades I worked for him, he had never said any harsh words to me or scolded me. For that respect, I am forever grateful.”
Adenan was a faithful friend.
For the years when Azmi was Lundu DO and later Adenan’s principal private secretary, Adenan visited Azmi’s house during Hari Raya.
And that insistence had also imprinted a memory that Azmi would not forget.
Azmi met Adenan at the age of 26 and they worked as a team for the last 26 years.
It was no wonder that Azmi would describe Adenan’s passing as “devastating”.
“I felt that we have lost a lighthouse.”
Azmi was not the only one who felt so but the whole of Sarawak.
However, different from other Sarawakians, Azmi has had the privilege to serve and work together with a great man for more than two decades.
It was indeed “a great honour”, as Azmi had described.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. This is a quote of Martin Luther King Jr. And this is the quote that I would like to use to describe our late beloved Chief Minister.”