AS a planter, I had been asked to buy plantations, but this was the first time I was asked to buy a building.
Wisma Sime Darby was a structure soaring with a golden glow as you passed it at Jalan Raja Laut in Kuala Lumpur.
But soon after I had started work for the company in Sabah, I was told that it belonged to the state government, and the managing director Tan Sri Tunku Ahmad Tunku Yahya had asked me to buy it.
I was told that the tenancy agreement was drafted by lawyers, with the terms so tight that no party could terminate the long lease.
Additionally, while the rent was set to rise each year, it was supposed to go up at a rate lower than what was expected. The recession in 1987 caused the rent to drop in the city but the terms of the agreement saw to it that the company had to pay well above the going rate. The future promised more financial strain.
After the telephone call from Tunku Ahmad, I had to pause for
a long while in my office in Bangunan Kuwasa, and as I looked out to the calm sea and Pulau Gaya from my window, I realised that with this task, my job was not as easy as I had thought.
Sabah was now under a new government, led by Chief Minister Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan, and he had not finished implementing changes following his takeover. The figures that I knew during my previous stay had gone, and they were replaced by young faces, who were full of energy and ideas, most of whom were Kadazans.
I hoped Datuk Pairin would be in favour of the sale. He had once stayed in my bungalow when I was working in Unilever at Pamol Sabah, up the Labuk River, in late 1979. Over breakfast, he told me in a low, deep voice how he would like to see Sabah develop and bring a more modern way of life to the people in all areas, including to those in his village in Tambunan.
He was with a cultural troupe, and in the evenings I went to see the shows, with lasses in the full bloom of youth, showing off costumes from various regions. There was much merriment and dancing, including the sumazau that I was forced to take part in, to the tune of the hit song Jambatan Tamparuli. The show went on with Datuk Pairin’s diligent effort, covering the other regions of Kadazans, Muruts and Dusuns.
Now he was in power. However, when I tried to get through, I
was told by his secretary that he was engaged or away.
I looked at the list of people around him, including other politicians, one being Mark Koding, a firebrand I had read about in the papers. He turned out to be a warm person but his heart was fully for the development of his people in Ranau. I went and waited outside a church for his Christmas caroling to finish, and he said he would see what he could do. Much as we got on, he could not help me on this one.
I also went to meet the finance minister, Datuk Bernard Dompok, whose secretary was always helpful. He was in his office enjoying a cigar, with a pot of tea ready, and he knew why I was there. Although we had a useful conversation on the state-owned plantations that Sime Darby was managing, the subject of Wisma Sime Darby did not get anywhere.
Finally, I had a plan and went to the official residence of the chief minister during his Christmas open house up on the hill overlooking the sea. He could not avoid meeting me. With a brief smile and a nod, he agreed to meet in his office the following week.
His office was at Bangunan Yayasan Sabah, a distinctive tall blue cylinder that rose from a wide platform open to the sea breeze, approached by many steps. A further walk took me to the lifts that sped to the higher floors.
The meeting was brief, Datuk Pairin went on quickly to the issue of the building.
“That was the best investment the previous government has ever made. I cannot say about the rest. No, it is not for sale.”
In a few minutes, I was back down again at the base of the building. The wind had whipped up and pulled ruthlessly at my tie. I gazed at the sea one more time before I got in the car and sat back silently. This was not my best day.
However, I had done my best. I did not know what Tunku Ahmad would have to say. For one thing, it would mean I would not be in line to make it to the top in the company.
The disappointment from the meeting was still with me when I decided to take a break weeks later and took leave to go back to Kuala Lumpur into the arms of my family, to enjoy the fasting month at home and come back after Hari Raya was over.
However, the issue of the rent was also soon over. As the recovery began to gather pace following the recession, rents in the city went up rapidly, and the rental rate the company had been locked in looked good again. No more was said about buying the building.
The days passed quickly in Kuala Lumpur, and after Hari Raya, I was readying my mind to fly back to Sabah, not knowing I was to get other surprises.
The writer has extensive experience in the management of oil palm plantations. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
