Dutch businessman going home to start political career

PETALING JAYA: After running a successful company that developed interactive TV programmes in Malaysia, Datuk Peter Farid Faisal is returning home to the Netherlands to be a politician. 

He was recently appointed chief of staff of the new Party for Justice, Decisiveness and Progress, which was formed by a well-known crime reporter in his country, Peter R. de Vries. 

His job in the party, said Peter Farid, was “to get the right people to do the right job.” 

Peter Farid: ‘There iscertainly something wecan learn from Malaysia’

Born Petrus C. Schouten, he came to Malaysia in 1994 to set up a joint venture with Telekom Malaysia for value-added telephone services. 

The company, Articulate Asia, was subsequently developed into a company that produced TV shows like Lingo, Get Set Go, sitcom Life's A Pitch (all on RTM) and Goldquest (on Metrovision). 

The company also started an SMS-based contest to promote safe and courteous driving called Roadwinner.com. 

The most-treasured thought that Peter Farid has about his adopted country for the past 11 years is Malaysian hospitality. 

“Over here, if you drop by a friend's place unexpectedly during dinner, you'd be asked to join in,” said the executive chairman of Articulate Asia. 

A strong supporter of the Islam Hadhari concept, he said it was fascinating that Malaysia had managed to integrate various races and religions into a workable system.  

“I think it's a great idea which can be adjusted to suit the Dutch scenario,” he said, adding that it could help integrate the one million Muslims in the Netherlands into mainstream society.  

“There is certainly something we can learn from Malaysia.”