Radzi’s take on life, politics and his dusun

'People come seeking help. You see them coming down from their motorcycle holding an envelope and you know very well you’re in trouble' — Datuk Seri Mohd RadziSheikh Ahmad

THE new Home Minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, has survived 17 tumultuous years in the political wilderness, when he took to heart the meaning of friendship.  

He was deputy primary industries minister when he declared allegiance to Semangat 46 in 1987. Radzi himself has aged gently; his hair has thinned although his eyes crinkle with the same kind humour. And the years “in exile” have made him more reticent, weighing his words before he speaks.  

Radzi is an experienced criminal lawyer and a good listener, thus eminently suited to chair the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Criminal Procedure Code, which he will continue to hold.  

Quietly, he squeezes in a tumbling daily schedule, rushing from Putrajaya to Kangar, where he is MP, and all over the country as Umno and Barisan Nasional secretary general. He has another passion – his orchard hideout tucked away outside Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah.  

In a rare interview, Radzi gave glimpses of his years in the cold, and the person who most influenced his life. 

Radzi on his orchard hideout 

My dusun (orchard) is eight years old now – three acres (1.2ha) with ducks and a fish pond. I started from scratch. The durian trees are beginning to flower. 

It started (through) a friend of mine; he’s half-Thai, half-Melayu, a Muslim living in Mata Air, Perlis. Dia pandai urut (he’s a professional masseur), Pak Chin. I had problems with my back. 

When I joined 46, he also joined 46. And if anybody criticised 46, or criticised me, he would never urut you. He was a strong supporter of mine.  

Two years earlier, some Thais, the third generation from Pattani, had sold him the right (to work) a three-acre piece of land in Kedah. They had no title. Next to it was another plot, going for RM12,000. We started in 1997. Pak Chin died that November after the fruit trees were planted. 

I had already made plans to migrate to Johor, having found it so hard to make a living in Perlis. (At a friend’s suggestion) In 1995 I joined a public-listed company, SP Setia, as a director.  

My friend had offered my wife a partnership in (now) Shahrizat, Rashid and Lee, which expanded to two branches. SP Setia became the biggest developer in Johor. Our initial three years became six. I was commuting to Perlis, having taken over as ketua bahagian in 2000 to many people’s surprise. 

Till now, I have spent RM200,000 on my dusun. When I go back alone I stay at my little house there. Pak Ya, the old caretaker, will cook. We eat ulam, fish and sambal belacan. Three platefuls. Sampai berpeluh-peluh (till we perspire). 

I rear geese. At night they make noise; they keep you company. 

About three years ago, I applied for a land title. Although I was not the mentri (besar), I kept in very close touch with Pak Lah (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi). Puteri Umno needed someone to teach them. Pak Lah said go and get Datuk Radzi. He will teach you. So word got around.  

In Kedah, we lost one constituency: Anak Bukit. So the Kedah MB also asked me to give courses on election operations. 

By the grace of God, after the elections in 2004, I became a minister. A few months later I became secretary-general.  

My house (in Kangar) covers four acres (1.6ha). I have a swimming pool, tennis court and a fish pond. It’s a resort house, which I built when I was a lawyer. But I cannot enjoy it. People come seeking help. You see them coming down from their motorcycle holding an envelope and you know very well you’re in trouble. (Laughs) So, I’ve got this hideout. (But) I make sure they never go away empty handed. 

Who was the person who had the greatest influence on your life? 

My father. He was a deeply religious man. But he was modern. This man was born in 1896. In 2006, that’s ancient. He obtained his English education at the Victoria Institution. When World War I came, he had to run. He had to stop at Standard 7 and never finished his schooling. He went through so many jobs. He became one of the founding members of Umno. He was the first mentri besar (of Perlis), chairman of Dewan Bahasa (dan Pustaka); he was the founding member of Bank Bumiputra, he founded Bank Rakyat.  

(While he was ambassador to Saudi Arabia), he had dreamt of building a complex in Jeddah to house Malaysian pilgrims, with our own hospital, hostel and hotel. The late King Faisal and he were almost of the same age. So they could talk on the same level, although my father could not speak Arabic. 

(Radzi went on to relate a story told to him by the late Datuk Mokhtar Ahmad, the official interpreter who eventually became ambassador to Saudi Arabia himself. The story about his father’s refusal of a substantial “cut” offered by Arab businessmen for the purchase of land belonging to the Saudi royal family made a lasting impression on Radzi.) 

My father has always been with me. When he died at 86, he left behind only one piece of land in the whole of Perlis, of which he was Mentri Besar for 12 years. It was 3ft by 6ft (0.9m by 1.8m). That was his grave. So that gives me the strength. 

When I entered politics, I could go and lecture anywhere. And nobody could say, Pi lah, dulu bapak hang jadi MB, ambil ini, ambil itu. (Don’t talk. When your father was mentri besar, he grabbed this, grabbed that.) 

The kampung people remembered, “Surau ni lah Pak Sheikh buat”, meaning my father would bring state government money and they would build surau, roads and entire kampungs the gotong royong way.  

He planned the whole state. If he had wanted to make money, he could have.  

I have three more years to perform, to deliver. I know the Home Ministry is the ministry where people can make money – if you want to. 

You don’t think you will extend for another term? 

My age is against me. This month I will be 64. So two more years, I’ll be 66. If I stand one more term, I’ll be 71. That will be too late to enjoy life. 

 

Having been deputy home minister before, do you consider this a homecoming? Or has the Home Ministry changed so much that it has become a hot seat? 

The Home Ministry is a very challenging ministry. Illegals are our number one problem. If you worry about illegal immigrants here, those in Sabah ... my God. We have people from Myanmar here. They have international certificates, which we don’t recognise. But still we close an eye. We don’t disturb them. They actually are persecuted so they come here. And they are Muslims.  

The Filipinos have been coming to Sabah for years. We don’t have the naval capability that we have here, although we have a base there. The sea is so vast and the islands so numerous. 

Are we going to come down hard on the illegals? We have to take into consideration the Indonesians’ feelings. 

The Chinese (from China) pose another problem. They integrate with the Chinese here so fast. But if we stop them, we discourage the tourists from China, from whom we make a lot of money.  

Then there are the genuine cases. People who marry foreigners should be helped, professionals especially. When he or she cannot get a job here, it’s a waste. And you employ a fellow from Bangladesh or India, whereas here in front of your nose is someone who’s married to a Malaysian with the (necessary) qualification. Why can’t you offer them a job? Give them a PR, it doesn’t matter, even (if it is not) a citizenship.  

Give me a month or two; maybe three months. After moving into the new ministry, I will have some ideas after consulting the two bosses as to the direction we are going to take.  

If you had your life to live over, is there anything you would change? 

I went to the best school in the country. I was schooled in the military college (Royal Military College). That moulded my childhood. That gave me discipline. That gave me the understanding of other races. We were the only school in the country that was multi-racial and yet boarding. You led a hard life together, you were punished together. So, until today, whenever I meet my schoolmates who are of different nationalities, we are just like brothers. That’s how the years in college moulded my character. And I think that’s important for a country like ours, one that is multi-racial.  

Of course, you must have this semangat Melayu. But you cannot run away from the fact that there are Chinese, Indians and other races living in this country. We must have that understanding of human relations, which my college taught me.  

I had the opportunity, when I was a young boy coming from a state like Perlis, (to have picked up other languages). I could have learned to speak Thai. We had a Thai gardener. I could have studied Hokkien because Perlis is very Hokkien-based. I would have liked to learn Arabic by studying the Quran deeper. All that would have made me a better person. I’m not too ambitious. 

Not too many regrets then? 

Not too many regrets. 

Do you regret Semangat 46 at all? 

No, not at all. I think it was part of learning. Because it came your way. It taught me a lot, to distinguish between “friends” and real friends. That is why I am not impressed by all the pomp. To me, it’s nothing.