Flying high, solo and happy

Executive secretary Melinda Loke Sye Min, 54, is grateful for her journey in life so far, which includes her illustrious career in various industries including cosmetics, consulting and financial services.

SHE qualified for a place in college after Form Five but didn’t take it because of financial difficulties.

But she never gave up.

Working as a general clerk in Ipoh for three years, Melinda Loke Sye Min saved enough money to put herself through diploma studies. She took up a secretaryship course in Kuala Lumpur and since then has been enjoying an illustrious career in various industries, including in the fast moving consumer goods sector and in cosmetics, consulting and event management services.

Loke, who is currently an executive secretary at an oil and gas subsidiary, is grateful for her journey so far.

“I will be 55 this year. I’m happy that the Government has extended the retirement age to 60. I will continue to work until I retire,” she says.

Loke adds that Malaysian women, both married and single, have helped in spurring the nation’s growth and more women should be recognised and brought to the forefront.

“Many women are contributing to the country. Just open your eyes. The key challenge is if you have a family, then you will need to balance your time,” she says.

As for her personal life, Loke, is light-hearted about her single status, saying “it’s not in my luck” to get hitched.

“But it’s nothing that is tragic. If it happens, it happens. I have always felt loved by my family and I have great friends.

“For me, I have never felt that I must get married. It doesn’t matter,” shares Loke.

In fact, Loke feels blessed and thankful, quipping that “Life is beautiful as a lady. And I am grateful for being a lady born in Malaysia. I am very lucky because I have all the freedom I need.”

She says among the most important lessons she has learned from her career is to always be open, transparent and respectful of people.

“Don’t backstab each other, don’t spread rumours. People will see the potential in you. That is how I built my career,” Loke adds.

Regardless of being single or not, medical doctor Dr Emma Nair agrees that women in general don’t get enough credit for nation-building and growing Malaysia’s economy.

“In some cases, being married means having a double income, resulting in higher spending power.

“But there are some single women who make the same amount that, for instance, a couple in the lower middle income group makes.

“So they too will have more spending power because of the extra cash and they can contribute to the domestic market in terms of buying property and so on,” says the 34-year-old.

While being single can get lonely sometimes, Dr Nair says it also gives her the time to concentrate on her job in a Government hospital.

“My personal opinion is, I choose to focus more on my work because I am single. It may be different if I have a family of my own.

“But having said that, I do have my parents and I live with them so my days off are almost always dedicated to them because they are my world,” she says.

As for women being constantly asked about why they are not married, Dr Nair observes that this normally happens only among relatives and the older generation as younger people tend to understand the choice to remain single.

“But I understand that some ask because they care. They are getting older and would like to witness such a happy event,” she says.

While she is single and doesn’t have children of her own, a retired teacher who wishes to be known only as Chan has guided many kids throughout her career, which she describes as fulfilling.

“I feel the most satisfied when my students finally understand something that they didn’t in the beginning,” says the 70-year-old, who used to teach lower secondary level English, among other subjects.

And as with most teachers, Chan is especially heartened when she sees her students pass their examinations with flying colours.

She says throughout her 38 years as an educator, she didn’t feel the need to go for a higher position.

“I was just happy being where I was because I want to teach children,” Chan says, adding that some of her ex-students still call her cikgu (teacher) until today.