Credit to whom credit is due, this time it is Tan Sri Annuar Musa, and this is yet another reason why intervention is necessary...

During the height of the Covid pandemic, when the nation was already under a state of Emergency, I was taken aback to receive a call from someone named Cheong Chee Keen—a man I have yet to meet in person.

        Cheong was then serving as CEO of CREST Malaysia, an emergency response NGO. He reached out with a proposal to establish a Covid centre to house B40 individuals severely affected by the pandemic.

        I heard his plea and felt compelled to assist. According to him, volunteers were ready to mobilise. Two private hospitals had offered medical support, and the Robert Kuok Foundation was prepared to supply food for the patients—many of whom could not afford hotel isolation to protect their families.

        But, he was sadly at the verge of calling it the day. 

        Cheong shared that a panel comprising various government agencies had been invited to inspect several hotels before the hotel could be approved to be used as a Covid centre. 

        Yet, none were deemed suitable. The process dragged on for months, with no resolution—unless the NGO agreed to use one of the hotels from the panel’s pre-approved list. 

        While the list may have been well-intentioned, the real issue was cost. For an NGO reliant on public donations, affordability was paramount.

Greatest Shock by Two Little Napoleons

        What shocked me most was Cheong’s account of two Ministry of Health officers requesting letters of indemnity from the private hospitals. That demand proved to be the final straw—both hospitals withdrew their support.

         It was a pandemic. We were all struggling. I was furious at the feedback I received. What the hack, even public hospitals attending to Covid patients cannot provide indemnity to anyone! How can they expect private hospitals to produce letters of indemnity. 

        Quietly, I reached out to then Director-General of Health, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

        To my dismay, he showed no inclination to reprimand his officers. I had been engaging with him, encouraging him in what was clearly a demanding role. Yet, from the newspaper reports, I saw no spark in his eyes—no sign of life.

        Eventually, I gave up on Noor Hisham. For the first time in my life, I produced a video appealing directly to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to intervene.

Two Ministers Intervened

        Given that the country was under a state of Emergency, I emphasised that government agencies could not continue operating in a business-as-usual manner. The video was shared with the then Minister of Federal Territories, Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who promptly sent a message via the Works Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, asking me to contact him.

      Annuar provided his mobile number, but as the setting up of the Covid centre was not under my purview, I requested that he speak directly with his officer overseeing the establishment of Covid centres. I had learnt that this officer was part of the panel involved in the hotel selection process.

        Remarkably, within a day, a meeting was convened. Annuar intervened, and the issue was resolved. Soon after, I was informed that the hotel had been approved for CREST to set up a Covid centre for the B40 community.

        However, my disappointment with Cheong arose when I later referred a case involving a B40 family in Selangor. One of their members had contracted Covid and urgently needed a place to isolate. Cheong declined, stating that the centre was designated for Kuala Lumpur residents only.

        That was the last I heard from him. To me, during a pandemic, the virus does not recognise borders.

        In fact, I had spent hours trying to help him secure a venue in Selangor, reaching out to business tycoon Tan Sri Syed Yusof and the Selangor State Exco for Health, Dr Siti Mahmud. Both were willing to assist if CREST was prepared to shift the centre to Selangor. Dr Siti’s words still echo in my mind: “We badly need a Covid centre for the B40.”

Credit to Whom Credit is Due

        The reason why I share this story is to illustrate why often ministers have to intervene, without which, there would not be light at the end of the tunnel for ordinary Malaysian citizens.

        For that, I am thankful to both Fadillah and Annuar. Credit to whom credit is due. I write this just to show that I am not a bootlicker, a power broker, or an opportunist. To me, VIPs are just as human as the bodyguards who protect them from dangers. 

        Everyone has a role to play—and mine is to help solve problems on the ground. While I believe my time and effort merit compensation, I’ve often carried out the work on a pro bono basis. What I cannot tolerate, however, is to see wealthy people taking a free ride on me as like most people I do not like being taken advantage of, especially when I could have spent the time doing something more productive for my family. 

        To relatives who knew my grandfather, it’s no surprise that I carry traces of his DNA. After completing his Cambridge O Levels, Grandpa served as chief clerk at Seremban Hospital in the early 1950s. Though I never met him, I’ve heard countless stories of how he would sit with his “ordinary” friends—many with little or no formal education—to help them decipher letters from government agencies.

       Those who know me well recognise that I’m essentially a networker. In the early days, I could pull together corporate social responsibility events within just two weeks, relying on emails and SMS. These days, it’s mostly through WhatsApp.

      So it was no surprise as if I "suddenly" found myself in touch with two ministers. After all, we rely on them to help resolve issues related to their government, as they are entrusted with the authority to act, especially when Little Napoleons are making the lives of people miserable. Failure on the part of politicians to act, for example, would reflect badly on the party that they represent. 

      Mentioning their names doesn’t place me in any special category— neither was I hopnobbing -- as I’ve always engaged with people from all walks of life, from the tourism minister in Mozambique to the peddlar operating on the beach of Maputo, fronting the Holiday Inn we were placed in for a year. 

      What I seek is to make this country a better place for everyone, especially the next generation. To me, no one is an enemy—though I may chide certain leaders if I feel they are being too excessive.