OBITUARY When I first met the late Ani Arope, it was a special lunch outing with him, his wife, Saenah and daughter, Sakinah in Shah Alam about three years ago.

 

I had told my son, three years old then, that he was going to meet a towering Malaysian, because I knew Ani was someone highly respected by people of all races.

 

To me, it was the first time I met him in person, although we had corresponded by email for some time. For me, Ani Arope was special, because having known him since the days when he was executive chairperson of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) more than 15 years ago, he was an exemplar of a great Malay gentleman.

 

I knew his reputation, before I knew him as a person. Legs would “tremble” the moment Ani Arope’s name was mentioned. This was how a TNB staff member had described him to me.

 

He wanted to improve the level of efficiency in TNB. And, within a short period of time, most of us could see how efficient TNB had become compared to other government-linked companies (GLCs).

 

It comes as no surprise the number of comments pouring into his Facebook account, the moment Malaysiakini and other portals broke the news that Ani Arope had passed on yesterday at 5.20am on Saturday.

 

The WhatsApp message came from Sakinah, his eldest daughter, and in the midst of a very busy schedule in the morning, I made every attempt to pay my last respect to the man I call a friend, especially after interviewing him for an article which was never published by The Star , but subsequently made its way into Appendix One of his ‘Memoirs’.

 

Condolences

 

Looking back, on Oct 31 (8.56am), Ani Arope had just written on his Facebook : “Still alive n kicking!”

 

A few months earlier, on June 6, he had written on his Facebook: “Prostate cancer patients have an average lifespan of 5 yrs. Statistically-speaking it would be my time to go by December. Just watch me.” His passing away on Dec 20, therefore, was expected to family members.

 

The condolences pouring in from people of all races for this man, show how much they respected him. To them, he was exemplary of a towering Malaysian, who has left behind a legacy for the younger generation.

Kenny Wong, in his posting, described Ani as “a humble man with integrity and principles”. Another friend, FK Chin calls him, “A towering Malaysian. An officer and a gentleman.”

 

Someone by the name of Louis wrote: “Tan Sri Ani, very few in the country can measure up to your honesty and integrity. Rather than sacrificing your principles, you choose to give up your lucrative job in TNB. All Malaysians feel the loss of your passing. Condolences to the family. You are a true patriot! May Allah bless your soul.”

 

Going by his pseudonym, ‘Abasir’ wrote: “The passing of a loyal Malaysian who placed the nation's interest above personal gain and political correctness. Truly a national loss, given that there are so few of his calibre and moral rigour around to help save the nation from the parasites and the leeches. Al Fatihah my friend.”

 

‘Antares Maitreya?’ wrote: “For you, Ani Arope, a golden crown in honour of the true nobility you embody. You departed with a clear conscience and a pure soul, leaving as your heritage a shining example of courage and integrity. May your bloodline be forever blessed!”

 

Man of action

 

Ani Arope, as I recall, was a man of action.

 

I recall highlighting the plight of residents of Taman Kepong (where I had grown up as a child), who had no streetlights for over 25 years. The moment a full-page article appeared in the Malay Mail , a TNB team came and immediately worked round the clock to install some 20 streetlights!

 

Of course, the next day, the Malay Mail carried another story, showing the happy faces of residents giving the thumbs-up to the TNB team for brightening up their neighbourhood. I ended up treating the team to a good supper for the job that they had completed at past one in the morning.

 

Little did I realise that it was Ani Arope behind the decision to install the streetlights immediately, until much later when I learnt what a boss he was! Although some may think he was a tyrant of some sort, most people in TNB told me that Ani was well respected by his staff and colleagues.

 

Short of knowing the true reasons behind it, I was one of the people who were disappointed when Dr Mahathir Mohamad removed him as executive chairperson of TNB.

 

This man had raised the high level of performance of TNB staff, compared to other government-linked companies during his era. He was also the man who protected the interests of the public, at a time when the former prime minister was giving away huge independent power producers (IPPs) contracts to his cronies.

 

In an interview that appeared in The Star , Ani has hit the nail on the head, criticising Dr Mahathir’s handiwork. One of his statements still reminds people of who is responsible for the higher electricity tariffs: “The IPPs have earned billions of ringgit. Power tariffs have gone up again. What is this all about? It simply means we are taking care of the rich corporations, while the rakyat suffer.”

 

When someone posted on his Facebook, saying, “Tan Sri AA, May Allah SWT bless you for standing up against the dictator,” Ani simply replied: “I stood against nobody. Only stood by the truth and took whatever consequences that went with it.”

 

Of great humour and honour

 

Even when he was undergoing chemotherapy, Ani was able to accept and laugh at his baldness. “I now wear something on my head not to hide my baldness due to chemotherapy,” he wrote, “but to protect my head from the cold air in malls and restaurants.”

 

He is also witty at times: “I don't think I am getting any smarter as I grow in age. Only running out of silly things to say.”

 

Here is another one: “When your life is in darkness...Pray to God and ask Him to free thou from darkness. And if you r still in darkness... Please pay your electricity bill.”

 

“I met a retired couple recently at the Empire Mall holding each other’s hands. I remarked to the husband how loving they looked. Then in low tones he said, ‘If I let go her hands she’ll start shopping’. What you see is not what you think.”

 

Sometimes, he would say a few sentences in Hechuan to just tickle you. That was Ani Arope, a man with great humour.

 

On management of corporations, he once wrote: “Overhauling of corporations - from all shapes of bottles, the bottle necks are always at the top!”

 

On another occasion, he wrote: “People entrusted with power and authority in their early stage of life must learn how to handle them. Failing which, they will become a liability to themselves and to society. They become bigots and when faced with a rough passage don't know how to react except to use their power and authority.”

 

There is also a lot of truth in what he had written, and in once instance, he said: “If a destitute person picks a can of milk for his starving baby in a supermarket and walks out without paying, under the Divine Law 'Thou shall not steal' he gets his hands chopped off.

But a man with power and authority awards contracts and gets kickbacks and commissions will not suffer the same fate as the man who took a can of milk. We need to study this in depth and with the times.”

Powered by values

 

When the country was rocked by the ‘Allah’ controversy and frequent interference by Islamic authorities into the practices by adherents of other religions had raised ire amongst the non-Muslims, Ani’s words of wisdom ring true:

 

“Are we saying that ‘Allah’ is the God of Muslims and non-Muslims have their own gods? Then, we are admitting there is more than one God. Where does ayat al iklas stand that Allah is One?”

 

“Instead of going for the souls,” he wrote, “Muslim organisations are obsessed with body snatching. Now we create more enemies. People are relieved to know that their deceased ones are not Muslims.”

 

His exhortation to fellow Malaysians: “Let us build bridges rather that spread hate and violence to those who do not subscribe to our way of beliefs.”

 

Finally, one saying that Ani said had motivated him to live an upright life: “Certain people value their power but I am powered by my value.”

 

Such was Ani Arope, I wish I could spend more time with you. However, now that you are gone, you have left behind a good name that cannot be purchased with money. Farewell, my friend!

                                                                       

                 

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.