COMMENT For almost three years I have served Adenan Satem indirectly as an assistant director in the Sarawak Foundation. Now, as then, YAB Adenan Satem is still the chairperson. What I am sharing in this piece is just a mere observation of his persona, character and leadership. As I am no longer working for him or the state government, I am free to say what I believe is right.

I met Adenan face-to-face only several times throughout those two-and-a-half years. However, the first was a few years before I worked for the state government. I was a student competing in the state-organised English Language Debating Championship. The last time I met him was when he was already the chief minister at an event in Kuala Lumpur and at that time I was no longer serving the state government.

I’ll make it clear that between those two meetings, I’ve never had the chance to get to know the man personally. But his persona carries such weight that his presence gave colour to the leadership in the Sarawak Foundation.

Physically, Adenan is very tall by the standard of his generation. He has a particular gait which reminds you of a brontosaurus striding peacefully across the plains. The first thing that you’d realise when meeting him up-front are his muzzy eyes and if you have the opportunity to shake his hands - trust me it will not leave a strong impression on you. There is nothing in his demeanour that will give you a hint about the iron resolve that he keeps to himself.

Perhaps it is too tiring for him as an introvert to muster such energy to meet and deal with so many people. Or perhaps he is a man burdened by history, legacy and duty. I can only guess as much.

Nonetheless, despite his poker face and silent disposition, his stage presence is remarkably superb. His ability to speak with a plebeian parlance while positioning himself to be intellectually superior without a hint of arrogance is not an easy fit. But Adenan did it masterfully well.

Indeed, what Adenan lacks he skillfully makes it up with his intellect. Sharp, knowledgeable and the ability to read between the lines gave him the upper advantage in many negotiations.

Getting things done

Adenan takes his duty as the chairperson of the Sarawak Foundation seriously. When it comes to planning for the next course of action, he is not one who builds castles in the sky. His management style rests on the simple motto - whatever you do, you do it well. Sounds familiar from his recent speeches? It does.

It is the same motto that he advocated amongst his staff. He motivated, challenged and forced his organisation to adapt to new challenges. For him, political rhetoric should be confined in the realm of political campaigns. In his communication with his staff, he emphasised on the objectives of Sarawak Foundation and the aims which need to be achieved. On a much more senior level, it was a discussion on the best strategies to develop the human capital among the youths in Sarawak.

Which is why it did not came as a surprise to me when he admitted in one of his speeches that he preferred to have intellectual discourse rather than chit-chatting among fellow politicians. It could’ve been a PR stunt, but knowing his personality, I doubt it is. He’s the kind of guy who gets annoyed easily by windbags. I bet you’ve listened to enough political speeches to be a judge of that.

Among the officers, his direct approach and remarks were well known. An unsatisfactory outcome would end up with Adenan turning sour. Targets must be met. Objectives must be achieved. Problems should be conveyed to him before the board of trustees convenes. Submit an unsatisfactory report to him and you’ll see your report flying off the desk.

But despite all that, he gives credit where credit is due. Thus, when he praised his staff for work well done, they knew that he meant it. Some government agencies may have gotten the shock of their lives when he chastised them in public. Trust me, we know how it feels. And it is not a stunt. It is just Adenan being Adenan.

But despite the harsh words and demanding objectives, Adenan believes in his staff. Some ministers may complain of their 'distrustful' civil servants, but not Adenan. He expects his staff to own up to their tasks and be responsible enough to swallow harsh words because consequentially - he will be accountable for what his organisation did by the virtue of ministerial responsibility.

Trust is not a one way street - and Adenan did well in cultivating that. Perhaps it is his leadership style that inspires trust. Or perhaps the traumatic years in the political wilderness, when he fell out of favour from the former chief minister that gave him the acute sense of who to trust. Either way, this leadership based on trust and reverence is definitely one of his many strengths.

Off the cuff

Writing a speech for Adenan is a dreaded job. On one occasion, it was whispered down the grapevine that he tossed a prepared speech away, dubbing the content as rubbish On another occasion he wondered out loud, “siapa molah speech tuk?” (who wrote this speech?).

As I was often tasked with preparing for speeches for senior officers in the foundation, the unenviable task landed on my desk several times. “Pointers! Just give him some pointers!” one of my seniors in the office told me. But pointers need to be precise and have all the facts and figures that he may wish to quote.

Remember that speech when he tossed aside the prepared speech during the Chinese New Year Open House? I pity the speech writer, because man, I know how that feels.

I was fortunate to have many helpful seniors helping me out by providing inputs and samples of previous speeches. Several of these pointers are well etched to my brain. Rule Number One: Adenan hates long-winded speeches. Rule Number Two: Adenan wants to tell what he can deliver, not what he or anyone can dream of. Rule Number Three: facts, figures and numbers must tally. But sometimes, Adenan would just flip through the speech and with straight face inform the rest of the crowd - “Tell the speech writer I am sorry but I am going to speak off the cuff”.

When that happened to me as a young and ambitious employee, I was left crestfallen. But after several times observing his public appearances, I came to realise that was just his way. It was Adenan being Adenan. Nonetheless, when he did utilise my pointers and speeches - I could’ve sworn I did a backflip.

The seasoned debater

It was no secret that Adenan was a debater when he was in his younger years. Newcomers, particularly new BN YBs looked up to him for guidance. During my years of serving the state government, officers who were on duty in the state legislative assembly (DUN) were known to look forward to hearing him debating against YB Baru Bian (PKR).

It was one of those rare moments in Malaysia when a debate in an August House is substantial. Rest assured, no heckling happened when these two took the stage in the DUN.

His love for debate prompted him to be the patron of the biennial Yayasan Sarawak English Debate Championship. It was one of his earlier moves before becoming the chief minister to promote a multilingual society - years before his announcement to adopt English as the second official language in Sarawak.

As a proud Sarawakian and like many of his generation, he is highly multilingual. He could fluently switch from English to Iban to Bahasa Malaysia to Sarawakian Malay dialect. His speeches are not unlike Lee Hsien Loong’s multilingual National Day speeches, but Adenan’s speech is more organic and less compartmentalised. And yes, Adenan could very well debate in these languages.

The dynamic duo

When pictures of Adenan and his wife eating out at one of Putrajaya’s foodcourts went viral, I merely chuckled at some of the naysayers. No, it was not a stunt. It was just Adenan being Adenan. Unlike his predecessor, Adenan chucks protocol whenever possible.

If he calls you to his home to discuss work-related matters, be prepared to be welcomed by Adenan in his kain pelikat and white Pagoda shirt. Officer would lose their tie at this sight and try as hard as they could to appear as informal as their superior.

The same could be said of his wife. Jamilah would make a surprise visit to the office to accompany his husband or just to meet up with the staff to get to know them better. Sometimes she would take the effort to bring home-cooked meals to be shared with everyone. A doting wife, she’s also there to ensure that her husband is taking up his medicine on time and not work too hard.

My interaction with her was brief and limited but I can assure you she is not your typical Mak Datin. So don’t be surprised if you bump into her at the market or downtown.

All that being said, Adenan is no god. He has his weaknesses and flaws. Leading Sarawak is not the same as leading a foundation or any other organisation. Putting his words into action may require all of Sarawak’s political will and collective effort, including the opposition.

I wouln’t worry much about Adenan’s administration. I’ve seen him pursuing unpopular decision then and I see him doing the same thing now. The real question that plagues Sarawak is really - who’s the next chief minister after him?

SYED NIZAMUDDIN SAYED KHASSIM believes in good governance, meritocracy and confluence of ideas. He is also a founding member of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines East Asean Growth Area) Young Entrepreneurs’ Chamber and is also a ranking member in the International Relations and Diplomacy Committee in the Malaysian Youth Parliament. Proudly born and bred in Sarawak.