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Oral History with Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Saleha Haji Mohd Ali

March 15, 2010 in Articles, Oral History, PLF News, Spotlight

Tan Sri Saleha Mohd Ali during the interview

Affectionately known as ‘Kakak’ among her family members and close friends, Tan Sri Saleha Mohd Ali recalled with amusement that the former President of South Africa, Mr. Nelson Mandela also called her ‘Kakak’ despite being told by her brother-in-law, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, that ‘’Kakak’ meant ‘’big sister’ in Malay.

This was one of the anecdotes Tan Sri Saleha shared on 3 March 2010 during the Perdana Leadership Foundation Oral History interview, a collaborative effort with the Institute of Dr. Mahathir’s Thoughts of Universiti Utara Malaysia.

The amiable and still-strong octogenarian recounted her childhood and school years, her time studying in England, her career as the Selangor State Welfare Officer in the 1950s, and her family (she is the elder sister of the wife of the country’s fourth Prime Minister) and their achievements.

Born on 9 January 1923, Tan Sri Saleha was the third child of thirteen siblings and the eldest daughter of Haji Mohd Ali bin Taib and Hajah Siti Khadijah binti Haji Ahmad. She received her early education at Sekolah Melayu Klang in Selangor and St. Mary’s School in Kuala Lumpur. Before she enrolled at the London School of Economics to study Economics and Social Science, she was trained as a teacher and taught in Malaya before World War II broke out.

Tan Sri Saleha contributed her services in various public, social and welfare organisations including as a member of the State of the Selangor Legislative Council between 1950 and 1952, the Selangor Public Service Commission between 1960 and 1970, the National Council of Religious Affairs Malaysia since 1974 and the National Welfare Council Malaysia. She also helped set up the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO). She is currently the President of the Institute of Management Consultants, Malaysia and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Genting Highlands College. She is also an adviser of the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute Malaysia (ASLI) and the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre (MSRC).

Tan Sri Saleha recalled her first encounter with Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, whom she met before Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah did. At the time, he was a young entrepreneur selling Malay “kueh” (desserts) for extra pocket money to help his family. Her love and affection for her younger sister and brother-in-law was apparent throughout the interview. She thought highly of Tun Dr. Mahathir, and complimented his ability to listen to other people’s ideas. When Tun Dr. Mahathir wanted to introduce English for Science and Math in the late 1990s, for example, he was open enough to allow her to contribute her thoughts on the matter.

When asked about her younger sister, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Tan Sri Saleha described her as friendly and loving and declared that was how Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad fell in love with her.

The Oral History team left Tan Sri Saleha’s PJ home, charmed by her hospitality and candour.

The interview was conducted by Prof. Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz, Prof. Madya Dr. Mustapa Kassim, Prof. Madya Dr. Abdul Halim Ahmad and Prof. Madya Shafee Saad of UUM. The Foundation will transcribe and publish the interview transcript.

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Workshop on Preventing Corporate Memory Loss (WoPM)

January 27, 2010 in Articles, Events@PLF, Perdana Library, Spotlight

Library Workshop

Workshop on Preventing Organisational Memory Loss

Date: 26-28 January 2010

Venue: Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia

By Khairun Nisa Kamal


Day 1


Participants of the Workshop on Preventing Organisational Memory Loss comprising of librarians, record and knowledge management officers and medical officials came from:

CIMB Investment Bank Berhad, INCEIF, International Islamic University Malaysia, Jabatan Arkib Negeri Sabah, Lembaga Koko Malaysia (Malaysia Cocoa Board), Lembaga Muzium Selangor, MIDA, Pejabat Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Perak, Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Kedah, Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Perbadanan Putrajaya, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia, Pusat Maklumat Sains dan Teknologi dan Inovasi (MOSTI), Petroliam Nasional Berhad, SME Corp Malaysia, Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd, Universiti Teknologi Mara Johor, UMW Toyota, Universiti Darul Iman Malaysia (UDM), Universiti Industri Selangor, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Universiti Pertahanan Nasional, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Entitled, “Preventing Organisational Memory Loss”, this workshop aims to highlight methods to avert organisational memory loss and to identify tools that can help preserve the memory. This is the first time in 2010 the Perdana Leadership Foundation is organising a library-oriented workshop, in collaboration with the National Library of Malaysia, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Librarians Association of Malaysia.

Perdana Leadership Foundation’s Chief Librarian, En. Azahar Mohd Noor started the course with an opening remark to welcome the participants who came from all over Malaysia to the training. The facilitator for the first day was Dr. Rusnah Johare from UiTM. In the first session, Dr. Rusnah discussed a few points triggering corporate memory loss, for example, libraries and archives destructions in the twentieth and twenty first century and methods to preserve the memory. Among questions asked during the question and answer session were basic criteria to preserve records and security issues concerning record management.

The second session highlighted the topic of oral history, also known as the ‘knowledge harvesting tool’.  The participants also shared their professional experience ‘harvesting knowledge’ for their organisations. Before the first day ended, a break out session was held and the participants were divided into seven groups and the topic of discussion was to analyse, formulate and develop qualitative questions to capture tacit knowledge and the experience of Datin Paduka Dr. Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir. Group presentations will be conducted the next day and the best group will be given the opportunity to interview Datin Paduka Dr. Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir. The session ended at 4.30 pm.

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Oral History Session with Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Haji Mohd Ali

January 5, 2010 in Articles, Events@PLF, Oral History, Spotlight

Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Haji Mohd Ali during the Oral History Session

Google “etiquette” and “first lady” and more than 500,000 articles appear in the search results, with many detailing the numerous faux pas, slips and errors that wives of presidents and prime ministers make during the course of their official duties. Most would be forgiven if committed by ordinary citizens but are elevated to grave sins when committed by a wife of a premier. It is clear, then, that a wife of a Prime Minister has many minefields to navigate and protocols to be mindful of, with almost every move observed and dissected by the public and the media.

Under this sort of fierce scrutiny, Yang Amat Berbahagia Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Haji Mohd Ali, the wife of the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and also the Chancellor of Multimedia University, has shown remarkable composure. From Tun Dr Mahathir’s early days in politics to his time as Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah has been an admirable example of flawless manners and grace under pressure.

Now at 84 years old, the Chancellor of Multimedia University still retains her ladylike charm and serenity, along with a gentle sense of humour and a wit comparable to that of her husband’s.

With decades of experience as wife to a famous, often controversial politician, one wonders whether this former First Lady underwent crash courses in etiquette, public relations, and diplomacy, when her husband became Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister in 1981.

No, was her amused answer when this question was posed to her by Professor Dr. Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz and Dr. Mustapa Kassim from the Institute of Dr. Mahathir’s Thoughts, Universiti Utara Malaysia during the Foundation’s Oral History Session on the 4th of January 2010. Tun explained that apart from a brief etiquette course in INTAN organised by BAKTI, there had been no formal brief or guidance, and she actually relied substantially on her experience in the medical field to adapt to her new role as a leader’s consort. As the wife of the Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Siti emphasised, she gave her husband full support and encouragement and also lent her ears when he needed a confidant.

They have been married for over fifty years. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad first met Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah when they were both studying medicine at the King Edward VII College in Singapore and they have been together ever since. Perhaps a major ingredient to their obviously strong relationship is Tun Dr. Siti’s belief that a wife should support, and not interfere with her husband’s career, and also should not compete with their husbands, professionally. Sound advice, perhaps, for present couples, where both husband and wife are pursuing careers?

When asked about her husband’s characteristics, particularly in managing crises during his 22 year tenure as the Prime Minster, Tun Dr. Siti told the interviewers that her husband tends to be very calm, attentive and focused when solving problems. She recalled a few incidents illustrating this, such as in 1969 when her husband lost his constituency during the election; in the 1980s when UMNO was divided into Team A and Team B, as well as the economic turmoil which occurred in 1997.

Before the two-hour interview ended, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah was asked to comment on Dato’ Mukhriz (her son) and his potential as the next ‘Mahathir’. Tun Dr. Siti would only say that she was proud of her son and his achievements, and always reminded him to espouse his father’s slogan, “Bersih, Cekap, Amanah”.

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Oral History: Tan Sri Samsudin Osman

December 30, 2008 in Interviews, Oral History, Spotlight

Upgrading the Civil Service: An Oral History Session with Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, Chief Secretary to the Government (2001 – 2006)

The former KSN extolling the virtues of hard work

The former KSN extolling the virtues of hard work

The Oral History team met up with Tan Sri Samsudin Osman on 23rd December 2008 at Kompleks Perbadanan Putrajaya. Tan Sri is the President of Perbadanan Putrajaya and Chairman of the Employee Provident Fund (EPF). Overlooking the wide boulevards of Precinct 3, Tan Sri’s office was filled with art and books; against one wall stood a collection of watercolours which we later found out was Tan Sri’s own works.

We got the soft-spoken Tan Sri to tell us a bit about his background and learned that Tan Sri Samsuin started his primary education at Sekolah Ayer Molek before enrolling at the English College in Johor Bahru. He spent his secondary school years at the prestigious Royal Military College in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur. Tan Sri obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur and a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

It was direct from university to the civil service for Tan Sri. In the civil service, he held several important positions that included being the Deputy Director and Secretary in various departments of Public Administration Institute (INTAN) as well as several Ministries. Tan Sri also served as the Federal Secretary for Sabah from 1990 to 1994, the Director General of the Public Service Department in 1998 before being appointed Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia in 2001, a post he held until 2006.

Well-known in the public service circles for his strong principles, Tan Sri Samsudin spoke of the importance of strong work ethics. He recalled how, as Chief Secretary to the Government, he would check and recheck all elements of his decisions before finalising them, in view of the fact that their impact would be felt throughout the entire civil service.

Interestingly, Tan Sri brought up the matter of document management, specifically the importance of keeping chronological records in hard copy. In the age of e-mails and virtual communications, Tan Sri lamented that most people neglected keeping accurate and comprehensive physical records.

Tan Sri Samsudin recounted his experience working under the fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. His former boss, he said, had a very effective management system and, contrary to popular opinion, was open to suggestions on national issues and policies. In line with Tun Dr. Mahathir’s drive to increase government efficiency, Tan Sri Samsudin was entrusted with the task of upgrading the government delivery system, utilising information technology as its mechanism. A result of the computerised and networked civil service, information flow eased and efficiency markedly improved, Tan Sri noted.

At the end of the session, Tan Sri Samsudin mentioned the importance of learning history, particularly the history of public administration. It is important to learn and understand the events of the past and not repeat them, he stressed. He hoped for a better civil service, one that would serve the country with integrity and trust.

An avid painter, Tan Sri has had his watercolours featured in numerous watercolour exhibitions and publications. Apart from painting, the former KSN loves outdoor activities, particularly fishing and camping. Golf is another favourite, and for quieter moments, Tan Sri enjoys immersing himself in the study of Islam, citing Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jailani as his favourite author.

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Oral History: Tan Sri Salehuddin Mohamed

November 29, 2008 in Interviews, Oral History, Spotlight

The Role of the Civil Service: An Oral History Session with Tan Sri Dato’ Paduka Salehuddin Mohamed, Chief Secretary to the Government (1984 – 1990)

Tan Sri explaining the role of the civil service

Tan Sri explaining the role of the civil service

After the success of the previous Oral History Sessions with Tan Sri Hashim Aman, Tan Sri Abdullah Ayub and Tun Dr. Ahmad Sarji, Perdana Leadership Foundation continued its effort to archive the lives and work experiences of former Malaysian Chief Secretaries to the Government, this time with Tan Sri Salehuddin Mohamed.

PLF and its collaborative partner, Institute of Dr. Mahathir’s Thoughts (IPDM) of Universiti Utara Malaysia got the chance to meet up and mine the thoughts of this former Chief Secretary this year. The transcripts of our sessions will be compiled in publication form in the second half of 2010.

We met Tan Sri Salehuddin Mohamed on 13th November 2008 at his Ranhill office at Empire Tower, Kuala Lumpur (Tan Sri Salehuddin is Chairman of Ranhill Berhad). Prior obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics (Honours) from University Malaya, Singapore, Tan Sri Salehuddin joined the Malaysian Civil Service in 1959 (now known as the Administrative and Diplomatic Service) and held various senior positions in the Ministry of Finance (1965-1982) and the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department (1982-1984) before being appointed Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia. He held the position until he retired from Government Service in 1990.

Though retired, Tan Sri Salehuddinn had not lost his passion for the civil service, as evidenced by his animated explanation of the concept of government, the roles and functions of politicians and civil service officers to administer the government. He recounted his experience working with Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia’s third Prime Minister,  with whom he also played golf.

Tan Sri also expressed his admiration for the work ethics of his former boss and the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, whom he dubbed the “Father of Modern Administration” for introducing new policies to the country (the Look East and privatisation policies are examples) and systems for the civil service (the clock-in system for government employees).

We managed to elicit comments on one of his favourite hobbies, reading, where Tan Sri mentioned a preference for books that could bring about change. His book collection comprised of titles on politics, economics, management and stock markets. When asked about a recommended book, Tan Sri praised John Nasbitt’s latest, “Mindset”. He specifically recommended this title for Malays. The book is good, he said, for changing perceptions and encouraging more competitive traits.

As our interview wound down, Tan Sri spoke of his pride for the progress this country has made after five decades of independence, despite the challenges still ahead for the nation to achieve Vision 2020.

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