By: (Fri, 24 Jun 2005)
WHEN UMNO president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched Putera Umno last Sunday (June 19) in Malacca, his message to the 20,000-odd youths who turned up was clear -- be good.
Addressing an audience that would include some future leaders of the country, the prime minister said youths should be guided in discipline and courtesy to be spirited, diligent and free from misdeeds and scandals. One man has been assigned the onerous task of fulfilling that agenda and changing the mindset of the Malay youth.
In an interview with theSun, Putera head Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, 38, speaks to R. Manirajan and outlines his plans to marshall the youths and to give them the right platform to move forward in nation-building.
Azeez believes he has the willpower to make it happen as he himself is a street fighter who knows what life is without education, living in a squatter area and not having proper nutrition. He describes himself as "brutal and a person with a laser mouth" but with a good heart.
theSun: What is Putera Umno all about?
Azeez: It's actually a feeder organisation for the Umno Youth movement and we are also the facilitator of development programmes for Malay youths. We are not a new wing in the party; more of a bureau in the movement. Our objective is to turn them into viable citizens relevant to the global economy and steer them to become towering Malay personalities.
Why is there a need for Putera Umno when there is already Umno Youth?
Our roles are different. Entry into Putera is only for those aged 18 to 25 years. The agenda underlining our existence lies in the main objective, which is to bring the right political awareness within Malaysia and perhaps South East Asia to Malay youths of this age group. Fostering political maturity is crucial to inculcating patriotism, nationalism and cooperation and to achieving sovereignty, economic development and equitable wealth-distribution. We also need to foster the attitude among Malay youths that voting is a duty that defines us as Malaysian citizens.
How will Putera go about achieving this agenda?
Through the progressive, conscientious and consistent formation and implementation of relevant and viable plans and programmes. We also need to produce a balanced individual in terms of education, language, social awareness, duty to country and relevant skills for living. In short, we need to give identity and substance to the concept of Islam Hadhari.
Have you set a time frame to achieve this, since you will only have three years before your term as exco member in Umno Youth expires?
I think with the limited time frame I have in office -- till 2008 -- and with the blessing of Pak Lah and (Umno Youth head Datuk Seri) Hishammuddin (Hussein), I will be able to achieve this as ... I am a street fighter, bulldozer and a go-getter.
We already have 107,032 members. I want to recruit 500,000 members by then and that's my wish. I can guarantee this and am very confident of recruiting at least 100,000 youths annually.
We have about 420,000 students who leave school every year after SPM and STPM. About 200,000 of them join local and international colleges and universities. The balance of 220,000 who might be working part-time and studying or have decided to join the workforce ... this is the group we are focussing on and I will be the discipline master.
We will tell them not to think that they are left out or have no platform. Some of these youths are smart but because they are poor, they have to work part-time to support their family and studies.
As you know, most university students are females and we don't want to see the males going to Pusat Serenti. Therefore, I want to win their hearts and turn them into good people.
I have very good support from Hishammuddin, his deputy and the party president and deputy president as well my fellow brothers in the youth exco.
What about university students?
We have to abide by the law governing universities and colleges as students are not allowed to join politics. Only with the permission of the university ... I think they can join.
We don't campaign in such places. Putera basically provides the avenue and platform for youths to interact and be involved in programmes initiated by us to be leaders of their own. People should not be afraid of us.
Our focus of recruitment covers all segments of Malay youths from rural areas, middle class, lower ... even from the upper class. We will go to nightclubs and discos to flush out all the potential guys who are wasting their precious times.
I came to know very recently of an upper class Malay father who has problematic children. When the father advised his kids, they turn around and told him "I am educated, papa ... I am a lawyer, a doctor and I know what I am doing and know how to take care of myself". He asked me when I was setting up Putera so he could get one of his children to join. So ... this is the kind of excitement that we have from people.
We want to provide the youths a channel ... a platform so they will be good youths and citizens to the nation and not get involved in undesirable activities. Therefore, I think parents will not be an obstacle to their children joining Putera.
We have been to 12 states to promote Putera and we have formed many small clubs, such as the motorcycle club. We have a major illegal motorbike racing problem in KL and Sabah. To solve this, we are discussing with police to close certain roads in the city on Friday or Saturday for the youths to race. If they can close the roads for pasar malam, I don't know why they can't do so for the youths.
But if youths want to participate, they will have to wear the proper gear and use motorcycles with licence and road tax. While we allow this, we will also hold campaigns against illegal racing by putting up posters of (accident) victims and testimonies of those who survived and their families. This will be part of our strategy to create awareness and to build the relation between youths and police.
You seem to have a big task ahead, especially in changing the mindset of the youths?
As I told you earlier ... I am a street fighter. I grew up in the squatter area of Kampung Medan, Petaling Jaya, and came up in life. I know how life is like being poor. I will use my experience in life, including receiving a Datukship at a very young age, to boost the spirit of the youths.
You know, I used to walk 16 to 20km to my primary, and later the Bukit Bintang secondary school, in Petaling Jaya. When I was in secondary school, at the age of 14, I did so well in my exams that the Lions Club bought me a bicycle. Today, being successful in life, I have donated about 3,000 bicycles around the country to poor youths who have to walk miles to school.
With my SPM education and experience in business, I did my Masters in Business Management and Administration in one of the universities in the United States. I really hope to inspire the youths by giving them the encouragement.
What is the level of political awareness among Malay youths in the country?
I would say it's very poor. Some of them don't even know their own wakil rakyat. They don't know Umno as a political party is here to fight for the Malays. All this, I suppose, happens because they are unaware of the platforms available to them. Some boys don't even go out of the house, some spend time in clubs, doing drugs and illegal racing. We have to understand them first before we can educate them.You cannot go and tell them what you want ... you have to ask them what they want.
So we are going to tell the youths to wake up ... "look you have to buck up, you might be the prime minister of this country one day or a mentri besar".
Our aim is to keep youths from drugs and other illegal activities. We have so many Malay youths with double degrees and who are professionals, but many of them are afraid to join Umno because they think it's an elite club. No ... we are not. This is the wrong mindset we want to set right.
Do you make it clear to all members you recruit that joining Umno and Putera is not for self-interest or a platform to become rich?
Yes, we tell them again and again not to be involved in politicking and money politics. I became the Umno Youth chief in Baling in 2004. To tell you the truth, I was an illiterate in politics at the start. My parents were from Baling, Kedah and I decided to do some charity work through the mosques there in the late 90s even though I was a PJ boy all the while.
Then, I was elected treasurer for Belia 4B in Kedah in 1998.
Slowly, I became involved in the Baling Umno Youth division, and now I am the division head there and national youth exco member and also the chairman for 4B in Baling. I rose fast in Umno Youth as I am result-oriented.
As you are aware, I am also the executive chairman of Yayasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Islam Malaysia, which is directly under the Prime Minister's Office.
Heading the Putera is another "delivery time" for me and I am sure I will succeed in this. I am here to serve and make the Malays towering personalities.
Apart from the motorcycle club, are there anything else that would attract youths to join Putera?
We have a special task force which will act like Rela officials during official functions. The other is the Disaster and Rescue Unit which will provide training in first-aid and others, so members can respond and help out during natural disasters, floods and fires.
Apart from that, we also have a Renjer Unit, which will be the eyes and ears for the police and other law enforcement agencies. We also aim to get closer to professionals. We will be arranging sessions with professionals from various fields to meet the youths to give them encouragement, including telling them the importance of having an education. So this bureau is like a fun-fun thing for youths to mingle but with a serious agenda.
You were a businessmen before. How did you get involved in politics?
I was successful in business first before I joined politics. I started in the car business with this company -- FD Auto -- in Kelana Jaya. The showroom is now the Giant hypermarket. I started at the age of 18, with a lot of ups and downs. After that, I bought the late Sultan of Selangor's company, Wilayah Arm, and through this company, I moved up and started providing assistance to the needy, especially orphans and the poor.
At that time, with my SPM qualification and my work experience, I decided to pursue a masters in business management and administration in the United States.
One day, a few religious leaders came to my house asking for help, saying their pondok school had been burnt down. I gave them RM500 and told then to leave their address and I would visit them soon. A week later, I went there and spent RM200,000 to rebuild the school, not knowing whether they were PAS people or otherwise.
At that time, I was very naive in politics ... my sincere belief then was that I am God's servant and I had to help people. I went to Baling to help as many people as I could, regardless whether they were PAS members or not. During that time, I did not realise there were some Umno members who were very uncomfortable with me in Baling.
I am a very straightforward person and this Umno leader there, Datuk Nol, did not tell me anything and when I wanted to be an Umno member in Baling at the initial stage, it was very tough.
Now, I am the division head for Ceruk Cincin, Baling and I am not sure what the situation is in Umno but many people are
saying all kinds of things about me, like ... there is a rich man with a luxury car, don't know whether he is a robber or a mamak gangster ..., and these people were spreading some form of fear.
But luckily, there were some grassroots members and village heads who really loved me.
A lot of questions have been raised on how you were elected to head Putera?
It all started at the Sungai Duyung mosque in Malacca after the handing-over of bicycles during the fasting month. Suddenly, Datuk Hishammuddin tapped me on the back and asked me, "I want to ask you something, Zeez."
I asked him what it was, and he again asked: "You want to head Putera Umno?"
I said, "Putera! ..."
Hishammuddin said, "Only you can ... you can go to the ground and join the youths."
I said, "Ok boss ..."
He then said, "Thank God ... my problem is solved."
With this, I started the task given to me immediately and discussed the plans with Hishammuddin.
I am also known to be brutal, with a laser mouth ... but I don't have any bad intention, everything I do is for everyone's good. If my good friend makes a mistake, I will caution him.
I have started my work and till today, I have not met a minister or anyone to ask for projects here and there.
God has given me enough.
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