Business

Saturday February 7, 2009

Generosity comes naturally

By CECILIA KOK


Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is happy doing charity work and writing.

Instead of his wife congratulating him for being named one of the region’s most generous and interesting philanthropists last year, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim was interrogated. “She asked me where I had been keeping all the money all this while,” he laughs.

Zaid himself had mixed feelings about the inclusion in the Forbes Asia list. He admits that he cringed when he found out. “I thought they must have made a mistake!”

It was surprising to him because as a lawyer previously, he had been earning a fixed monthly income, 30% of which he contributed every month to his foundation – Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya Kelantan (Yokuk).

But the Forbes Asia recognition does back up his belief that philanthropy is not just about giving away piles of money. To Zaid, it is about doing altruistic work with whatever one has, including time and energy, for the benefit of others.

“You don’t have to be wealthy to be a philanthropist,” he says, as he leans back on his favourite couch in the TV room of his house in the Klang Valley.

If you look around the room, it is obvious that Zaid has a passion for horses. On the walls are huge paintings featuring the animal. Also on display are a variety of horse figurines.

Horse riding used to be one of Zaid’s favourite activities when he was younger. He took it up when he was in his 30s, but was forced to give up about 10 years ago due to a bad fall that resulted in a back injury and a subsequent corrective surgery.

“I am overweight now, so I don’t think horses will like me either,” he says. He has turned to golf. And he says he can afford to spend a lot of time on the greens these days. “I am jobless now,” he explains.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim with his collection of horse figurines and paintings.

A new chapter

Zaid, who is the founder of Malaysia’s largest law firm Zaid Ibrahim & Co, retired from the practice when he was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department to oversee legal affairs and judicial reform last March. This was to avoid any potential conflict of interests that could affect the firm’s and his integrity. He has also disposed of his shares in the firm.

But his political career took an unexpected turn when he resigned from the Cabinet last September after criticising the controversial arrests of three individuals – a politician, a blogger and a journalist – under the Internal Security Act. Three months later, he was sacked from Umno, which he had joined in 1986.

He decided against rejoining Zaid Ibrahim & Co. He reasons that it will be for the benefit of the firm that he remains out, so that it does not risk suffering the consequences of his past political involvement.

“It is a good time for me to do other things now that I am free to engage with and build something new,” Zaid says, in reference to his recently established myFuture Foundation.

The latest initiative stems from a desire to get the youth interested in nation-building and to instil in them positive values to promote a united “Bangsa Malaysia”.

“So many of our youths today are still not registered as voters, and they don’t seem to care. But they do not realise that their votes count and can make a difference for our country,” says Zaid.

The foundation is still in its infancy, and he is taking it one step at a time to get it going. It is always tough in the beginning, he acknowledges, but once the foundation is more established, its work will be smoother.

The write job

While myFuture Foundation will take some time to gain traction, a second book by Zaid is already in the pipeline. He is targeting to release it in conjunction with his birthday in April.

The book is his first attempt to write in Malay, and it will feature the ideas and beliefs that have shaped his political life and relationships.

“I marvel at how some people can write so well. To me, writing is a challenge, but I have always wanted to be a part of that system,” Zaid says, adding that writing books is also an ego booster, especially when one gets to see his or her name in print.

His first book, In Good Faith, was released in 2007. It is a collection of his speeches, interviews and essays.

A voracious reader, Zaid reveals that he has always been fascinated with books, and he feels proud that his eldest son is in the publication business. His second son, who is based in London, has followed his footsteps by pursuing a career in law, while his teenage daughter is still in high school.

Husband and wife team of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim and Datin Suliana Shamsuddin Alias working to alleviate the plight of the disabled in Kelantan.

Close to roots

Although Zaid currently travels very often around the country and within the Asean region to give talks on subjects close to his heart – that is, human rights, culture and democracy – he remains very close to his family and kampung.

He goes back to Kota Baru at least twice a month to visit his octogenarian mother. And because many of his friends and relatives are still there, he treasures the time that he has to visit them, while following up on the work of Yokuk there.

Interestingly though, Zaid reveals that his wife, Datin Suliana Shamsuddin Alias, travels home to Kota Baru more often than he does. That is because she is more active than he is in the foundation’s work.

“When I was still active in politics, it helped a lot in the work that I do for the foundation because I know more people, and so it was easier to solve problems for people,” Zaid says.

And that is what public office is all about, he argues. It is about exerting one’s influence and changing the lives in one’s community for the better. “That is the ideal, but as you can see, I am not good at politics,” he says, adding that politics is not really his passion.

To him, politics is simply an avenue that allows him to serve the people in a more effective way. “Maybe I will make a political comeback in the future ... I don’t know,” Zaid says.

He believes that in life, one can have many plans but one will never know how things will turn out in the end. “At the moment, I am just happy with what I am doing – charity and writing,” he adds.

Despite the political drama he was embroiled in last year, he harbours no hard feelings. “There will always be people who do not understand and cannot see your point of view, but what’s more important is how I feel about myself,” he maintains.

As many times as people have said negative things about him, he confesses that he has also said negative things about other people. That evens the score. But as the cliché goes, politics does really teach you who your real friends are, Zaid says.

Zaid shares his thoughts

On US President Barack Obama:

I believe Obama is the right man to do something to prop the economy up. I think he will not be afraid to try new stuff and a new style of doing things.

And whether we like it or not, I believe the US will remain as the centre of economic power, although other countries such as India and China have rising economic prominence. The one thing that keeps the US economy strong is its currency. It is the confidence that the world has in the US dollar.

On boycotting US products:

That has been said every time a conflict involving Israel erupts .... but then, the world goes on the same.

On the Israel-Gaza conflict:

It is a tragedy, but I believe the Palestinians should also look at themselves. They cannot speak with one voice. If Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organisation cannot work together, how do they expect to deal with a common enemy? This has enabled their common enemy to take advantage of their inability to cooperate.

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