For once I had the chance to be a head of department  for a  goverment agency at state level for  3 years in Penang representing the main organisation from Putrajaya which regulate the aviation industry of this country.The strength of the small  agency i lead  only  had 15 airtraffic controllers & 12 support staff, but it was powerful unit as it manages the aviation industry of the state and advises  administrative  elites of the state goverment on issues with regards to Civil Aviation Act 1968 and Civil Aviation Regulations 1996 & ICAO Annexes . And, another retarded child to be taken care of is the  airport operator (GLC) which doesnt have the right personel with the right knowledge to run the operations of an  airport effectively .


I enjoyed and at the same time suffered the reign but i felt so happy that it ended .Majlis  Mesyuarat Negeri is the state cabinet and I (in my official capacity) was called to give opinions to YBCM regarding issues that is related to Aviation.One frequent issue is the height controll of buildings and structure 15km radius of Penang Airport.Since the availability of condusive terrain or flat  land that is suitable to construct building or Condos,is seriously limited on the Island , development is pushed towards the south of the island where the airport is.But, by international requirement, there are limitations to the development around a runway for the reasons of safety, my organisation was blamed for distrupting physical development in the state.I had to explain in detailed with the calculations to make sure the runway meets international standards, otherwise international airlines will pull out if they were to  build a 20 story condo at the approach or takeoff path of the runway.Those are the time I use to rub shoulders with statesman at negeri or Persekutuan level.And to be among them I had to invest in the right clothings and had to do facial to enhance my appearance which is a vital factor !


At one point of my career, I was talked by 2 Dato' s to jump the boat to join the airport operator.I had friends Managers level and above whom indicated head hunting is on the way to import right professionals with the right cut from the Air Traffic  Management Sector to alleviate the staff shortage  problem . Airport managers must have complete knowledge whatz in the air.A hundred mile  volume of expertise and tactical air/ground operations and only Air Traffic Controllers have this.Regarding terminal building managers or airside managers, any experienced electrical engineer or civil engineer perform on that job..

The best thing I really felt first hand in Penang is : respect and friendship is so artificial...so unreal. Everybody around you nod their head , agree with you and keep on ugly smiles because of the power vested (temporarily) on you by the Law.Intially I got carried away with the party , dinner at 5 stars hotel .free treats at posh restaurants, sort of undivided attention  and ' friendships" of false obedience.But the very last day when I handed over the goverment owned handfon, and left only with my private handfon. Not a single ring came from the  human kind in the aviation industry in Penang .I hv no regrets as already knew this fact of live and I dont have any expectation from those I came across as the malay proverb says, jauh dimata hilang diingatan, despite knowing this before hand, I still felt dissappointed.

The only true friends is my wife, my son , my daughter Huda my family members and few of my ex staff & a few friends  who regularly calls and visit me at my home.

its almost a year now and nothing change...still no call and thats the reality I have to accept and thats the way it is..........artificial respect.

Any plans to visit Bayan Lepas ? for me its a big maybe  "NO" as close friends in my age bracket starts to fade into retirement and alot of heartbreaks happened especially in the office.As  a HOD, definitely I had certain expectation from the domestic Cabinet, but it was a weak, very weak  team to face the challenges of the operations.Lack of IT basic knowledge, inability to communicate in the prespective of 'KOMUNIKASI' with stakeholders and clients in a professional mood and unable to write  which and resulted that most of the time I had to  sit down in office or  at home writing and composing letters and paperwork.Becaz of maintaining this posture and pressure, in the end I had prolapse disc between L4 and L5!. Upon asking them regarding new issues , the standard answer is 'I've never done this before.....&     I dont know' is almost a standard answer.


As a administrator, I encourage them to attend short term courses at INTAN , but since the skull is made from titanium, any paradigm jump is out of reach.I recalled the term COMMUNICATION and the defination of TALK. The Cabinet is fond of TALKING but fail badly in COMMUNICATion The previous manager did suggested to a few individuals at the Org to learnup commuications but they laugh at the proposals.After I took over , I found up that the previous manager was precisely right that his subordinates lack Communication skills.


In 1985 I left my new born son Nor Azrul to attend 2 Aviation Specialization Courses in Aviation College Singapore, located in Seletar Air Base, and walk thru these gates daily to gain knowledge.My wife had to care for our child & attended by by parents.My dad passed away knowing that all his children had secure careers and will be able to go thru life without him.

Sacrifice.Thatz it. Students who went overseas had bigger sacrifices by themselves & their parents,some have to sell their only property , some had to carry out 2nd jobs and some mothers rears chicken and goats in order to cover their child education expenses. but there, the  few important individuals in the unit  bluntly refused to improve themselves when INTAN INTURA a goverment improvement centre  is a one hour drive fm their homes, where tuition fees & food being  borne by the employer.These people can and will  only talk loud and we let them talk loudest as they want when no body understand beimg the fact they do know how to  communicate. Now my daily task is just controlling air traffic which is fun and brief. Gone are the days of multi tasking and undefineable scope of work.


I appreciated the confidence Putrajaya had in me by appointing to head the state department and I appreciate much more being recalled back to the Air Traffic Controle Centre in Subang where I grew up.  pheew what a relief !