Pride and politics

Datuk Nur Jazlan, MP for Pulai, Johor in Malaysia, sees his accounting qualification and his experience in finance as a way of singling him out in his political career. He talks to Colette Steckel

Many a son or daughter has followed in the footsteps of their fathers, with some even eclipsing their parent. But when your father is a veteran of Malaysian politics for over three decades, and was a revered cabinet minister, opting to continue the family name on such hallowed political ground must seem daunting. Not that Jazlan, 39, a finance professional and a youthful MP for Pulai, Johor, betrays any sign of being fazed by proving his political prowess and emerging from his father’s shadow. In fact, he has every confidence that his financial background will give him a head start.

“What do the public demand from politicians? Accountability. That in itself explains how important accountants can be in politics,” remarks Jazlan, in a frequent burst of enthusiasm and excitement for his trade. “As an accountant, your professionalism and credibility are vital. Without them, you could demean your position and destroy your name. The same goes for politicians,” he notes. “Another aspect is that you give a sense of measurement to politics. Often, politicians are accused of being too general and evasive when it comes to the facts. Accountants base their findings on verified information not hearsay. We quantify the results and that’s essential when it comes to justifying a particular project.”

Jazlan launched his political career in 1996, at the age of 30, when he stood for election as an executive committee member of UMNO Youth (the United Malays National Organisation is the largest political party in Malaysia and a founding member of the Barisan Nasional, or National Front, coalition, which has ruled the country since independence). He was elected for two terms in 1996 and 2000. “That was a good opportunity for me to network and establish my capability as a finance professional. I raised my profile in addition to getting involved in political activities.”

A deluge of political appointments followed: he was elected chairman of the executive committee at parliamentary constituency level for UMNO and Barisan Nasional in Pulai, Johor, in 2003 and 2004, and in the 2004 General Election, he stood for MP Pulai, Johor. He won the seat, which his father had held for 30 years, by a sizeable margin. “Being an MP is recognition of my capabilities as a finance professional and a politician. And it allows me to fulfil my passion, which is to serve the public.”

As a member of parliament, Jazlan is the voice of the accounting profession in Malaysia, regularly lobbying on its behalf with the backing of the Malaysia Institute of Accountants and the ASEAN Federation of Accountants, where he is a member of the executive committee. But it is his constituency in the state of Johor, occupying the southernmost tip of the Malay peninsula and connected to the island of Singapore by a causeway, that really spurs him into action.

Although based in Kuala Lumpur, Jazlan travels every weekend to Johor Bahru, the state capital, to meet his constituents and listen to their concerns. The state, he explains, has long been Malaysia’s industrial hub, particularly for textiles, electronics, furniture and plastics. Since the 1990s, the sector has been growing on average by 10% per annum, but, for the past few years, the state has witnessed an exodus of manufacturing to China, which has had a devastating impact on the local economy. “A significant number of factories have closed down and businesses have left the area, which have put a significant financial strain on my constituents,” remarks Jazlan.

Despite the loss of assembly-line jobs, typically carried out by the community, the state of Johor is likely to see its manufacturing sector flourish in the future as it plays an increasingly strategic role in the development of the Singapore-Malaysia-Indonesia Growth Triangle, which is set to become a major industrial centre for south-east Asia. Jazlan concedes that his constituents are less able to compete with the technically-astute workforce in neighbouring Singapore, but that access to training opportunities will strengthen Johor’s position as an increasingly sophisticated manufacturing base.

“Our workers need to upgrade their skills to perform more high-end manufacturing and, for that, they need training,” he reasons, adding that he has been looking into how the state might provide training opportunities. The prospects for a highly-skilled workforce look promising as manufacturers choosing to base their operations in the state are on the rise.

Tourism, however, is proving to be a potential money-spinner and source of employment. Senai International Airport is undergoing a 10-year development plan to transform it into a logistics and distribution centre and which will see more airlines landing in the state (Chinese carrier China Eastern Airlines started a holiday service last autumn) and the newly-established Southern Johor Development Corporation is exploiting the coastline and upgrading leisure facilities to appeal to tourists from Singapore. “There isn’t a large body of water separating Singapore from Malaysia, but there is a possibility of developing the waterfront as a tourist destination,” explains Jazlan.

Work is already gathering pace. In Desaru, an idyllic 25-km stretch of coastline, two property and hotel projects are in progress and are reported to draw 600,000 tourists to the resort when they are completed. And a plan to replace the frequently congested causeway between Singapore and Johor with a bridge to beautify the Straits of Johor is being supported by the community and Jazlan.

Like father, like son?

Politics, Jazlan says, was part of his childhood. As a young man, he helped out his father, the former Information Minister and respected UMNO member, on campaign rounds but he admits that he and his siblings were left to make up their own minds about a career in politics. “My dad is someone who doesn’t interfere in our lives,” he says. “He’s a person who encouraged his children to succeed but going into politics wasn’t a priority for him. He’s not from the school of pressure parenting.”

Jazlan acknowledges his father as a tremendous influence on his decision to stand for election as a member of UMNO Youth and, later, as an MP for the constituency of Pulai, Johor, but he notes that he had very different ideas about how he might make an impact on the political scene in Malaysia. “What I am today has a lot to do with my dad but with one twist. He went into politics straight from university, so he’s a politician through and through. As for me, I saw there was an opportunity to fill a gap in politics by training to become an accountant first. Of course, there have been professional accountants who have served in government or as an MP but in Malaysia it’s quite rare. I saw accountancy as a way of singling myself out.”

After finishing his schooling in the northern state of Kedah, Jazlan ventured to the UK to continue his education at the former South Bank Polytechnic in London and then sit his accountancy exams at Emile Woolf. He returned to Malaysia in 1989 with an ACCA qualification and a dogged determination to learn about business and gather as much work experience as possible. “At that time, I was quite familiar with how government works because of my dad, but I felt that I needed to equip myself with skills from the private sector in a few disciplines before I entered politics,” he reasons.

He chose the property industry, one of the most dynamic sectors in Malaysia in the early 1990s, as his first port of call, working in the corporate finance department of IGB Corporation, a property development company. A year later, he joined a hotel chain - Equatorial, part of the LKN Group - owned by his mother’s family, which saw him based in Singapore as a manager of corporate affairs. A stint in car distribution followed when he was appointed financial controller of Usahasama Proton. But it was the “opportunity of a lifetime” to take over UM Land, a listed property developer, that he recalls as the most satisfying aspect of his early professional career. It also, ironically, counts as the toughest as he was forced to sell his stake in the late 1990s because of the devastating impact of the Asian crisis.

Although Jazlan confesses that his early work experience was a springboard for his political career, he maintains his business and finance credentials through senior board appointments. Despite the unexpected end to his part-ownership of UM Land, he has stayed on the company’s board as an independent director and audit committee member. And other corporate giants in Malaysia, notably Telekom Malaysia, have invited him to join their boards as NED and audit committee chairman. He says that his appointments reflect the federal government’s drive to increase professionalism and introduce young talent in Malaysia Inc. “I recently had a conversation with the CEO of Telekom Malaysia who was a classmate when we were both studying for our ACCA qualification, and I asked him if, back then, we ever imagined we would end up where we are at such an age? I was 38 when I was appointed to the Telekom board. That’s a sign of this new environment in Malaysia where young professionals with the right skills are being offered opportunities to take forward the country.”

Which brings us back to politics. “All the professional experience I have gained over the last 15 years has been in preparation for what I have become and for the work I carry out as MP,” says Jazlan. With this much thought and preparation into his political career, one wonders whether a bigger goal is in his sights? He prefers to keep his game-plan to himself, although he acknowledges that his father has some thoughts on the matter. “He would like me to become a cabinet minister just as he was. After all, isn’t it every dad’s dream to see their children do as well, if not better, than them?”