Coffee with VIPs

For years I have been approached by ministers and ex-ministers out of the blue for 'casual chats'. I love these casual chats ... because I am terrible when it comes to following protocols. Trust me there is nothing funny having to address a person you want to talk to by firstly having to go through a longggggggg train of titles and ranks before you even get to his or her name. By the time I get to the name, I usually forgot what I was going to say. So 'casual' is good for me, and surprisingly, to some of these fine ladies and gentlemen too.

Casual chats with ministers and ex-ministers, and sometimes honorable civil servants and ex-civil servants give 'them' a chance to be honest about some not-so-funny issues, issues that affects us all (in Malaysia and sometimes overseas). I am already as honest as I can be; born a Libra and that pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? Naïve and gullible as can be, horribly hopeless when it comes to being pretentious. So that leaves me with only one choice which is to be myself, and say honestly what I have to say, from the point of view of professionalism, doing-the-right-thing and as a human being. Perhaps, this is the reason why when something comes up, or has gone wrong, leaving behind a trail of disaster, these honorable ladies and gentlemen pop-by to have little 'chats', to perhaps put things into perspective, to see what went horribly wrong, and perhaps most importantly, what lessons can be learned, to move forward.

In this section of my website, I want to share a few of these special moments - spanning over 20 years. I don't think it's important that I include their names, and of course, no photos will be uploaded here unless relevant. But I might include their posts which they held once upon a time. I am especially interested in the lessons we absorb from the history made or destroyed. As an academician, I am always interested in those precious 'lessons'. And I hope, you are too.

What some of us tend to forget, is that all of them and us, are, in the end, just another flesh and blood, a simple human being, as you and I. It is easy to see that, under those ranks and long trail of titles, we are all subjected to the same limitations, that none of us can escape from our natural imperfection. It is easier to become honest and talk openly, to start these 'casual chats' once one simple fact is understood - all human beings are the same regardless of ranks or titles. As a gentleman, this is the point I start my 'chats' - the point where they and I are humanly equal. So let's get the ball rolling ...