DECEMBER 10 — While contemporaries, many of whom were from wealthy families, were deliberating practical career options upon graduation, he loudly states his ambition was to occupy a business office in the topper most floors of the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur! Part three, as told, continues.
Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men
It is now September 1965. He wasn’t keen to work for the Selangor Water Works and requested for a position in the federal government and was offered by the Accountant-General’s Department as a Treasury Accountant. His first assignment was in the pensions unit.
He discovered that pensions were only paid on the average six months after retirement. Why? Because that’s when the processing begins and that’s how things were done! Abu Mansor felt that retirees already needed to make a lot of adjustments and the six-month wait was an unnecessary ordeal.
He waded into bureaucracy full frontal. And feisty Mansor won.
Next he was seconded to the Education Ministry in the scholarships division. Deja vu — scholarship recipients only receive funds six months or so after studies commenced. This means scrambling by parents to seek out moneylenders or to patronise pawnshops.
The task was more difficult this time. His immediate superior, an English remnant expatriate either couldn’t or refused to see the social consequences of the delayed disbursements. Feisty Mansor battled, and got his way.
It is 1967 and his next assignment was with the Agriculture Ministry to sort out the 3,600 cooperatives, with average lapsed audited accounts of four years. It was a labourious task even with 400 staff.
He became very attached to the kampung folk in agriculture and fishermen’s villages. One day he was summoned to the Prime Minister’s Office (then sited near Bank Negara), and (Tun) Datuk Abdul Razak told him: “Mansor, I want you to go to Japan, stay with their rice farmers in their homes and work with them for three months and learn about...”
Mansor was overwhelmed by the discipline of the Japanese, as if they were “programmed.”
After giving his report, he was next sent to Poland and the contrast made him even more amazed with the Japanese work habits.
By end 1968, Tan Sri Sheikh Ahmad, Perlis menteri besar (1959-1971) wanted Mansor to revive Bank Kerjasama (later Bank Rakyat) to help the farmers’ cooperatives. Mansor asked for one week
to consider.
He was now father to infant Azmel Reza. Mansor married (Datin Paduka) Zaitoon Datuk Othman on January 20, 1967.
Roaring 70s — Bank Rakyat and nation building
When Mansor took charge in 1969 as the managing director, the bank had $32,000, but owed the government $30 million in soft loans. The staff strength comprised one manager/secretary, seconded from the Cooperatives Department, two, one peon and one jaga (security guard).
Mansor had to get farmers and fishermen to invest as shareholders, and to open savings accounts, and then the bank to approve loans to deserving applicants.
He had to travel literally to every nook and corner of the peninsula repeating his sales pitch on “pooling resources” using his trusty Peugeot 204. The bank offered Mercedes wouldn’t help his assignment at that time.
He tried to meet almost all borrowers personally to “shake their hands,” to feel the genuine farmers palms. Those that really toil the land have the unmistakable creases. All passed.
By 1973, the bank had 4,000 shareholders and by 1975, there was nearly one billion dollars in the savings accounts. He recounts with great pride when 3,000 shareholders turned up for the 1973 AGM in the KL Hilton (formerly located at Jalan Sultan Ismail). Yes, both the regular hotel patrons and the rural farmer visitors were equally in awe of each other upon visual contact!
By this time, the leadership of Umno had taken note of him. He had probably met more Malay voters than even the president of Umno! This man of early 30s simply “rushed in where angels fear to tread” and succeeded. Besides Tun Abdul Razak, he had also become acquainted with a few in his Cabinet who freely consulted him. As the norm in any political setting, inadvertently jealousy crept in.
Datuk Harun Idris, the charismatic Selangor menteri besar was particularly close owing to his chairmanship of the bank.
Roaring 70s — financial independence
During this period (1969-1976), he also dabbled in the real estate/property development sector. His two personal caveats were — no business dealings during banking hours and no loans from his bank.
Mansor’s first major success was the purchase of the land to build Wisma Central in Jalan Ampang, in 1972. Within eleven months together with two other partners, his $30,000 (RM20,000 borrowed from Public Bank) stake turned into over eight million dollars! He recalls with relish his repayment rendezvous with the bank manager to settle the borrowing with an $850,000 banker’s draft, nearly knocking the latter off his chair.
Eight million plus was serious money (about RM240 millon in today’s value) and the first promise he reminded himself was “a fool and his money are soon parted”, so wine, women and song was a taboo. Second child, Almi Rizal came earlier, in 1970.
But he still had to indulge a little — an $85,000 Mercedes 450.
He next bought 8.5 acres in the now Ampang Point locality. The market price was between $4 to $4.50 per square foot but the land owner had no intention to sell. Mansor made a cold call and offered RM6 and that he will call back the next day for the answer.
Within two hours of the positive answer, Mansor had the sale & purchase agreement sealed and 10 per cent of the sale price in a banker’s draft handed over.
Six months later, after conversion from residential to commercial, he sold for $8.50 per square foot. Third child, Aris Zane came in 1974.
Postscript
Mansor first met Zaitoon in London in 1961 although she had already “seen” him in 1958 when she was among the audience in a VI concert. He and nine other boys did the Can Can dance and his bra strap snapped.
Zaitoon is a Klang girl. And as if that is not enough, she was born next to Haji Sidin’s house.
Was theirs destined — you bet!
* Final episode next week — the crossfire.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.
