Chapter 15 Sri Jaya - Here I Come

In early 1986,I attended an interview with the Director of Sri Jaya Oil Palm Estate.At the interview I gave a good impression of myself to him and almost immediately was offered a job.I was not employed immediately because I was misdirected to another executive of that company.In fact that was a slight blunder on my part for I was not aware of the Company's set up, thereby directed to the wrong guy.

I was actually requested to see another Director and thus the mistake took place. However,there was another appointment for me to see the Director- to report for duty.This time I also did not repeat the same mistake and saw the one I was supposed to see.Yes,the old "Dato" saw me but I was told he was never impressed at the sight of me,fortunately the deciding force of the former put me through.

The following week,I went early to the plantation to met my appointment.I was to wait at the town main coffee shop for an executive from the main office to take me into the plantation.However, the coffee shop was not yet opened for business when I arrived .So,I got to stand there at its front to wait,just imagine a total strangers in shorts waiting alone in front of the coffee shop and with a large bag by his side.Not long later the shop began its operation.With that,at least now I got a place to sit down,relaxing with a cup of coffee.

Waiting for people was always a long and tedious wait,can be very tiresome.The appointed time soon came and gone with no sign of the executive I was supposed to meet.An hour or so past,finally that executive dropped by,murmuring silly excuses which were quite inaudible.But then who cares he was here already and that was all that matters.He joined me for drink before he drove me straight into the plantation.

Little did I expect there were plenty of surprises awaiting my arrival.He drove me for quite a distance before arriving at the plantation office.All along the laterite road were lined with old Oil palms,I could not make out where I was.I was filled with exxcitment over my new appointment.Finally we crossed a small river towards a fenced area and there it was a wooden old building which he called my office.

What a dreadful sight indeed to behold.Just imagine my office an old collapsable building? Bad at first sight,no doubt I was taken aback,but nevertheless my job was to manage that plantation whatever the circumstances.The office was there fore immaterial,the job was.I was formerly introduced to the staffs,a skeleton force,but never really impressive.I was than an experienced planter such problem can never be my problem.

There was the Assistant Manager with a "Jack Palance" style of face which can never smile.Surely without a doubt he could not smiled at my appointment because as my predecessor left he was not duly promoted,instead the Boss chose to recruit some one else,that was me.That showed that the Boss lacking in comfidence in him.

The atmosphere seemingly hostile towards me, as I seem not welcome at all by all present,but to me who cares.I am going to work for the Boss not for them,whereas they had to work under me or resigned,whether they like me or not therefore immaterial as well.Of course I was not the type to rid them even should their peformances be below par.In any case it was too early access them.maybe in due course I can make things better for all.

The plantation was fully mature Oil Palm and all harvesting pf FFB were by Contractors.I was not introduced to them immediately.They met me only the following morning,and my God,what a shock ,as all the workers were illegal workers.They did scared me a bit as raids by Police and Immigration were quite common and frequent.So much so most of the harvesters were housed in the remote fields where it be difficult for them to be located by the Police.

This issue really drove the guts of me.nevertheless i decided to carry on despite all these set backs.Meanwhile more surprises were installed for me as there after I was shown the Manager's bungalow.It was an old semi-detached bungalow with the Assistant residing next to me.It was a raised wooden old building with three rooms and a sitting room.The kitchen was on the ground floor at the back with bath room next to it.

When I put on the pipe,my goodness the water draining from it were brownish.what a pleasant surprised in deed.There were no furniture or what you could called furniture around.No sofa whatsoever in the sitting room and in the rooms were wooden beds with not a single mattresses.In the kitchen there was a meat safe an old one and no water filter.

Initially I did not suspect foul play,but later through my own findings I was pretty sure all usable furniture had been switched or remove to the Assistant Manager' side,before I came in.No doubt the bungalow was just cleaned.With all these I believe many had anticipated that I would leave immediately the moment I stepped into it.These things were nothing especially when you needed the job to survive or shall I say I had a responsibility towards my family kept me from doing anything drastic,so I gripped my teeth and stayed on.

I also have reason to believe that that bungalow was formerly the residence of the Assistant Manager's,he had made a switch after my predecessor left.Since every one had expected me to leave I purposely stayed on to prove them wrong and that I was there to stay.There was no worry about food extra as there was a motor-cycle and and an old green Dahatsu jeep parked in front of the bungalow,so I just drove straight into town to have my food extra.

That solved my problem for that evening.That evening I learned that electricity
from a nearby generator set and surprisingly it ran the whole night through.That night I had a sleepless night on the hard wooden bed with the sitting room fan running through out the night.Alas,sleeping on the wooden bed is surely nothing to yell about,for I have been in worst condition before.Yes,at the Outward Bound School,Lumut,we had experienced sleeping on the ground in leeches infested areas,so what is this man????.

As usual I could hardly slept a wink that evening because of the new envirolment and also the noise made by the generator which was unnecessary running throughout the night.Not only was it making of noise but the smoke emmitted by the diesel engine was also spoling the good clean air of the plantation.Nevertheless I passed the night with tring myself that night despite the sleeplessness.

Early the following morning I called the head office to inform the executive of the predicaments and placed orders for immediate requirements.I did not have to wait long before those necessary items were duly delivered to me that very same day.My staying back stunned many I know,for now that I am there to work nothing else and most important I am there to stay.

Initially the first two days I made the Assistant to show me the fields,thereafter I went round on my own,noting what were to be done in my days to come as I went around.5,000 acres of Oil Palm was really quite a big area to cover but being an experienced planter these were simply too minor to cause any problems me.

I did not take any action to rectify any thing but the first month,but adverse reports went round having it that I was unsystematic when compared to the Mill Manager who was a University graduate.That of course did not deter me from proceeding with my work.Well,I just had to ignored those awful remarks.

Having recorded what I was to do the second month I began to take action but before I did any thing I held a meeting with the Boss first.I surprised him with my intentions to clear all existing bamboo grooves within the interior fields and next important was to construct more ravine roads in most of the fields.

It was very simple as we had the necessary equipments to deal with these problems without incurring extra cost.Clearing of bamboo grooves could not be done cheaply with human force but with our bulldozer the story were entirely different.All I had to do was to instruct the driver to bull dozed all those awful bamboo grooves into all the existing lakes and ponds.

Prior to this,the driver was not willing to push all those bamboo grooves into the lake because that would had destroyed their fishing areas.What a selfish attitude and the Manager then did not force him to do it.Of course my predecessor was an inexperienced planter,joining the Company as soon as he returned from Taiwan.

I then construct some ravine roads near to such areas.That step pleased the Boss very much as he could see very well what was down the ravines and the clearing of the bamboo grooves made all those fields very clear.My main problem were only the harvesting because my harvesters were harvesting excessive number of under ripe crop.

The Mill Manager was forever merciless after our crop and making lengthy reports to the Boss.The hilly and slippery terrains did not help either because during rainy season bring back crop from such fields were almost impossible.Many a times the bull dozer was sent in to toll the tractors up hill to the main road.What ever it was we tried our best.

Of course such bad weather bringing out the crop from the fields were difficult.I had a tractor force of about fourteen tractors ,all no less than thirteen years old ,except for two four wheeled drives,one new and the other older.One thiong good was that all the tractors were of one single brand,namely Ford,so spares were easily avalable.Buying direct from the main dealer was exoensuive so we adhere t purcahsing second hand parts which were equally good.

My previous experiences was telling here as I could fully utilized all I knew here without any hitch.My keeping the Boss inform weekly also helped me through.There was no doubt the Boss was now having full confidence in me,for within a stay of two months I was allowed to shift into the new bungalow which had been constructed at least five years ago but no Manager was allowed to move in.

Yes,I have came a long way to achieved those with eased.As I came in there was so much I could do to improve the plantation although at a very limited cost.You know Chinese owned plantation do not follow any estimates,with or without there was no question of over spending as the Boss himself were versed with European cost of running a plantation.Of course I too have my own guide lines and never over do it.

Take for example the weeding cost.the spraying of weeds in matured fields were three rounds per year,that was the standard practice here all along.That had went on and on like this over the years.The cost per acre were applicable to go with selective weeding and clearing of spot lallang.

The spraying contractors had all managed to earn a comfortable living but with my introduction of new ravine roads all those suddenly changed just simply because the contractors had larger areas to cover.Their costing suddenly became higher and they were all losing.They managed to linger on because we were purchasing the weedicides for them,this purchases were to have a control over their weedicides used.

With the Boss refusing to make any improve adjustment to their spraying rates I was forced to slowly retrench all of them and perform those spraying ourselves.Another reason was that since we were taking the risks in recruiting of all foreign workers,leaving with nothing to hold on to,so they without any responsibilities meant nothing to us unless they be our supervisors which they failed miserably.I took the initiative to have them removed and with their debts written off.

Similarly,the harvesting were all the plantation's workers,the assistance of the contractors did not arise,we therefore terminated their contract as well.With that all the foreign workers were duly legalized.What ever it was our biggest headache were the them,because they kept on absconding by and by.No amount of intimidation or policing could stpped these slow flow of workers running away.

That was no easy tasks as I admittedly too had my foes,my foes staffs of the Company with the Mill working against me.Much were critical of my approarches towards all,but what I did was always adhering to what the Boss required.Much of what I did were always with the Boss's knowledge as I had to see him weekly at his office.

With the field to take off there was also the Mill who gave me many problems.Well,it was their right to scrutinize our crop sent in daily and made the necessary comments,we accept those as I always did and never tried to argue back.My soft approach struck them on the spot,of corse they had expected me to behave like my predecessor.No way,why should I defend my staffs and contractors like him.This was so because I cannot changed the bad crop harvested and tried to argue my way out.

Quarreling my way out only caused more tensions,just except our failures and try to make adjustments in future,that please the Boss
but not the Mill's Engineers and later the so -call accountant.Of course I was behaving like a an extremely experienced planter and that I knew turned the table against all,who later had forced to change their attitude towards me.How can I ever be possibly wrong when everything I did were in the Boss favors,Boss first others second.

The comment that I was not systematic were no more on the lips of people in the head office as I was confirmed within three months of my employment with a hefty increment which never happened to any of my predecessors.I was already well respected.Most important no adverse reports against me from the Boss.Even his pet spy could not shake me and respected that I was indeed a force to reckon with.

With that I was further placed in charged of two other plantations namely Tavy Estate,Gambang and Semanbu Estate,Kuantan.Almost single handed I cleared up those neglected fields in those plantations to boost up its productivity bringing more profits with the establishment of Oil Palm in them without involving high capital cost.Yes,there was the bull- dozer at my disposal to ease down my load and made it extremely easy.

Much of the ravines in the main estate had similarly neglected pieces lying throughout the plantations plus thus land along the jungle fringes were also cleared by the bull-dozer as it rolled passed to built those ravine roads.By extending those ravines roads I not only had all those crops harvested and most of all collected back to the Mill,which have been written off as lost in the lakes below those years before I came in.

With those new roads, weeding areas were thus extended tremendously and the cleared areas supplied with young Oil palms seedlings.The Boss was extremely impressed as he could now traveled in his land rover to all those low lying fields.With those awful patches of bamboo grooves cleared at the same time ,he could viewed everything himself.What can he asked more from me.That was why my personal increments year after year were always very satisfying but very sad to say never for anyone else.That was the saddest part but there was nothing I could do.

There little doubt my staffs were poorly paid and the Boss refused to increase their pay accordingly.Yes,admittedly they standard of performance were below par when compared with other companies but they had been faithfully serving the Company,therefore definitely deserving more than a mere twenty to thirty ringgit increment at the mercy of the Boss.

Despite their short comings in their performances I gave them some encouragements through overtime,which by right they could claimed none.That little I could do not spur them to work harder,what a sad pathetic situation for they still do not realized what I have done.In the end after I left they even accused me of victimizing them with low pay,but when the reality came to the knowledge of the younger Boss what I had done,those overtime payments were duly withdrawn.Well served them right,cutting off their own hand.

So much of those ungrateful staffs,to them I say "May you rot with that small payments you received monthly",then you know who "Mr.Cheah" is.




To be continued....................................... .