SYED SHAHIR Syed Mohamud was a late bloomer. He only began talking when he was four. But he has not stopped talking since. `When I was 13, I asked an ustaz what my name meant. He said it meant famous in Arabic. He then told me he did not know whether I would be famous,' recalls Syed Shahir. Syed Shahir has certainly lived up to the meaning of his name. The President of Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) since 2004, he has earned the ire of the government with his persistent calls for a minimum wage for workers to be set at RM900, the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) for private sector workers to be set at RM300 and for the union's strong stand against toll price hikes.
This year saw MTUC organising two protests demanding the government to set a compulsory monthly minimum wage of RM900. The second protest in early August saw 30,000 workers all across the country joining in the protest. MTUC also protested against toll price hikes, which saw opposition parties coming out and supporting the union in its cause. Besides this, Syed Shahir was also very vocal about the privatisation of water and was against the government's move to privatise health care. All this caused the government to see red and led the Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakar to warn in Parliament that MTUC and other unions would be deregistered if they became tools of the opposition in its attempt to overthrow the government. Added to this, Syed Shahir's affiliation with Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has also come under public scrutiny. There have also been rumblings within MTUC over some members' unhappiness over the confrontational stand being taken by MTUC under Syed Shahir's leadership.
`It's not that we want to have a confrontation with the government. If the issue, especially the minimum wage one, can be resolved in an amicable manner, of course we would want that. But you can't simply be talking about an issue without seeing any results, or without getting any reaction from the other side,' clarifies Syed Shahir in his sonorous voice. `We want to see some results that will benefit the workers.'
As for his political affiliation to PKR (he was a member of Parti Sosialis Rakyat Malaysia (PSRM) and contested in the 1972 general election under the party's banner. When the party merged with Keadilan and became Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Syed Shahir stayed on with the new party. He contested in the 2004 general election under the PKR banner), he says that all MTUC members are free to choose which party they want to belong to. `MTUC has a membership of half a million. Not all of them belong to one party; there are people who belong to UMNO, MCA, MIC, PAS, DAP, etc. We cherish this diversity - that's what democracy is all about, the freedom to choose who you want to support.' He also stresses that although MTUC members might belong to different political parties, when it comes to meetings with the employers over any issues, their agenda is the same, which is to work towards the interest of the workers.
He points out that union leaders being active in politics is not something new in Malaysia. Former unionists like the late Ahmad Noor and Dr V David had served as elected MPs under the Democratic Action Party (DAP). As for his own political ambitions, he says it depends on circumstances and the support among his party colleagues. `If they feel they need me to voice out the concerns of the people, then I will; if not I won't contest.'
His long-time friend and fellow unionist Gopal Kishnam says that Syed Shahir is one of the most trustworthy persons he has ever met. `He will never use MTUC to further his political career. MTUC has members who belong to Barisan Nasional component parties as well but they support Syed Shahir and MTUC in its struggle,' says Gopal, who is the general secretary of the National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Industry Workers (NUTEAIW).
Syed Shahir's interest in politics started while he was still in his early teens in his hometown of Raub, Pahang. He was an unusually mature young boy, thanks to his insistence in hanging out with people who were older than him, he says.
The young Syed Shahir also attended election rallies to hear the politicians speak. Although he did not fully understand all the issues that were discussed, he loved the atmosphere of the rallies and was attracted by the eloquence of some of the speakers.
He also became a voracious reader and developed a deep love for history. After he left school, he did a number of odd jobs, did his Sixth Form privately and became a temporary teacher. He later got a job in the civil service but left soon after to compete in the general election of 1974 under PSRM. He was not yet 22 then. His family was not very happy that he was running in the election and under the opposition banner at that. Syed Shahir lost. `But I did not lose my deposit. In fact, I got more than one- third of the total vote,' he adds.
He drifted to Kuala Lumpur and finally joined MTUC in 1975 and has been there ever since. `Over the years, he had several job offers that offered much better prospects but he rejected them all because of his commitment to the workers' cause,' reveals Gopal. `No one can doubt his sincerity and dedication; he always has the workers' interests at heart. I sincerely hope he will lead the MTUC for the next couple of years.'
Since Syed Shahir became the president of MTUC - and that too after contesting for the post four times; he won on his fifth attempt - he has faced many challenges. He says trying to get the government to agree on a minimum wage is his biggest yet. Then, there is the threat of degeristration of MTUC because of its alleged left-wing leanings.
When asked about this, Syed Shahir counters that it is a diversion from facing the real issues that challenge workers such as minimum wages and COLA, to name a few. `MTUC is not a one-man show. All the decisions made here are through dialogues, meetings. We cannot stop any political parties, whether it's the ruling party or the opposition, from supporting our cause. We cannot be blamed if the opposition supports our view. When we protested the toll hike and picketed for the minimum wage, they came to show their support. The government sees this as proof that we are the tools of the opposition.'
Syed Shahir stresses that the workers' concerns are MTUC's concerns and toll and the privatisation of public services comes under this as well. `Workers pay toll, they use water and medical services. If the government says it can no longer subsidize public services like health, etc, it has serious implications for people from the lower income group. There are more than 1.2 million people earning less than RM700 a month. We have a situation where people are borrowing money from loan sharks and are over- dependent on credit cards because they can't make ends meet ... is it wrong to point out all these things? Does this mean if we criticize the government over this we are for the opposition? Even MTUC members who are in UMNO are feeling the pinch of the toll hikes. Does that mean if they protest against the toll hike that they are against UMNO?' he fumes.
Another challenge that Syed Shahir faces now is the prospects of a rival workers' union, Persatuan Pekerja Islam Malaysia (PPIM), being approved by the Registrar of Societies. If it is approved, then it will be the first labour organisation based on religious lines in Malaysia. Syed Shahir is not amused by this situation. `I still maintain that it is an attempt by the government to split the labour movement,' he retorts. `This does not augur well for the future of labour unions in this country. What next? Malaysian Hindu Labour Organisation, Chinese Labour Organisation? We have to allow all these organisations as well. The government talks about unity, solidarity and then it does this! We have enough "disunity" among us as it is, thanks to the various political parties that divide us along racial lines.
`I really don't know what the agenda of the PPIM is. They say that we are not championing the cause of Muslim workers. Isn't minimum wage, rights of workers, fair treatment of workers the cause of Muslim workers as well? he says passionately.
Syed Shahir has his devoted friends. `He is always the victim of vast amounts of slander and malice,' says his close friend of over 30 years, Zulkifly Baharom, who is in the General Council of the Malaysian Institute of Management. `Yet, he is immensely popular with family members, friends and union members. He is trusting and compassionate and yet he can be demanding and tough,' says Zulkifly. He considers himself truly blessed `with a trusted friend who is an intellectual, a thinker, a teacher, a caring husband and father, a professional manager, a charismatic orator and a leader par excellence all rolled into one.'
Syed Shahir himself admits that there are times when he feels like throwing in the towel. `But when I get a complaint from a worker that he has not been paid or he has not been treated justly, the injustice of it all riles me. It's the injustice around me - the rich exploiting the poor, the uneven distribution of wealth, the exploitation of the workers - that keeps me going. You cannot just close your eyes to it.'
Posted by: Lrc on Nov 06, 2007 - 12:00 AM
Source: http://www.industrywatch.com/pages/iw2/Story.nsp?story_id=111858344&ID=iw&scategory=Business+and+Finance%3ALabor&P=&F=&R=&VNC=hnall
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