By: Foo Yee Ping
Source: The Star

DATUK Badlisham Ghazali, by his own admission, was quite a geek once upon a time. Armed with a degree from the University of Northern Illinois, the young techie returned to Malaysia at a time when everyone was all abuzz about computers.

He found a job and was huddled inside what was termed the “cold room” with the programmers and other people telling him “Aiyah, we can’t understand you. You’re a geek.”

It was a lonely job for an extrovert like Badlisham, now 47 and the chief executive officer of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC).
He recalls wanting to break out of the cold room to make friends with people outside the circle.

Eventually, he landed a job with HP Malaysia where he found that he excelled in promoting products.

“I was better than the salesmen who only wanted to clinch a sale. I understood the product and could present it better to the customer,” he says.

He spent 18 years with HP Malaysia, and then he entered a new ball game with his appointment to the MDeC post on Jan 16, 2006.
Four years on, Badlisham still finds the job enthralling.

New environment
The transplant from the private sector was unfazed with his new work environment although he concedes that a few things took some getting used to.

“There are all those meetings that you have to attend. The ‘family’ is large here. The extended ‘stakeholder’ is huge,” he says, explaining that MDeC has to liaise with other ministries and agencies.

“I was exasperated, initially. There was no single point of contact. But I eventually realised that the onus is on us to speak to the stakeholders. We are not an island here.”

There was also an upside. “You can do a lot more here with the resources available from the Government.”

The beauty about the job at MDeC, a one-stop agency set up by the Government to oversee MSC Malaysia, is the opportunity to contribute to the stakeholders, he says.

It’s not just about the bottom line.

“What about the low income earners? The OKU (the disabled)? The unemployed? They all need to be factored into any decision-making or policies.”
Badlisham’s workload these days is heavy, which means family time with his wife and two daughters (aged 15 and 19) is somehow dictated by his schedule.

On the morning of this interview, he was in Putrajaya to attend the launch of the MyID system. Later in the day, he chaired a meeting at his Cyberjaya office and then had dinner with US clients.

Two days later, he was to be part of the Prime Minister’s delegation to India.

Sometimes, there are also workshops to attend during the weekends.

“Thank God I’m not a politician,” he says, laughing.

He plays golf weekly, though he does not consider himself an avid golfer.

“It’s just an outlet for me to relax and let my hair down. I used to play badminton as a form of exercise but people in my industry now do not play badminton!”

He admits to being a worrier. (He has a pack-a-day habit, finishing two cigarettes during this one-hour interview.

“I worry about the things we don’t do or cannot do,” he confesses, citing human capital as an example.

“We have to have employable knowledge workers. Right now, there is more demand than supply.”

Malaysia, he says, must put things in perspective if it wants to move forward.

“Otherwise, we won’t be as competitive as before.”

At MDeC, his task is to provide the necessary tools but he worries that it may not be moving fast enough.

There is a mistaken perception among many that MDeC is all about techies.

“In fact, almost 40% of our hires are non-technical people. At least half of our work is non-technical,” Badlisham explains.

“We advocate the use of IT. Our job is to promote and build the IT industry. IT is just an enabler. It is like offering you Facebook, but if you don’t use it, we might as well give you pen and paper.”

Still, people always wonder if Vision 2020 is on track and what it means to the ordinary folk.

“Ask the common man. Ask him to compare it to the past. In my father’s generation, working in the military or the police force, or becoming a teacher, was the way to earn a living. It was that or you could tend the field.

“But in my time, I had a chance to be hired by HP Malaysia. If the Government had not brought in MNCs, I probably would have become a contractor.”

His point? Vision 2020 would bring with it a thriving industry with new technologies that would provide wide opportunities for the younger generation.

He cites how American parents did not mind their children working in Hollywood because it was a thriving industry.

Likewise, he says, Malaysian youths should also be given a break in the creative business, such as animation or scriptwriting.

Thus, Vision 2020 is not about a date “but a vision to achieve something,” he stresses.

“No doubt not everyone will benefit at the same rate. But very few countries are striving to do this on such a scale.”

Nomadic childhood
Badlisham, whose father is retired armed forces chief Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali Seth, remembers his nomadic childhood as a result of his dad’s military career. The family has lived all over Malaysia.

Incidentally, Tun Hussein Onn was an uncle, which means Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is Badlisham’s cousin of his.

“We don’t meet often, perhaps sometimes at family functions,” he says, stressing that he has no intention ever of benefiting from family ties.

“My adult life was spent in the private sector. We know we have to do things on merit. The private sector is very unforgiving about this. How many times can you ask for favours?”

HP Malaysia, he says, was a good training ground.

“That’s why I stayed so long. They really provide the right environment to let people do the work.”

And along the way, he lost his geekness.

“Thank God!” He laughs, “although when I look at my old photos, I don’t think I looked like a geek at all back then.”

Geek or not, the national spotlight is on him as 2020 beckons.