TALIB, staff number 5495, insisted that at least one of his children should follow in his footsteps to work for Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB). He served the electricity power generation company for more than three decades.
It could be said Talib built his family almost entirely on his wages at TNB, where he started as a daily-paid labourer earning about RM80 a month in Bangsar. This was back in the 1960s. Even when a glass of teh tarik then was just 10 sen a glass, RM80 did not go very far.
But Talib persevered, tightened his belt and climbed electric poles, dug trenches, laid cables and stuck to his job until his retirement.
He fed his wife, six children, his mother-in-law and a couple more relatives on TNB money.
The family stayed many years at the TNB quarters in Bangsar.
There were two categories of quarters — one for labourers and blue-collar workers; and another for white-collar employees, such as clerks, technicians and engineers.
The quarters for white-collar workers are located around the Kilat Club area, which is just minutes away from the present TNB headquarters.
The quarters for labourers were located across Jalan Pantai, which separated the TNB community.
The Kilat Club was also where cricket was played, which it shared with a hockey pitch.
If you recall the Hockey World Cup, which Malaysia hosted in 1975, the Kilat Club pitch was one of the grounds where games were played.
Local and international hockey legends graced the field, inspiring boys from the area to start playing the game.
For the next few months after the Hockey World Cup, boys from the labourers’ quarters got to play on the sacred pitch, perpetuating a rivalry between the haves and the have-nots.
Quarters’ living gave everyone a sense of togetherness, of unity and a degree of brotherhood.
Periyasamy, Karupiah, Leong, Roslan, Apu and many others have been friends in the quarters for many years.
Their fathers were friends and colleagues and the friendship was extended to the next generation.
Quarters’ living provided everyone with a real-life approach to good neighbourliness. There was a deep sense of sharing — of happiness, hardships, grief, agony and ecstasy.
When one of the Leong brothers married Rasathi many years ago, everyone was happy.
Rasathi was a quarters’ belle, but she had her heart set on Leong. And that was it. When Apu’s father, Uncle Maniam, fell into depression, which eventually led him to be taken away for mental health treatment, neighbours gathered and helped provide the family with physical and moral support.
It was common to see neighbours’ children carrying a bowl to go to a neighbour’s house asking for some sugar or rice.
The rice or sugar was returned after pay day.
Free tuition was given by one of the boys who attended English school. Many primary school pupils attended the class. Parents would pass a token of RM1 or RM2 each to the teenaged tuition master, which was enough for him to buy a monthly school bus pass.
A RM5 bus pass enabled the cardholder to get a good discount for the whole month.
The workers got paid twice monthly. The children would know it’s pay day when a mamak selling mee goreng made his rounds on his tricycle.
This had always been a highlight for everyone there.
Another signal to show it’s pay day was when you noticed a chettiar (Indian moneylender) making his rounds house to house on a debt recovery mission. The chettiar was always dressed in white and carried a black umbrella.
The quarters’ brotherhood was tested during the racial riots of May 13, 1969. While the rest of Kuala Lumpur was under curfew, life went on as normal within the quarters with children playing football in the open field while adults played cards in the shade.
They were mostly colour blind. They all learnt about unity, harmony and racial tolerance in the TNB quarters.
Ask the TNB employees if you have any doubt.
Talib retired as a switch tower operator after a fall from a pole that almost cost him his life.
Following this, he was given a small promotion which took him away from the back-breaking duties.
After the promotion, Talib began a tour of duty that took him from Bangsar to Ampang, Sungai Buloh, Batang Berjuntai (now Bestari Jaya) and he retired at his last posting in Segambut.
In the 1960s, TNB was called “Central Electricity Board” (CEB) before becoming “National Electricity Board” (NEB) or Lembaga Letrik Negara. Later, NEB was privatised and assumed the name Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
Talib had almost become a teacher, but the Japanese occupation during World War 2 and the ensuing emergency put paid to his plans of becoming a teacher. He became a special constable instead, doing his bit to serve king and country.
After finishing his stint with the police force, he got a job as a labourer with CEB, and thereafter began his career as a civilian. His training as a special constable helped instil discipline and a massive reservoir of patience in him.
Talib’s reason for wanting his children to also work for TNB was plain and simple: “TNB jaga kita dengan baik. Semua ada (TNB looks after us well. Everything is there),” he used to say this often.
In today’s human resources parlance, TNB adopts a cradle-to-grave policy. TNB is known for providing good benefits to its employees.
Talib told his wife and children that the benefits were superior to that of many other employers.
Talib may have been biased but he could be forgiven for being so.
One of his children did eventually join TNB. After marrying off his first son, Talib got a job for his third son, Jaffer, staff number 000018123. After paying the wedding expenses, Talib had about RM400 extra. He used the money to buy an old but roadworthy motorcycle for Jaffer to ride from Sungai Buloh to Bangsar.
And true enough, Jaffer found that TNB provide a variety of benefits for its employees. He eventually got transferred to Kajang where he later got married. One thing which Jaffer picked up from his colleagues was the ability to speak Tamil. If one heard him speak to his Indian friends, one wouldn’t think that a non-Indian was talking.
Another of Talib’s sons got a scholarship to study at Polytechnic Ungku Omar in Ipoh, Perak. Talib beamed with pride when his son got to study in a college and that his employer provided the financial support.
Talib died in 1998 and Jaffer died in 2012. Talib’s wife Khalijah died in 2013. They received extensive medical treatment prior to their deaths.
TNB even provided basic financial support for their funerals.
Al-Fatihah to all three.
Thank You TNB
IF you drive up to the Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) headquarters in Jalan Bangsar, take a look at a small building on the left. It is a dispensary.
This is where TNB employees get basic medical treatment during office hours. They need not have to go far to seek medical help.
This dispensary has been in operation for the past 60 years. I had first entered its premises when I was 10.
The kind nurse there helped treat cuts and bruises I received from a bicycle crash.
I was taken there on a bicycle by my father, Talib. He had bought a brand new bicycle. I had quietly taken it for a ride but fell down badly.
I got some cuts and some rotan strokes for taking it without asking his permission.
The story is not about me falling. The story is about the bicycle which was bought with a loan provided by TNB when it was called National Electricity Board.
They had a cooperative to help staff apply for simple loans along with other benefits.
Almost every staff had taken small loans from the cooperative.
My father took a loan of RM180 for the bicycle and paid back RM5 every month to the cooperative. This was, in today’s financial parlance, a real “soft loan”.
As for the dispensary, it has been given a facelift, with better facilities.
Sixty years ago, it was always full of sick children and employees. It helped staff who were in need of medical attention. Going to a private clinic was unthinkable then.
Perhaps the newest physical asset to TNB is the sparkling new mosque.
This helps the Muslim community in the area. It allows non-staff to perform Friday prayers there, just as it did when it was smaller and older.
May TNB continue to do well in the future, and keep its employees happy and productive. I have much to thank it for!
Twitter: @aatpahitmanis
The writer is a former NST group editor. His first column appeared on Aug 27, 1995 as ‘Kurang Manis’