By: Dato Dr Kamarul A Muhamed, Aerodyne’s Group CEO and Founder
Sometime in mid-January 2024, I received a rather strange call from an unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
It turned out to be the personal assistant to the late Tun Daim Zainuddin, inviting me to meet him at his residence.
As a businessman, I have always tried to remain apolitical. My position has been simple: respect the government of the day, stay in the middle lane, and avoid unnecessary proximity to politics.
But this invitation was different.
Tun Daim meant different things to different people, shaped by his long years in business, government and public life. But my meeting with him was private, and the conversation was about business, not politics.
I went because he had asked to hear the story of my business.
When I arrived, I was struck by the scale of his residence.
A massive open space. Open walls. Multi-levels. Large paintings. A quiet stillness that made every footstep feel heavier than usual.
Tun Daim was already very frail then.
He was seated on the sofa, wearing kain pelikat, speaking through a small microphone tucked in his shirt pocket. A small speaker was placed on the coffee table between us.
I still remember that small speaker.
In that large room, it carried his voice.
Soft, measured, but still clear.
I was a little nervous. I did not know him personally, and I was not sure what to expect.
Then he asked me to tell him about my business.
So I did.
I took him through the journey — the early struggles, the sacrifices, the difficult decisions, and the move to expand globally when many thought it was too early, too risky, or too ambitious for a Malaysian company.
He listened closely.
Frail in body, yes. But still sharp in mind.
He asked question after question. Precise, direct, and probing. It was clear he was not merely listening to a story. He was testing the thinking behind the journey.
Then he offered his advice.
Keep the business focused.
Avoid distractions.
Protect the company.
Build on substance.
He also shared other business advice. Some simple, some direct, all shaped by someone who had seen business and public life from very close range.
I left the meeting with mixed emotions.
There was pride, because my business journey had travelled far enough to be noticed.
But there was also humility.
Because in that quiet room, across that coffee table, I was reminded that every entrepreneur must learn not only how to build, but also how to survive.
Looking back now, the meeting feels even more meaningful.
At the time, I thought it was just a conversation.
Only later do some moments reveal their weight.
Sometimes, a short meeting stays with you not because of what was said alone, but because of the silence around it, the frailty of the moment, and the quiet lessons it leaves behind.
Semoga Allah SWT mengampuni dosa-dosanya, merahmati rohnya, dan menempatkannya dalam kalangan orang-orang yang beriman.
