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InspirationIn a house by the village they lived, without electricity andsometimes without even proper food. This set a goal in Dato’Awang’s mind. He was determined not to live that kind of lifeand to provide more for his family one day.He studied hard at Sekolah Kebangsaan Perupok, andobtained a place at a boarding school in Ipoh called SekolahTuanku Abdul Rahman, to complete his secondary education.Due to hard work and dedication to his studies, he excelled,earning him a place at Drew University, New Jersey, in theUnited States, where he furthered his studies in the field ofeconomics.Returning to his village after graduation, Dato’ Awang wasn’tsatisfied with his accomplishments. Though people aroundhim were urging him to engage in a job, his mind was set onfurthering his studies. Unfortunately, it was difficult at thatpoint of time to get a sponsorship. After umpteen attemptsat writing to various organizations for assistance, a doorfinally opened. Dato’ Awang, being the optimist that he is,grabbed the scholarship offered by Universiti Sains Malaysia,Penang to pursue his Ph.D at Wharton School, University ofPennsylvania Philadelphia – the same university that DonaldTrump attended.Next Step…With excellent grades and a set goal, Dato’ Awang returnedto Malaysia soon after he graduated and was offered a job atUniversiti Sains Malaysia to teach economics. Then came 1985,and his life took a change, for the better.Bank Negara extended an offer to this gracious, unassumingman, to work as a Senior Economist. It was indeed an honouras Bank Negara only hires the best of the best as they needoutstanding individuals to gain the trust of the public. Thisgave Dato’ Awang an opportunity to work in a high profileand respected organisation where he moved up the corporateladder to become Assistant Governor in 1996.After working for 17 years in Bank Negara, he took optionalretirement in 2001 to be active in politics. In 2002, he wasappointed Chairman of Tenaga Nasional Bhd. After contestingin the General Election in 2004, and winning the Parliamentaryseat in Bachok, which was the first time in history by an UMNOcandidate, he was appointed Deputy Minister.During the interview, Dato’ Awang remembered his difficultiesduring his first few years of holding his family together,financially. He had to sell his old Ford Cortina for a measlyRM3000 in order to put his two children through kindergarten.InspiredTimes were hard, but they pulled through, thanks to hisdetermination to make things work.by a dream to become anby a dream to become anHis inspiration in life were Malaysian Prime Ministers such asTunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Abdul Razak. He has alwayslooked highly at them for what they have done for ourcountry.Today, Dato’ Awang Adek is the Deputy Finance Ministerof Malaysia, a position that allows him to contribute to thecountry’s progress. The reason why Dato’ Awang steppedinto the political arena was simply to make things better forhis village and other rural parts of Malaysia so that the newgeneration need not lead the life he hadback when he was growing up. Today, with his contributions,there will soon be a hospital as well as a university in Bachok,Kelantan.The Tropicana Experience…Dato’ Awang Adek and his supportive wife, Datin Latifah MohdYusof, together with their five children, Abdul Aziz, Norjasara,Ahmad Azran, Nur Ain dan Nur Nadira and his two sisters-inlaw,live in a beautiful bungalow at the Green Acres precinctof Tropicana - not to forget their huge cat that is twice thesize of Garfield and their neighbour’s cat that simply will notgo home. Their simple house is elegantly designed with afine timber concept, bringing an authentic and rustic homelyatmosphere to their living quarters. Tastefully laid out for theease of their children, you wouldn’t find many different levelsof flooring in their chosen layout.Dato’ Awang and family moved to Tropicana some time back,after concluding that their house they were living in then wastoo small. They used to live in a semi-detached house in SS3,Petaling Jaya, which became too small for the 9 of them.His views on his choice of a home were simple. The securityhas to be good for his family. When he first entered Tropicana,he was impressed by the alert security staff that patrols everynook and cranny of the Resort. Friendly, sincere and alert, theseguards are a perfect combination for the serene ambience inTropicana. Friends and neighbours living in Tropicana areanother source of enjoyment for him whenever they can gettogether.The family loves the multitude of facilities at the club, andDato’ Awang Adek tries to get in a game of golf when hehas the time. Sometimes, during his rest days, he would gettogether with some friends and enjoy a ‘nasi lemak’ at theGolfer’s Terrace Lounge; these are simple but meaningfulmoments that he savours and enjoys.That, then, is Dato’ Awang Adek - a man who remembershis simple roots even after reaching such lofty heights ofachievements.The Address, 4th Quarter; October - December 2006 5