by Dr. Iain
Corness
The
general manager of the Garden International Schools is one of the more
‘international’ people around this region. He is a man with roots in
India and Malaysia, who follows Manchester United. He is also a man who
has experienced the problems that ‘race’ can bestow upon you.
James was born in Ipoh in Malaysia. His great
grandfather came from Chennai in India to be a civil servant in the then
Malaya. Successive generations had continued in the civil service, and so
he was born the fifth child (of six) to a civil servant and his wife. He
is a Malaysian Indian.
James was sent to mission schools, where he was taught
English, which was also spoken at home, but otherwise he spoke Tamil. In
answer to my question, James said, “I was a good student,” which he
said with a big grin, with grades good enough to go to university.
However, there was good reason for him to be proud of his achievements.
“For a non-Malay to enter university you have to be very good, as 90
percent of the places are reserved for Malays.”
He did not know what he really wanted to do career-wise
while at school, his time was taken up with studying and after school and
vacation work. “We were not a rich family, but we made ends meet.”
Part of making ends meet was his working in a wood products factory and
sitting in a booth selling lottery tickets.
When he won his place at university he decided to major
in English, then get a diploma in education and enter the teaching
profession. This took the next four years of his life, during which time
he also went on courses on accounting, auditing and management. Following
graduation he was sent to Sabah to teach English as a second language
(ESL) there.
Returning to the mainland he found that jobs were not
plentiful and to get employment “You had to be better than the next guy.
You went for a position, just because it was there.” With his major in
English, accountancy training and some managerial skills, he snapped up a
job as a branch manager for a credit card company. “I was cheap enough
to be hired,” said James.
They sent him to Singapore, where he spent the next 12
months, only to be recalled and put into personnel and administration.
However, this was not a secure job, as the credit card company was bought
out by another and he was in the job market again. “Those were difficult
days,” said James. “Friends had been out of work for 12 months and
companies were closing down. I was married by then and so I went back to
teaching.”
He took a posting at a technical college for Malays.
His brief was to teach English, as the Malay dominated campus needed
non-Malays and expats for this teaching. James was to end up spending 18
years there, running external courses as well as undergraduate courses,
during which time the college was elevated to become the largest
university in Malaysia.
By this stage Malaysian business understood that to be
able to compete in the global marketplace they needed proficiency in the
English language, and James would assess their needs and tailor courses to
suit. However, he also knew that acceptance of his abilities did not come
naturally. “If you are an Indian, you have to work twice as hard.”
This of course is a common story in many parts of the world and not
restricted to Asia.
James was also active in other fronts. He and his wife
had two children during this time (their daughter is now 14 and their son
is 13) and he also became deeply involved in the Christian faith, going so
far as to describing the whole family as ‘born again’ Christians.
A company in Malaysia that was also working twice as
hard, was called MBf Holdings. This is a conglomerate that runs, amongst
other educational institutes, the Garden International School in Malaysia,
a school established 54 years ago. They also had a joint venture with the
Eastern Star Company, called Garden International Schools (GIS) in Rayong
and Bangkok. With former Thai PM Anand Panyarachun as chairman of the
board of directors, this looked like the type of enterprise that would
interest someone who was used to working “twice as hard.”
So ten months ago, James and his family came to
Thailand to assist GIS in their quest to provide quality education for
children here. James has overseen the increase in facilities and depth of
classes, which has resulted in a 50 percent increase in numbers at GIS
Rayong.
This is a task that James has thrown himself into
wholeheartedly. There is obviously the enthusiasm for a new task, but
there is also that undercurrent that still persists - “I still have to
prove myself,” he said simply. This new task also takes up 12 hours of
each day.
I asked James if he had any hobbies to fill up the
other 12 hours, but was told that while he used to love reading, there
just isn’t the time anymore. What free time he has is split between his
faith (he is an active member and deacon of the Victory Family Church here
in Pattaya), watching Manchester United and being with his family.
“Not Liverpool?” I ventured. Definitely not, was
the response. “I have been an ardent fan of Manchester United since
1984,” said James. “I’ve converted the whole family. It’s good
bonding!”
James does have a long term aim. “I want to be a
missionary. I believe it is my calling and I hope my children will follow
me. I want to go and serve God.”
James finished the interview saying, “I know where
I’m going and I know where I’ve come from. I’m very blessed.” He
may be indeed, but I’m sure that he will continue to work twice as hard
at that too! Welcome to Pattaya!
