CAREER, INTERVIEW

Brigadier General M. A. Malek (Rtd.), Former

Government Advisor
by

FAJR MAGAZINE

May 8, 2021

Former government advisor, Brigadier General M. A. Malek (Rtd.) shares the

journey of his versatile successful career.

Fajr Magazine: Where were you born and brought up?

M. A. Malek: My hometown is in Barisal. I was born in the village named

“SujonKathi” under the “GouroNodi” thana (currently Agorjhoili thana). I was the
youngest member of the family. As usual, I grew up amidst ev- erybody’s love and
adornment. There was a “pathshala” near our home. I did my primary schooling
over there. We used to get up real early and went there together to study Arabic.
At around 10 AM, we went there again for our general studies. We also used to
play with friends over there. There was a mosque with a big pond where we used
to take baths and we prayed in that mosque. Actually, all of our activities were
centered around our school. Whenever someone finished learning the Arabic
alphabet and was about to start learning Suras, we had a big occasion. On that
occasion, we had “Payesh” on banana leaves. In a nutshell, my childhood was
pretty fun. But life was pretty hard back then – in our school we used processed
coconut leaves for writing. Our teacher, who walked 4 miles to get to school, had
a monthly salary of only 17 takas. Anyways, I studied in that school till class five.
When I was 7, my life hit a major setback. I lost my mother to TB and our family
got weak financially for bearing the costs of her treatment. My education hit a full
stop for 3 or 4 years and I had to leave school.

FM: Could you tell us about your journey of academic life? From where did you
start and where did you end up? You were an engineer but joined the army. How?

M.A.M.: Afterwards, my elder brother passed SSC and got a job. He immediately
got me admitted into high school. I enrolled in class 5 again. The school was very
old and reputed and I started doing very well. In every exam, I stood either first or
second. I continued my studies in that school till class 7. Meanwhile, my elder got
married and rented a house in Barisal city. My brother wanted me to study at
“Barisal Zilla School”. So I went to the city with him. Now, it wasn’t very easy getting
admitted over there – often they had no seats for new students. There were only
3 seats left in class 8. Against those 3 seats, the number of applicants was 91. So
we had to sit for an admission test. In that test, I stood second. I completed my
SSC with 3 letters. After that, I got into BM College and passed my HSC from there
in 1965.
I always wished to be an engineer. So I wanted to get myself admitted into BUET
(then East Pakistan University of Engineering & Technology). During that time, to
get into BUET, students had to sit for a drawing test. I gave the test and got
selected.
I passed the 4 years of my university life without any hassle. When I was a student
of 4th year, a circular in the paper got my eyes. It was regarding the new
recruitment of officers in the Pakistan army. It was for the Electrical & Mechanical
core. That meant, the applicant had to be either from electrical or mechanical
engineering. And students could also apply. Out of interest, I, along with 20 of my
classmates applied for the post. Among us, half of the students got disqualified in
medical test. The rest of us were informed that we would get the appointment
letter after we finish our degree and submit our certificates. Meanwhile, I also got
selected at DIT and EPWAPDA (East Pakistan Water and Power Development).
After I got my certificate, I decided to join the army. After receiving my military
training for 3 months, I got appointed at a warship in Rawalpindi. Two of my
classmates were also appointed there. We used to always hang out together. The
three of us were very adventurous and used to visit many places together.

FM: Could you share any remarkable incident or experience of your student life
that you still remember?

M.A.M: When I was a kid of 7, my mother got Tuberculosis. Nowadays, the

treatment of TB is very easy. But back then, it was a life-threatening disease. It was
also very costly. I remember, there were only three doctors in our area back then.
As the condition of my mother got worse, the doctor advised us to go to Barisal
Sadar Hospital for X-ray.
At that time, the condition of the transportation system was very poor. During the
rainy season, all the roads got submerged underwater. So we hired a big boat to
take mother to the hospital. It would take two days to reach Barisal city from our
locality. I still remember that journey. We had to sail through a number of rivers.
All of them were full to the brim. We had arrangements for cooking in the boat.
But when preparing the meal, we found out that we forgot to bring salt with us.
Then the fisherman from a nearby boat gave us a lot of salt. The reason I’m
sharing this incident is to point out the difference between the mentality of the
people of that time and the present. People were really helpful back then.
Anyway, we reached Barisal and took mother to the hospital. There we found out
that they ran out of X-ray films. They couldn’t tell when the new films would arrive.
Eventually, my mother died. It was a huge shock for me.

FM: You got the rare scope to be the chairman in two of the topmost government
organizations in the country. How was your experience?

M.A.M: In 1997, when I was a brigadier I was appointed as the chairman of REB
(Rural Electrification Board). I was in that position for about two and a half years.
I felt very comfortable over there. And I just loved to do this sort of work. You see,
the work over there was to give electricity connection to the house of people.
Truly, it was a matter of great pleasure. The village homes had dim lights of
hurricanes or lamps that merely lighted. But when we gave them electric
connections, their houses flooded with light. You could see the joy in the people’s
faces. I used to feel that joy greatly. That’s why I tried my best to give connection
to the homes as soon as they got the approval.
Some of the people in my department wanted to take bribes for the connection. I
stopped this malpractice with a firm hand. Eligible people would get the
connection without paying any effort. The people would also pay us back by
paying their dues regularly. From there, I was transferred to PDB (Power
Development Board) in 2000. I also had a very good experience working over
there. People over there love and respect me to this date.

FM: So far we know, you have worked on many rural projects. Could you give us a
brief idea about some of those social activities?

M.A.M: I have always found peace in helping others. From 2002 to 2007, I have
been a consultant at NRECA (National Rural Electric Co-operative Association,
USA). It works for the advancement of electricity in rural areas. As a chairman of
REB, I also used to help the people to the best of my ability.

FM: You were an advisor during the last caretaker government period in
telecommunication and social ministry. How was the experience?

M.A.M: W One day in 2008, I got a call from the chief advisor Mr. Fakhruddin
Ahmed. He invited me to work with the advising committee. I asked for a day to
give the decision. I was actually referred to by General Moin Uddin Ahmed. We
had worked together before and he used to like me.
Anyway, I got a call from him also and I said yes. I was made the in-charge of
telecommunication & social ministry. I had a very good experience in working in
both the departments. Especially, I loved working at the social welfare ministry.
As I told you before, I always loved helping others. It gave me a lot of opportunities
to do so.

FM: Alhamdulillah, you are a very successful person now. Who do you think had
the highest contribution in your life to help you reach the pinnacle of your life?

M.A.M: My life was filled with dramatic twists and turns. I faced the bitter reality
of life when I lost my mother at the age of 7. Life was very hard back then. But I
was lucky that the people around me were very amicable and they helped me get
through every step of my life. After the death of my mother, my father had his
second marriage so that there was someone to look after us. My stepmother was
such a great person! She didn’t let us feel the absence of our mother for a
moment.
But I won’t be able to forgive myself if I don’t name my elder brother, Rahman, as
the person behind the success of my life. To him, I owe the most. He did so much
for me! After passing SSC, when he got his first job, his top concern was my
education. He helped me get through my whole academic life. After getting
married, my brother moved to Barisal city. He took me there with me so that I
could get a better education at better institu- tions. He also bore all the expenses
of my university life. Mere words are not enough to describe what he did for me.
He was just like a father to me.
FM: What will be your advice to others to become successful in life?

M.A.M: Experience and reality taught me so many things! When I look back, I see
that the biggest lesson I got from my life is that sincerity always pays off.
Everything I did – I did it with sincerity and seriousness. To be successful, you also
need to be confident. Remember, if you can’t put trust in yourself, then people
will not trust you either.
The other attribute that helped me a lot is my good manners. I have been very
careful not to hurt anyone with my behavior. I also tried my best to help people
from my position. Helping others will always earn you their respect. If you help
others, you surely will get help from them too.