By Kay del Rosario
They say the best way to teach others is to lead by example. Having been an educator for 31 years, and a union leader for 15 years, Abdul Malek Ahmad knows this to be true.
The 54-year-old General Secretary (GS) of the Singapore Malay Teachers’ Union (SMTU) has dedicated most of his life ensuring that the welfare of his members is represented and protected. In doing so, many of them have followed his footsteps to serve.
“Being able to attract young SMTU members to be elected to the executive committee (exco) is my greatest accomplishment. Now, about half of the current exco are 35 years old or below. They will be the next generation of SMTU leaders who are full of energy and ideas and ready to serve our members,” said Malek.
Some of these younger leaders were his former students. This is a testament to Malek’s positive influence on those he has groomed to step up to the role.
For this and his tireless efforts to uplift the community, Malek has been conferred the Comrade of Labour (Star) award at the May Day Awards 2021.
Malek is very thankful and happy to receive the award that recognises his significant contributions to the Labour Movement. But such accolades were never the end-goal.
“I have always shared with my colleagues in SMTU that we do not do union work for any award or reward. We do it because we see the value in helping our members with their grievances and assisting them in all possible ways to overcome their grievances,” he said.
The father-of-four has always been involved in community work and service since his school days. It was no surprise that he jumped at the opportunity to join SMTU when he became a teacher.
He has actively participated in NTUC-level committees such as the Education Cluster and Public Service Cluster for several terms.
“We strongly support their initiatives, and we encourage our members to be involved and participate in the relevant initiatives and programmes as it will enhance their professional development,” shared Malek.
He was also instrumental in advocating for the needs of the Malay-Muslim community. For example, he managed to influence SMTU exco leaders and members to step forward to contribute and be involved in the government M3 initiative, a collaborative effort between three key community institutions — Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis), MENDAKI and MESRA.
When asked what one mark he would like to leave on the Labour Movement, he said that he hopes for SMTU to continue to be a unique organisation that has dual roles.
“One as a union and the other as a Malay-Muslim organisation. We have been able to play these two roles effectively. We strongly support NTUC's effort to support all workers and actively collaborate with Malay-Muslim organisations to provide assistance and uplift the community,” said Malek.
Having held the post of the GS of SMTU since 2006, Malek is planning to step down after the union’s next Biennial General Meeting (BGM).
He is hopeful that younger leaders will come forward to carry on the good work he has started.
But if given the opportunity, Malek would still like to remain an exco member, doing what he can to contribute to the teaching fraternity and the community.
“Our members' welfare and well-being is and will always remain our priority.
“It is always heartening when a member we have assisted in a grievance case expresses their gratitude for our concern, assistance and advice. It makes all the effort that we have put in worthwhile and drives us to do even more for our members,” he said.
