against the best so that we can aim higher and be the best everywhere. It is only when we aim high that we can find out where our shortcomings are, and where we can improve ourselves. Then we can be truly excited at our achievements.
This is what drives me in my work: so that Malaysia can be on par with, if not better than, the best nations on the international level.
DR. MOHD SHAH WAH I D Were you the only Malay lecturer in Economics then?
TA N SR I R AFIDAH A Z I Z I was the only Malay lecturer for some time, and that was before I was thirty years old. By the age of thirty, I was appointed as a member of both the University Senate and Dewan Negara.
Then, I was appointed as a member of the University’ s Selection Committee where I interviewed professors who were my father’ s age for jobs! They might have thought at first that I was a secretary, before discovering I was one of the panellists who would interview them! I was in that position for about three years before I joined the government. It was a big responsibility but I never allowed things to get to my head. I was only doing my job. People might have seen me as someone who was too young, but I did not see myself the same way.
DR. NOR M A Z From the academic sector, you moved into politics. You rose very quickly through the ranks. Your first position was as Wanita UMNO EXCO in 1972, and four years later, you were the country’ s youngest Senator. What attracted you to politics?
TA N SR I R AFIDAH A Z I Z I started my political participation at a very young age. I was with the National Council of Women’ s Organisations( NCWO) before I joined Wanita UMNO. In the NCWO, I was working with Tun Fatimah 2 who was the NCWO President and Wanita UMNO Chief.
Without my knowledge, Tun Fatimah appointed me to the Economics Bureau of Wanita UMNO. I was surprised but I thanked Tun Fatimah and accepted the offer. Later, Tun Razak appointed me to be a member of UMNO’ s Economics
2 The late Tun Fatimah Hashim, Head of Kaum Ibu Malaya, later known as Wanita UMNO, the women’ s wing of UMNO( United Malay National Organisation). She was Wanita leader from 1956 until 1972.
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