KUALA LUMPUR: “Yes, let’s have the curry mee soon.” Those were the parting words of Datuk Seri Andrew Kam as we spoke on Sept 2. Those were the last words I would ever hear from him.
Andrew died on Sept 3. He was 64. His daughter, Hannah, called me to inform me about her dad’s passing. I knew he was going to go. I thought I was mentally prepared to say goodbye, but her words still left me shocked.
“He died this morning. I thought you should be the first to know as he valued your friendship, and I’m sure you do too,” she said.
Yes, Hannah. Our friendship was unique, unlike any other.
Andrew led a colourful, interesting life. Born on Feb 2, 1962, he read law but later made his name in numerous industries, including power generation and gold mining. He was also a familiar face among Malaysia’s royal household.
He established Hypergantic Sdn Bhd to kick-start a power generation project that eventually became Port Dickson Power in Negeri Sembilan. Through the Port Dickson project, he became a supporter of Yayasan Negeri Sembilan’s hockey team.
Later, Andrew got involved in the nation’s badminton scene – namely through Kuala Lumpur Racquet Club Berhad. His club supported several elite players, including former All England champion Hafiz Hashim and former Dutch Open champion Sairul Amar Ayob.
National men’s singles coach K. Yogendran also played under the KLRC banner during his days as a shuttler, while his wife, Sugita Kunalan, served as KLRC director. Yogendran and Sugita went on to set up New Vision Badminton Academy (NVBA) in Petaling Jaya, an evolution that Andrew was proud of.
Andrew was equally proud of Ang Li Peng, another former shuttler who is now a lawyer.
Sugita pointed out two things about Andrew. First, he was a firm believer that education and sports could go hand in hand. Second, he had set up a professional badminton club in the country that became a template for other clubs.
In 2012, members of the media were invited to Andrew’s office in the heart of the city for a press conference, where he had a 12.5kg gold bar as his paperweight on his office table. That was the same gold bar he had offered to any shuttler who would win the gold medal at the London Olympics that year.
It was his gold-for-gold pledge. Sadly, Andrew was unable to experience the euphoria of a Malaysian athlete returning from the Summer Games with the elusive gold medal.
Andrew was a staunch believer in journalism. There aren’t many like him around these days. He would call regularly to catch up on the latest – whether it was politics or sports.
Life wasn’t always kind to Andrew. He had his ups and downs, and over the past decade, he was bogged down by legal cases involving his family members. But that’s a family affair best sorted out among family members.
On May 24, Andrew broke the news to me. I had just left the Lenggong Archaeological Museum in Perak when he told me: “Haresh, doctors have only given me a few months to live. I’m not going to fight. I just want to enjoy what’s left of life.”
It was one of those moments that left me speechless.
Together with Twentytwo13‘s managing editor, Pearl Lee, we met several days later at the Malaysia Food Village food court in Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur. He had lost a lot of weight, but he was still the same Andrew I had met close to two decades ago. Spirited, humorous and always eager to listen to other views.
He even enjoyed the Hokkien Mee and Char Kuey Teow we ordered, telling Pearl that the noodle dishes had the right amount of wok hei (the particular essence and aroma that is created in a stir-fried dish).
We spoke about politics, the possibility of an early general election. We spoke about sports, and agreed it had become so uninspiring post-Covid-19.
We spoke about family. How his wife, Datin Seri Gazel Kam, had been supportive and there for him 24/7, and how he was super proud of Hannah, who is the third-generation lawyer in the family.
Before he left, I told Andrew that the other dish he must eat at the food court was the siew yoke curry mee. Andrew loved his food, and he promised me that we would come back for brunch on a weekday.
We kept each other company throughout the Fifa World Cup. He was an England supporter. I told him it wasn’t coming home, much to his displeasure. But that was the beauty of Andrew – we could agree to disagree on every subject, and still catch up over good food.
Thank you for your friendship, Andrew Kam. You have seen me grow as a journalist, and as a person. You have always believed in me, and in Twentytwo13.
You were always generous with advice, and with durians.
I will miss our conversations over the phone or over makan. I will miss our candid banter. And I’ll miss the way you started every conversation by saying: “Haaaaresssh.”
Rest well, sir. Till we meet again.
Editor’s note: Andrew Kam’s funeral service will be held at Wesley Methodist Church in Kuala Lumpur at 10am tomorrow, followed by burial at Nirvana Memorial Park in Shah Alam.
