Village Boy from Parit Becomes Press Secretary to the Prime Minister

Behind every strong leader are great individuals standing behind them. This is also true for our nation's leader, Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, who certainly has many capable people serving as the backbone of the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Today, orangperak.com would like to share the story of an ordinary individual who grew up in a small town in the Perak Tengah district, namely the town of

Parit

, Perak, who is now the Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is none other than Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles. Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles, who is more affectionately known as Datuk Mok by the local community around the town of

Parit

, was born in Kampung Baru Parit on May 24, 1972. He is the 4th of 12 siblings. His father, Mohd Yusuf @ Mokhles Bin Laini, was a toy shop owner in the town of

Parit

, where he was assisted by his mother, Rohana Binti Zakaria.

The small-scale toy business in the town of

Parit

run by Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles' father since 1979 is what supported and raised all 12 of his children, including Datuk Mok. For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, his father's toy shop is still operating to this day.

He received his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Iskandar Shah and continued his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Iskandar Shah in the town of

Parit

. After finishing secondary school, Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in Social Administration at Universiti Malaya, starting at the age of 20 in 1992. In 1992, he was among the first group of students since the degree program was introduced at Universiti Malaya. He was very active in extracurricular activities during his school days. Who would have thought that Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles was once a school silat coach, and his team successfully won the Perak state-level competition. Not only that, he was also a representative for the silat event for the state of Perak in the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in 1992.

Datuk Mok never missed an opportunity to remain active during his university years. He was a representative in the inter-university silat championship and became the runner-up in 1994. Additionally, he was the Deputy President of the Universiti Malaya Student Representative Council (MPPUM) for the 1994-1995 session. After 4 years at Universiti Malaya, Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles finally completed his studies, and in the same year, 1996, he was appointed as the Assistant Manager of the Writers Academy, where he served until 1997.

You should also know that he served as a journalist at Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad for 7 years, from September 1997 to May 2004. Following his tenure at Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad, Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles was appointed as the Press Secretary to the Minister of Defence from May 2004 to September 2008, and subsequently became the Press Secretary to the Minister of Finance from September 2008 to September 2009.

A casual interview with Datuk Mok by Rahul, editor of orangperak.com

Currently, Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles is the Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. On Sunday, November 26, 2017, the editor of orangperak.com had the opportunity to meet and interview Datuk Mok to ask about his experience working under the leadership of Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. According to Datuk Mok, as someone who started with nothing and was just a village boy, he always felt humble since he first started serving Dato' Najib. This is because he was one of the few local university graduates, while most others were graduates from overseas. However, after 14 years of serving Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib, experience has taught him much about providing excellent service.

According to Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles, managing the Prime Minister in media affairs is very challenging but not overly difficult. Everything must be fast and swift, and one must possess high knowledge to be prepared for any questions that may arise. The following is a list of his positions and involvement in non-governmental organizations (NGOs):

• Patron of Yayasan Sahabat Bina Negara
• Patron of Yayasan Kartunis Malaysia
• Founder of Yayasan Sahabat Nasional
• Advisor to the 7 Continents Exploration Club of Malaysia
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Wasatiyyah Institute Malaysia (IWM), Prime Minister's Department
• Advisor to the Perak Media Sports and Welfare Club
• Patron of the Parit Badminton Club

Finally, a message to the children of

Parit

and all of Perak from an ordinary village boy who today holds the position of Press Secretary to the Prime Minister. "Never feel inferior even if you study in a small town like

Parit

. In terms of career, a person's ability is prioritized over academic achievements. This is the complaint I always hear from employers," advised Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles. May the journey of a village boy who was just the son of a toy seller from the small town of

Parit

serve as an inspiration and idol for young people to always strive and believe in their own abilities. Indeed, success does not come easily. If we want something, we must work to get it. In that effort, we will certainly face various obstacles, challenges, tests, and trials. Without a firm spirit, strong faith, and unwavering patience, we will surely fail. As the saying goes, "where there is a will, there is a way." Thank you to Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles for taking the time to be interviewed by our editor.