Deputy Information Minister Chia Kwang Chye sat down with Rentakini in Parliament House recently for a chit chat. We started off addressing him as "Datuk Chia".
"Oh, don't be so formal lah !", he gestured in his typical friendly manner. "Many of my friends just call me Ah Chia".
So Ah Chia, it will be in his first interview with Rentakini.
Ah Chia, what do you like to do in your spare time?
If I can, I will play games. Now it's badminton, last time was football, and walking. Definitely must catch up on reading too. Badminton is more for a healthy body and reading is for knowledge.
Do you play golf?
No. It is too slow and boring. It takes too many hours for a game. For a beginner, it takes at least four hours. I can't afford the time. The game is too time-consuming.
Who is your favourite author?
I don't have a favourite author. Essentially, it (doing reading) is for three reasons (subjects) - to get information, entertainment and politics.
What was the last good book that you read?
Almost all the series by Dan Brown - Digital Fortress, Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons.
How long have you been married?
20 years.
How did you meet your wife?
Work in USM (Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang).
How many children do you have?
Two - aged 14 and 16.
In your opinion, are Malaysian youths too involved in a western lifestyle now and freer about sex?
It will be difficult to generalise because we only meet a certain section. Maybe the section we meet are more conservative among our peer group. I cannot have an educated guess on the question you ask.
Would you tell your son, (is he 16?) for example, on the use of a condom ?
I think it's better to approach sex from the understanding of the biological and emotional stand-points. I think using a condom is not the most essential but they must know the changes within their body, because only when they know, then they won't panic.
As a father, do you think children who are 14 or 16 are too young to learn about sex?
I will not say there is an age limit because you must interact with them. You must first interact with them to make them feel free to ask you anything, otherwise they won't ask you. When they are ready, they will ask you. By 12 or 13, maybe they are not ready. What is more important is to give them an avenue and when they are ready, they will ask you.
Did your own parents teach you about sex when you were young?
No, we learnt from books, biology class and friends. Also, you must differentiate between sex as opposed to the biological part. If you don't know that having sexual intercourse and ejaculation can actually make you pregnant, or don't know where the baby comes from, then that is ignorance. You must handle the sexual awareness, then you talk about moral and ethics, then value comes in.
When do you think you will retire and do nothing?
Actually we must see life as a continual process and the situation will determine what you do. I am not calling it fate or feng shui , but like it or not, making certain decisions will take you either here or there. Like my first decision to go to Penang actually placed me there, meeting the people and changed my views of things.
When you keep on experiencing it, the question is are you happy to do it? You don't do thing because you are forced to do it, or you want to have a certain image or social status. All these will come naturally, you don't aim to be so and so. Don't force things, you just do it until the day circumstances force you to stop, then it's the right time to stop.
Of course, don't overstay.
Are you truly happy with what you are doing now?
If you do things naturally, then you will have a peaceful mind. Then you can see it from a person's face, can he smile or not? He can't smile because he is so bogged down with problems. Some people can, they don't lose hair and their hair do not turn grey. They continue to deliver, they don't disappoint people, I will say they got the right 'political ecology' and personal balance, then you will have a harmonious life. I have no complaints, if you ask me whether I enjoy it? I will not say it. I take what I do now as a responsibility and I will carry them out to the best of my ability, without regrets.
What will be your ideal kind of life after retirement?
There are lots of things to be done which I cannot do now. My personal interests apart from exercise and reading actually is to play with computer gadgets, how to integrate computer gadgets and robotic at home. I have also been practising it in the office. This will stimulate and improve your knowledge.
I believe that will remain an important interest in my retirement days.
Anything But Politics is an occasional column featuring political personalities, activists, intellectuals, about everyone really!