by KL Ooi, Silverstone Berhad
"On 22 January 2008, I received a call from a colleague in China requesting me to fly there immediately due to a problem in remitting some funds back to Malaysia. I was shocked to hear that because a staff had been handling the matter for one month and I thought everything was in order. How was I going to be there at such short notice? It was close to Lunar New Year and booking a flight ticket to China would be very difficult. Furthermore, at that time, China was facing the most unusual weather conditions with Guangzhou and Fujian regions hit by heavy snow and storm. What if the weather suddenly worsened and all flights were cancelled? I may have to celebrate Lunar New Year in China alone, without my family, something that had never happened before in my life! Yet, it was a directive from the management and like General Rowan who carried the message to Garcia, I obeyed without questioning.
The next day, I was on my way to China. Before I left, I asked my family and my church members to pray for me so that I would be able to resolve the matter successfully and return home within a week. I had enlisted the assistance of Mr Ooi Kim Lai and Mr KL Yeo, both from the Head Office and Mr Teoh Lean Keat from our Beijing office who are experts on finance and remittance. They were very helpful in giving their ideas and advising on the documentation etc, for which I extend my sincere thanks.
In China, there is a saying  which means, if you have established a relationship with somebody, there is no problem in doing anything. On the contrary, if you fail to establish a relationship, you are bound to face many problems! Simple yet profound!
On 25 January 2008, armed with all the necessary documentation, together with a local staff, we went to the FOREX department in Zhucheng to submit our application. After clarifying and amending some technical issues, the officer in Zhucheng gave us the approval required and we were confident that it would likewise be approved at the Weifang office. We were wrong!
On 28 January 2008, we set off to the Weifang office and reached the office at almost 11 am. We were greeted with not so good news. Firstly, the | officer told us that they were very busy that morning and it was impossible to clear the documents for us and that we had to come back the next day. More worrying followed. After examining the documents, the officer told us that it was not correctly done! I was confused as the officers at Zhucheng had given us the approval and now, the higher authority said the documents were not in order. What was I supposed to do? I had to fly back to Malaysia on 30 January 2008, and at that moment which was less than 10 days away from Lunar New Year, how was I supposed to get another flight?
I pondered over the situation and said a quick prayer. As the officer was a lady, I would have to use a "soft" approach to deal with the situation. I told her about my predicament and explained how difficult it would be if I could not go back. She showed her sympathies and I took the opportunity to ask her to help me draft the letter. To my delight, she agreed and we immediately drafted a letter using the notebook I had brought along. It was a very simple notification letter from us to the Chinese authorities informing them we would be remitting the money to Malaysia.
Within a short while, we had completed the letter. However, we had another problem; the company seal was with Mr KL Yeo in Malaysia. I had to email the soft copy and ask KL Yeo to print it out, stamp it with the company’s seal and fax back to me at the officer’s fax machine! Those who have worked in China would know that under normal circumstances, a Government officer will not approve anything based on photostated copies, more so if it involves a company’s seal and transferring of large sums of money.
The officer’s superior, Mr Yong who had originally refused to approve the transaction, finally gave his approval at about 4:30 pm, minutes before the office was closed. All these was like a dream, a sweet one indeed!
On 30 January 2008, I set off happily back to Malaysia with joy in my heart and tears in my eyes to celebrate the Lunar New Year with my family. Others may not know, but God certainly knew that that was the happiest Lunar New Year that I had ever celebrated!
On 5 February 2008, two days before the celebration, we received the remittance from China. Although the remittance did not go into my account, the satisfaction and joy that I felt was no less, knowing that God had answered the prayers of his humble servant, under a very difficult situation!
For those who have to deal with Government officers in China or anywhere, my suggestion is just be sincere and humble. There are dedicated government officers who really want to serve and are willing to help. Don’t quarrel or look down on them. Who knows, you may be able to meet someone who can point you to the right path, and even go out of the way to help you!" |