BEHIND the pressed shirt and the Manchester United pin sits a man at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), who cooks for crowds, sings to get them on their feet, and once served Sarawak as Chief Environmental Health Officer before politics beckon.
In a casual interview with Sarawak Tribune (ST), Opar assemblyman, Billy Sujang, sat down for questions and answered them with the candour of someone who has nothing to prove.
ST: You love to cook – but are you a foodie as well? Do you enjoy eating different kinds of food?
BILLY: I wouldn’t say I’m a foodie in the sense of someone who has to eat everything. I’m more of a caterer at heart – I love cooking for a large group of people. Exotic food is where my passion really is. If there’s an exotic dish to be made, I’ll cook it, and I guarantee that you can eat it. As for eating, I’ll go along if the food is interesting.
Apart from exotic dishes, are there any everyday favourites you keep coming back to?
Laksa – definitely laksa. My favourite is the thick kind. If it’s too runny, it’s still fine, but thick laksa is where it’s at. There’s a stall at the Best Corner at Mile 4 that does it really well. I also enjoy claypot rice – the kind you find at a good kopitiam. I’m not someone who chases expensive dishes. My style is simple: as long as the meal is hearty and fulfilling, that’s enough for me.
What do you make of Manchester United’s performance this season?
I’m very thankful for what Michael Carrick has brought to this club. Previously, the management style in the dressing room was very rigid – like an iron fist – and players couldn’t respond to that well.
When there’s tension in the dressing room, the players go out there without the right mood. Carrick takes a different approach.
He learned under Sir Alex Ferguson, and being a former player himself, he truly understands what elite players need. Look at where Manchester United were – around 15th – and where they are now: top four.
United are sitting third. After all the social media bullying we’ve had to endure whenever the team lost, I’m proud. Now, it’s the other teams’ supporters getting a taste of their own medicine.
I just hope the club doesn’t change the coach again – every time they do, we’re back to square one.
I heard that you enjoyed singing – do you have a favourite music genre?
Singing for me is more of a social thing than a passion. At gatherings, they say instead of the audience entertains me, I’m the one who entertains the audience! In terms of genre, I used to be very into ‘dangdut’, and I still enjoy the commercial style songs by artistes like Anderson Ngalai and Ricky El. Those are the songs that get people up and dancing together, and that’s what I enjoy.
If you weren’t a politician, what path do you think you would have taken?
I was a health officer for Sarawak – and for the record, I was the first Bidayuh, the first Salako, to serve as Chief Environmental Health Officer at the Sarawak Health Department.
From there, I moved to the Ministry of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, still overseeing public health matters.
It was only a year and ten days into that posting that the Premier asked me to contest the N1 Opar seat.
My interest in politics goes back to 1986, when I was in Form Four – I was always involved at the grassroots, helping campaign for leaders such as Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, and the late Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing.
I also contributed my Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) savings while working, because I always had a sense of where I was heading.
If I had stayed in the civil service, I believe I would have risen to a senior position – perhaps Deputy Secretary level. But fate had a different plan, and I have no regrets.
