According to Malaysiakini, when asked at a coroner’s inquest “if he had ever engaged in a romantic relationship with Sujatha as alleged,” Vell Paari denied it. He is reported to have said, "I had no (romantic) relationship with her. I only cared for her as an employer" and apparently also ‘cared for her as a friend.’
Reading about Vell’s generosity and graciousness as an employer, got me thinking that why couldn’t more employers be like him? Wouldn’t the world be a much better place? Indeed, I wondered if only I could be so lucky. How nice it would be to have Vell make a RM200,000 down payment on a condominium and be a guarantor for a loan on a Mazda RX8 sports car for me.
As a matter of fact, I do feel I’m a real good worker and would make a superb employee, especially for a wonderfully caring employer like Vell. Frankly, it is disappointing that I’ve never had such luck and good fortune to have an employer like Vell. Now, don’t get me wrong; Sujatha’s death is clearly a tragedy, which I’m sure all decent people – including Vell – must be deeply saddened by. But what concerns me here is the superior qualities of Vell Paari the employer.
It might seem selfish of me to think of myself, but actually, I’m not. As I noted above, the world would be a much nicer place if more employers could follow Vell’s example and treat their employees as he claimed he treated Sujatha. Surely, this is not selfishness on my part? While I realise that it is surely at bit naïve to expect that other employers could be as outstanding and commendable as Vell, it never hurts to try and bring such outstanding role models of our society to the public’s attention, don’t you think? Indeed, imagine how commendable Vell’s actions for Sujatha have been that he never even bothered or cared for any public recognition of his gracious concern for her. Had it not been for the coroner’s inquest, such details may never have seen the light of day.
Such is Vell's humbleness. That's not just an example of what a model employer should be, it's the mark of a stellar citizen. Let’s all hope that these revelations become a beacon of inspiring managerial skills that will give other employers a priceless lesson on how to bring their humanity and concern for their employees into their management practices. As a matter of fact, if only business management courses could teach such human values on how to treat and care for one’s employees. Imagine the calibre of CEOs we could produce and correspondingly how dedicated, loyal, and productive the employees would be. A wise and humane managerial approach, if you ask me.
Perhaps Vell deserves some kind of honour or recognition for his commendable qualities as an employer – something like, the “Employer of the Year” award?
Now there’s a fully deserved recognition, don’t you think? Short of that, maybe my wish could come true….
G. Krishnan
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