Ande, a hard-working businessman

Ande, a hard-working businessman

A college degree might be important for some hoping to get
ahead in business. But working hard is more important for those
like Ande Abdul Latief, the founder of Tiga Utama, an institution
that provides haj and umrah (lesser pilgrimage) services. Ande
talked to K. Basrie of The Jakarta Post about the ups and downs in
his life and businesses.

JAKARTA (JP): Throughout his life, Ande Abdul Latief, 56, has
experienced ups and downs in a variety of business ventures.

While in his 20s, he enrolled in and left several universities
and academies. Finally, he decided to stop studying and began
working hard to realize his dream to become a high-powered
businessman.

Ande strongly believed that the entrepreneurial skills he got
from his father, a gas station operator in Pare-Pare, South
Sulawesi, might help his dream come true.

So, he left Indonesia. He traveled to several big cities
around the world, buying goods in one country and selling them
with new price tags in other countries.

For example, Ande bought engines in Italy and sold them in
India. Sometimes, he shipped the goods home to be sold by his
Indonesian contacts.

After about three years overseas, he returned home.

"I was broke!" he said. "Allah might not have wanted to see me
with that kind of money."

In 1965, he was appointed as branch director of the privately-
owned Bank Antar Indonesia in Surabaya, East Java. The bank later
closed and he moved his family to Jakarta to find a new life.

But life in Indonesia was hard in the mid-1960s, particularly
prior to the Indonesian Communist Party's abortive coup in
September 1965.

"I couldn't even afford to buy new clothes, so I had to wash
my only set of clothes and wring them very hard to dry every
evening," said Ande.

During those years, he worked in various kinds of businesses
just to be able to buy food for his family.

At that time, he enjoyed reminiscing about his childhood, when
adequate food and clothing was not a big problem, even though he
had tough days with his disciplinary father.

In deep frustration, Ande prayed to Allah, asking for His
generosity.

"I knew I had no money to buy enough food but I prayed to
Allah, asking Him to give me a chance to perform haj," he
recalled.

In 1967, his prayer was answered. One of his former bank
customers handed him a bundle of money and invited him to go to
Mecca for haj.

"The man had been looking for me for months just to give me
money and pay me to perform haj," said Ande. "He told me that the
loan I once gave him had developed into a big printing firm in
Surabaya."

Ande accepted the offer.

It was on that 1967 trip he learned the uncomfortable services
experienced by haj pilgrims.

"There must be a way so that Moslems could perform haj and
umrah in a more comfortable way, so they could concentrate on
fulfilling the religious tasks," Ande recalled.

In the following year, he successfully convinced two local
businessmen that he could guide them through their haj journey.

Thanks to his remarkable work in preparing the flights, food,
hotels and transportation, the two men recommended their
relatives, friends and business partners hire Ande.

"It was just word-of-mouth promotion," he said.

As his star started rising again, Ande officially founded PT
Tiga Utama Cahaya Makmur Tour & Travel in 1985. In the early
days, the company, better known as Tiga Utama, offered an
exclusive package for haj pilgrimages with -- of course -- extra
charges. Later, the company also introduced similar packages for
umrah.

The fares for haj now range between US$6,500 and $9,450,
almost three times the government's rate for haj -- locally known
as Ongkos Naik Haj -- of $3,335 (Rp 8 million) per person.

For umrah, Tiga Utama charges between $1,990 and $3,490.

Despite the price, thousands of people, particularly well-to-
dos and VIPs, have decided to choose Tiga Utama because of its
stunning service.

In 1991, for instance, President Soeharto and his family
performed their haj using Tiga Utama.

Go overseas

Ande's firm was also eyed by haj and umrah-service agents and
Moslem associations overseas.

As of today, over 30 agents and associations from several
countries have signed contracts with Tiga Utama to buy all-
inclusive services in Jeddah.

Among the countries using Tiga Utama's service are Singapore,
Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Brunei, Fiji
and some nations in South Africa and the Middle East.

"For the Jeddah-to-Jeddah service, we're hired to provide and
arrange everything required by pilgrims, starting with their
arrivals at Jeddah airport to their departure from the same
airport," Ande said.

The package includes airport service, local transportation,
accommodation and guides.

Ande refused to disclose the fares. "Each country has
different rates and services," he said.

According to him, Tiga Utama now earns billions of rupiah per
year from the about 6,000 local umrah pilgrims, 5,000 overseas
umrah pilgrims and 1,000 haj pilgrims.

"Alhamdulillah (thanks to Allah), it's a gift from the
Almighty Allah," Ande said.

In Indonesia, Tiga Utama has at least 33 representative
offices in various cities. They are assigned to manage customers
in their respective areas.

Tiga Utama's current status is mainly due to Ande's direct
involvement in taking care of its customers and their problems,
as well as his close relationship with the Saudi authorities and
businessmen.

Ande has business contracts with a widely diversified Saudi
company, Dallah Al Baraka.

Under the deals, Tiga Utama is given priority to use the buses
of Dallah's exclusive transportation company, Saptco, and its
five-star hotels in Jeddah, Medina and Mecca.

All the hotels, which have a total of 2,000 rooms, are
adjacent to the holy places pilgrims visit to perform their haj.

New Projects

The Dallah-Tiga Utama cooperation has been extended to Ande's
homeland in South Sulawesi. Early last year, Dallah's president,
Abdullah S. Kamel, flew to Jakarta in his private jet to meet
Ande to discuss their projects in Indonesia.

One of their new projects is the development of a 77-hectare
housing project in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi. The megaproject
will be in three towns -- Goa, Ujungpandang and Maros.

"The Minasamahuppa housing complex in Ujungpandang will be as
exclusive as Lippo Karawaci in Tangerang, West Java," he said.

The two firms are also discussing the possibility of hiring
thousands of Indonesian workers for cleaning services at several
sacred places in Mecca and Medina.

"We're also talking about the establishment of a farm
project," he said.

In Jakarta, Tiga Utama employs 41 permanent staff members.
During peak seasons, the company hires hundreds of seasonal
workers in Jakarta as well as in Saudi Arabia.

"During the recent umrah season, we hired 500 workers in
Jeddah from different nationalities to take care of pilgrims,"
Ande said.

Today, there are 80 other companies running haj and umrah
services in Indonesia.

Similar to other firms, Tiga Utama has also suffered hard
times.

In 1994, the government suspended the firm's activities for
its alleged role in handling pilgrims without proper documents.

The suspension was revoked six months later but the company's
operation remained under strict government control.

That "dark" year for Tiga Utama has apparently left a bitter
feeling for Ande. "Maybe it was the journey of my life," he said.

Tiga Utama is also not free from receiving complaints. Some of
its customers accused it of neglecting them because Ande and his
employees concentrated on VIPs.

Ande commented: "Bismillahirrahmannirahim (In the name of
Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent), my employees and I never
meant to ignore any of our customers and give special priorities
to VIPs."

However, he admitted that handling so many people with varied
backgrounds, all on a spiritual journey, is never perfect work.

"I've been in this business for almost 30 years but we still
face new and unexpected problems, even though we've tried to
continuously improve every facet of our service," said Ande.

"Nobody but Allah is perfect," he said.

A recent problem faced by some of Tiga Utama's customers was
being stranded in Jeddah due to the delayed departure of an
airplane.

"Thinking that we're not professional in handling the flight
schedule, one of my customers wrote his complaint in a newspaper,
accusing Tiga Utama of having stranded its umrah pilgrims," he
said.

Ande argued that no one running a traveling agency
intentionally faces such a problem because delayed flights mean
wasting money and creating more problems.

According to Ande, the delayed arrival of the plane in Jeddah
was mainly due to the misunderstanding of a third party.

"But blaming didn't solve the problem. That's why we took the
customers to a five-star hotel and asked them to be patient,"
Ande said.

Promotion

Since its establishment, Tiga Utama frequently invites Moslem
celebrities and journalists to Mecca for free. Critics see the
move as effective promotion.

When asked to comment, Ande seemed surprised and upset.

"Ugh, c'mon. May Allah forgive them for blaming me like that,"
he said. "My best way of promotion is by giving the best to my
customers, who are the guests of Allah, and never run away from
their complaints."

As a Moslem, he said, he has to do something in his own way
and capability to promote the greatness of Islam.

"Artists, for instance, are normally close to the nightlife,
so, it's my task, as a Moslem, to let them see and experience the
religious life. Later, it depends on them to choose," he said.

Journalists?

"Tell any of them if I've ever asked them to write good things
about Tiga Utama. Never, never!" said Ande, who admitted having
high cholesterol.

"I just want the journalists to experience the spiritual
journey to Mecca. That's all," he said.

Ande said he is never surprised seeing angry and upset people
performing haj pilgrimage.

"The Devil is everywhere, always when we want to do good
things," he said. "That's why, I always urge my customers to be
patient when they experience discomfort, which is sometimes
beyond our control. We don't mean to make an excuse but Allah
often tries people who intend to do good things."

"I'm always nervous before any problem occurs," he said.

Ande was born in Enrekang, a small town in South Sulawesi, in
1921. During his childhood, Ande was taught how to appreciate
money and time. When he wanted to play with friends or ask for
some money to buy toys, his father always asked him to help him
at his gas station.

"At that time, I thought my father was mean to me. But now, I
know what he meant," Ande said.

He holds no university degree. He was once a student at a
management academy in Jakarta, an economic faculty at Hasanuddin
University and a law school in Ujungpandang.

Ande has a big family, with 12 children. Some of his children
have already started working at Tiga Utama. "They are ready to
replace me," Ande said.

Although his life now is secure money-wise, Ande prefers to be
an ordinary man. You will rarely see him with things such as a
Rolex watch on his wrist, a precious stone on his finger, or
wearing branded clothes. Even his company's headquarters still
lease the Djakarta Lloyd building on Jl. Senen Raya, Central
Jakarta.

"That's me," he said.