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.