This is a cautionary tale, but it does have a happy ending.
It was early October 2020. In spite of the odds we had just opened the hotel I was managing, mid pandemic in fact. (The picture above is of the first paying guests). People thought we were crazy to try and open, but business was starting to look better. We had all met the challenge, the staff were highly motivated and it seemed as though the only way was up. A couple of months earlier I had received confirmation that I could extend my contract by another year. We were looking forward to great growth and brighter times ahead and were even on track to receive a ‘pre-opening’ team bonus. I was on top of the world.
I had a network of local friends and was playing golf on Sundays with my mate Clive. I could escape to the ‘Secret Beach’ from time to time and loved getting out on the scooter and shooting drone footage. That was the period when I enjoyed Penang the most.
Then in January 2021 the second big Covid wave of the pandemic began to sweep through Malaysia, brought on by the irresponsible actions of certain senior politicians who took part in an election campaign in one of the provinces, then amplified by the careless attitude of the general public. Business misfired, spluttered along and finally more restrictions were introduced by government.
Judging by the way both the country and the world were heading at that time, I began to get anxious regarding my next move, as well as the plans that had been discussed previously with the management company regarding my involvement with future hotel developments. As things continued to take a turn for the worse, I started to get quite nervous, especially with my contract due to end in October.
By late April the situation seemed to become more stable. But then, just when it looked as if business was going to start to pick up, the government suddenly introduced another lockdown. The hotel was forced to close temporarily. Without revenue from other sources, the owner had run out of sufficient funding to keep it open.
It was now the 12th of May, 2021. That’s when big pay cuts were introduced and I do mean big.
That pretty much screwed up everything I had in mind for the immediate future, not the least of which were all our plans for the house renovation back in Australia. We were supposed to start the development application to add a back deck and other home improvements. That went out the window and I suddenly found myself even considering where I could borrow money to pay for the mortgage.
I enquired about getting access to my superannuation (provident fund) in Australia and requested applications and other paperwork. Sure I could, but first I had to demonstrate that I had been the recipient of Australian Government unemployment benefits or other government support for a minimum of six months. A bit difficult seeing as how I had been living in Malaysia for the previous two and a half years.
With no other access to funds, I had to tap into our cash reserves, not a great long term solution. Things were really not going so well at all.
With my contract due to end in October and with so much uncertainty, I eventually decided to approach the owner about a possible contract extension into 2022. I felt I had done a good job so far, they seemed to like me and it would also mean that I wouldn’t be stuck in a foreign country, out of contract, unable to travel and without somewhere to live.
The owner agreed to extend my contract but only if I took a permanent pay cut. A short while later he came back with a proposal. Extend by six months and take a permanent 30% salary cut. I thought about it. Well, at least I still had a job and would have a better chance of finding something in six months when the contract finally finished.
Then on June 15, I received an unexpected phone call from a senior member of the management company, asking me if I would consider a move to Krabi, Thailand. It was to a better class of hotel, with higher salary and no pay cuts. Would I? Well of course I would!
There was a catch however; before it could proceed, I would need to pass a ‘Feng Shui’ test…
Now, having lived in China for seven years I was familiar with the concept, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. I provided the date, time and place of birth for the ‘Feng Shui Masters’ to analyse. I passed the test. Shortly thereafter I had an interview with the new hotels’ owning company. I passed that interview. It all moved very quickly and before I knew it, I had a job offer on my desk. It was now up to my company to tell my employer that I would be leaving.
Apparently that didn’t go down very well. He called me and wanted to know why I didn’t inform him, when I first knew about the opportunity, after ‘everything he had done for me’.
I explained that firstly it would have been very unprofessional to do so before it was official. Secondly the management company would have kicked my backside if I had and thirdly I didn’t have any confirmation or a signed contract for the new position at that time anyway. Still, he didn’t accept that argument at all and was seemingly annoyed with me. It would appear that he never got over this issue.
The Dossier that became very essential.
Fast forward to August. Though there were some revisions, we were still on pay cuts. My cash reserves were gone and I was now borrowing money from friends and relatives to pay the big bills.
The Malaysian government announced an easing of Covid restrictions and it looked as though we would soon be able to re open the hotel, possibly by mid-September. Relief at hand?
One of the requirements though for the easing of restrictions was that all guest facing employees had to be double vaccinated. We had planned for this eventuality and vaccinations were underway, though we were well behind with the number of staff needed to reopen the hotel.
But I was in trouble; I was hesitant to get vaccinated due to my medical history.
In April 1996, after suffering from a severe gastro bug, I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis. I ended up in Brisbane hospital unable to walk and with lower body disfunction. I was told I might never fully recover and could possibly be confined to a wheel chair for the rest of my life. Having a young family and being at the start of my senior management career, I was terrified. Fortunately for me though, after treatment and rehabilitation, I recovered to about 95% of my previous state.
During recovery I was advised never to have the annual ‘flu shot’ which was readily available each season, as it could spark a relapse. When the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were released in response to the Covid pandemic and governments took an all out approach to vaccinating the general population, I thought it would be a good idea to get an update re my situation and some advice from a Neurologist. I actually saw two of them, for good measure. Both strongly advised me not to risk taking the vaccine (at that time) due to my history of Transverse Myelitis (TVM).
I suspected this was going to be a problem for me in the future, though I had no idea just how much of a problem and a challenge it would eventually become.
Medical associations were publishing TVM/Vaccine case studies.
Something told me I should pre-emptively arrange supporting medical letters and documentation of some kind which I could produce if ever I was challenged, either by authorities or by my employers. Little did I know, but this would prove to be a very smart move.
I was able to get a neurologist to write a statement that I had been advised not to receive any of the vaccines available. I retrieved my medical records from Australia and also downloaded some links and information about TVM.
Not content with that, I decided to seek out medical journals and/or peer reviewed papers that might cover case studies revealing any links between Covid-19 vaccines and TVM. I was very alarmed to discover that there were quite a few, involving all vaccines available at that time. It seemed my initial concerns were well founded, but the situation was becoming more and more difficult and restricting by the day. The anti-vaxxer rhetoric was starting to heat up, with governments and employers all taking a heavy handed approach to people who were not vaccinated. There was even talk of punitive action in some circles. It looked as if I was going to get caught in the crossfire.
Back at work I decided to disclose my predicament to those who needed to know. Due to government reporting and tracking which was now in place, they would find out eventually anyway. This disclosure was met with a certain amount of understanding and even sympathy from some.
But soon that would all change…
