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Live and Let Live – A Symphony

of Life in Abuja

Gloria Tiwet

T is is my story. A distinctive insight into my life and my work as a Malaysian
diplomat at the High Commission of Malaysia at Abuja (Mission Abuja),
aimed at inspiring the of cers and staf of the Ministry. “Live and Let Live –
do not judge, take life as it comes and deal with it, everything will be okay” is a
quote by James Frey in his book A Million Little Pieces, and aptly describes
my experience in this article.

My fourth – and my f rst ambassadorial – posting brought my husband and
I to Abuja, Nigeria. We made the 26-hour travel from Kuching International
Airport and landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on
Wednesday, 4 April 2018.

One may have asked or wondered why I accepted this posting. It was an
outright “yes”. T ere were no qualms, and no ifs or buts. To me, service to
the nation is paramount. Our life and death are in God’s hand. We must
always ensure our and our loved one’s safety and good health. T e rest, we
pray and have faith in God that all will be f ne.

T e reality is that the nature of work is the same, irrespective of which mission
I am posted to. T e f ne line lies in the ability to adapt to the country, in all
aspects of its people, culture, and government. It is best to quickly adapt to
the country, so work can commence smoothly. I prepared the “To-do list”
ever mindful of the Ministry’s “evergreen” advice of “to be heard and to be
seen”. T ere is the Head of Mission Key Performance Index that needed to
be achieved successfully, annually. T is kept me and Mission Abuja active
to provide ef ective work performance and services at all times. T e aim is
to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Nigeria,

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