“Aladin Pakbara” and His Dream of Sustainable Development for the Maldives

We were lucky enough to have a chance to speak with him in the Maldives, so we asked him, “Since your name is similar to that of Aladin, the cartoon character, if you could rub the magical lamp and ask for 3 wishes, what would you ask for?” He said without having to think for one second:

1. I wish for “Harmony”, meaning our company can work there and the people in the surrounding areas can live happily with us there.
   
   
2. I wish for the people working here to be happy with what they are doing, because that is sustainability as well. If they’re happy with what they’re doing, the work will take care of itself.


3. I wish for the environment that we live in to get better and better, because a good environment means everything else is better.

Apart from that, he had once said in an interview that “If we don’t relent in pursuing our dreams, the world will always pave the way for us. We just have to choose where we’re going.”

His quote emphasizes his determination to achieve his dream. And without relent, the world will have the way for him. Today, he is the Leader of the Sustainable Development team at the Maldives, his dream destination.

He told us, “The reason I chose the Maldives was because this is the Country of the Sea. It’s very attractive both because of the beautiful sea, the unique island characteristics, and the abundance of the marine environment. The Maldives is a community of brotherly love. Their culture is similar to that of Thailand, and this magical destination is only a few hours away.”

One of his achievements in sustainable development on the Maldives is finding out from locals that they needed “Marine Experts” who can educate them. As such, Singha Estate has set up the “Marine Discovery Centre (MDC)” as a learning and training center for local communities.

We also asked “Aladin” about how he came to collaborate with Singha Estate. He said he was impressed by the singular goal that they shared. “I saw Singha Estate work at Phi Phi Islands National Park, I saw the determination. I saw a company strong in environmental conservation. Singha Estate was the missing jigsaw in terms of financing, conservation of coral reefs, and managing the area, which were all important.”

While sustainable development is a long process, Aladin has never wavered from his dream and has achieved that dream success. He has proven to us that “dreams” CAN “come true” if we persevere, take action, and are determined enough.