STOPEST Sdn Bhd founder Ang Tan Loong is a man of many achievements.
He was president of the Federation of Southeast Asia Fumigators and the Pest Control Association of Malaysia and a Selayang municipal councillor.
However, not many know that behind this man of many achievements, lies a sordid past of drugs and cigarettes.
And now, Ang bares it all in his latest book From a Pest to a Pest Controller.
He was born in Ipoh in 1957 to a family of seven siblings.
However, on the day he was born, his father lost his job.
Being superstitious, the family consulted a medium and was told Ang was born to bring bad luck and, therefore, had to be given away.
His maternal grandparents stepped in to adopt the boy and gave him the name “Ah Kee”, while also retaining his original name.
They operated a coffee shop at Concubine Lane (now known as Lorong Panglima) but it was not the most ideal place to grow up.
Ang picked up smoking and started taking drugs at the age of 15.
He experimented with ganja and also heroin, and was in a downward spiral until he was arrested.
He was found guilty of heroin possession and sentenced to 18 months in jail.
It was in the cell that he found redemption.
As the Sitiawan Methodist Church was just next to the police station, Ang found himself inside the church on a Sunday.
He was drawn to the song Amazing Grace, and as he sang it, tears rolled down his cheeks and he vowed to be clean and no longer think about drugs.
He then checked himself into Grace Home, a Christian rehabilitation centre.
He was there for about three years, before he got out.
In 1988, Ang moved to Kuala Lumpur to start a new life.
He fell in love with a girl named Rachel Lai, who would eventually become his wife.
He also received blessings from his father-in-law to start a pest control company.
The father-in-law gave him a RM15,000 loan.
“My parents were thankful when they see my change.
“I’m just very thankful to everyone who never gave up on me,” said Ang at his book launch recently.
