Economic and technological changes are reshaping the nature of work. Having a great job does not guarantee your career success; your competence no longer depends on what you know; and being an affluent consumer matters less than becoming a sought-after product. Welcome to a new era of work, where your future depends on being a signal in the noisy universe of human capital. In order to achieve this, you will need to master three things: self-branding, entrepreneurship, and hyperconnectivity.
Self-branding is about being a signal in the noise of human capital. The stronger your brand, the stronger that signal. In today's world, self-branding matters more than any other form of talent, not least because the mass market is unable (or unwilling) to distinguish between branding and talent.
We are all individuals, but unless we are also a brand, our individuality will be invisible. Being a brand means showcasing that which makes you special, in a way that is distinctive (recognizable), predictable (consistent), and meaningful (it allows others to understand what you do and why). This is why David Beckham and Lady Gaga are much more successful than their more talented competitors — they understood that being a marketing phenomenon is more important than displaying outstanding soccer skills or musical talent, and focused more on self-branding than their counterparts did.
Successful brands are polarizing (they generate strong reactions) and simple. Strong self-branding means removing all non-essentials from your public reputation or, as Antoine Saint-Exupery put it, "perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."
Entrepreneurship is about adding value to society by disrupting it and improving the order of things: it is turning the present into the past by creating a better future.
We are all busy, but the only activity that really matters is enterprising activity or entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is the difference between being busy and being a business, and the reason why some are able to stay in business.
Everything that isn't already optimized or automatized depends on people, and every transaction between people is a business transaction. The most important commodity in human capital today is people who can grow a business, that is, work on the business rather than in a business.
Today's war for talent is the war for identifying, developing, and retaining true change-agents. Change-agents are hard to find, hard to manage, and hard to retain. Entrepreneurship is about being a change-agent; change-agents are signals, everyone else is noise. If you are not bringing growth, you are replaceable and recyclable.
Whether you are self-employed or employed by others, whether you work in a big business or own a small business, your career success depends on your ability to offer something new: new solutions for existing problems; new services and products; new ideas; etc. Everything that isn't new is old, and if you are doing old you are stuck in the past. In the age entrepreneurship, the future of you is new, and your value depends on your ability to do things differently. As the great Alan Kay pointed out, "a change in perspective is worth 80 IQ points."
Hyperconnectivity is about being a signal in the sea of data and making and shaping the waves of social knowledge.
We are all online, but what matters is being a relevant connector. Hyperconnectivity is not about being online 24/7; it's about optimizing the online experience for others.
Unless you are a hyperconnector, only Netflix cares about what movies you watch, and only your friends care about where you went for brunch. But when you are a hyperconnector, thousands of people will watch the movies you like and your brunch recommendations will shape reviewers' comments on TripAdvisor. In the era of information overload, being a trustworthy source of information is a rare commodity — it is the digital equivalent of being an intellectual and the latest state in the evolution of marketing.
The world's knowledge is too large to be stored anywhere; Wikipedia and Google aren't enough; the Library of Congress isn't enough. Hyperconnectors point us in the right direction. Anybody can upload a video on YouTube or tweet, but only a few can direct us to the videos or tweets we want to see.
The most important form of knowledge today is knowing where to find stuff. In fact, the ability to find stuff is now almost as important as the ability to create stuff. Hyperconnectors are the creative of the digital era because in the age of information overload, where everybody creates online content, effectively curating content is what really matters.
In short, the future of you depends on your ability to be a brand, a change agent, and a link to useful information. Paying attention to your personality and managing your reputation (how others see you) will turn you into a successful brand; paying attention to your ideas and defying the status quo will help you become a change agent; and bridging the gap between social knowledge and collective interests will turn you into a hyperconnector.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Saturday, October 9, 2010
PM: M'sia must transform or risk becoming a failed state
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia must transform or risk becoming a failed state, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Transformation could only happen when three things were in place, Najib said when delivering his inaugural Razak Lecture,
"The active participation and input of all stakeholders, an environment in which key players are ready and able to take on the challenge and the readiness to embrace the culture of always reaching far above and beyond.
"It is no longer affordable or intelligent for us to be satisfied with the way things are," he said.
Earlier, the prime minister had launched the Razak School of Government (RSOG) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here.
Also present was Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, who is also the chairman of RSOG's Board of Trustees.
Najib said an institutional and structural change could only happen when leaders not only understood what needed to be done but have the integrity, humility and determination to take the nation to the next level.
He said a world class leadership was not merely there to lead but to inspire others to follow.
"It requires the capability of making the right decision with fully informed reasoning, seamless execution and outcome-driven mentality.
"To do this, we need to cultivate a knowledge-based public service. Thus, our immediate challenge is how to ensure that talented and knowledgeable Malaysians out there will contribute towards the nation becoming a better country to live in.
"The establishment of institutions like RSOG, I believe is to pre-empt, react and to respond to these questions. The School was founded on two main thrusts -- leadership and knowledge," he said.
The prime minister said transformational leadership coupled with knowledge, capacity and capability was the golden formula for creating an environment that was conducive to effective problem-solving and innovation.
Najib said it was vital that institutional and structural transformation was guided by a clear, comprehensive and commonly accepted vision of the fundamental principles that should shape the new public service.
"By working in partnership across government agencies, the public service creates a networked governance environment whose aim is the delivery of public value.
"The creation of a people-centred and people-driven public service is a must if we want to see the structural change happen," he said.
Meanwhile, when launching the RSOG, Najib said the setting up of RSOG was a great honour to him and his family because it was named after his father, the late Tun Abdul Razak, who was Malaysia's second prime minister.
The RSOG is envisioned to be a catalyst for intellectual and professional grooming of the nation's future leaders across all service sectors.
RSOG's vision is to be a global institution engaging in cutting edge research, teaching and training in public leadership, public policy and public service in Malaysia as well as internationally.
It has a mission to train high-potential public leaders in coming up with innovative solutions to the most pressing public problems in Malaysia and the region. - Bernama
Transformation could only happen when three things were in place, Najib said when delivering his inaugural Razak Lecture,
"The active participation and input of all stakeholders, an environment in which key players are ready and able to take on the challenge and the readiness to embrace the culture of always reaching far above and beyond.
"It is no longer affordable or intelligent for us to be satisfied with the way things are," he said.
Earlier, the prime minister had launched the Razak School of Government (RSOG) at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here.
Also present was Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan, who is also the chairman of RSOG's Board of Trustees.
Najib said an institutional and structural change could only happen when leaders not only understood what needed to be done but have the integrity, humility and determination to take the nation to the next level.
He said a world class leadership was not merely there to lead but to inspire others to follow.
"It requires the capability of making the right decision with fully informed reasoning, seamless execution and outcome-driven mentality.
"To do this, we need to cultivate a knowledge-based public service. Thus, our immediate challenge is how to ensure that talented and knowledgeable Malaysians out there will contribute towards the nation becoming a better country to live in.
"The establishment of institutions like RSOG, I believe is to pre-empt, react and to respond to these questions. The School was founded on two main thrusts -- leadership and knowledge," he said.
The prime minister said transformational leadership coupled with knowledge, capacity and capability was the golden formula for creating an environment that was conducive to effective problem-solving and innovation.
Najib said it was vital that institutional and structural transformation was guided by a clear, comprehensive and commonly accepted vision of the fundamental principles that should shape the new public service.
"By working in partnership across government agencies, the public service creates a networked governance environment whose aim is the delivery of public value.
"The creation of a people-centred and people-driven public service is a must if we want to see the structural change happen," he said.
Meanwhile, when launching the RSOG, Najib said the setting up of RSOG was a great honour to him and his family because it was named after his father, the late Tun Abdul Razak, who was Malaysia's second prime minister.
The RSOG is envisioned to be a catalyst for intellectual and professional grooming of the nation's future leaders across all service sectors.
RSOG's vision is to be a global institution engaging in cutting edge research, teaching and training in public leadership, public policy and public service in Malaysia as well as internationally.
It has a mission to train high-potential public leaders in coming up with innovative solutions to the most pressing public problems in Malaysia and the region. - Bernama
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Changing for the better
from the STAR Online; Sunday August 15, 2010
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s address to the Prime Minister and guests at the opening of the party’s Chinese Economic Congress yesterday.
WELCOME to the “Chinese Economic Congress” with the theme “Role of the Chinese community in achieving the NEM and 10th Malaysia Plan targets”.
The NEM and the 10MP are two of the four pillars of national transformation that will enable Malaysia to achieve the goals of Vision 2020, that is, to be a high-income economy and developed nation by 2020. The other pillars are the 1Malaysia concept and the Government Transformation Programme.
Keynote speech: Dr Chua delivering his address at the Chinese Economic Congress yesterday.
Much thought and effort has gone into crafting the NEM and 10MP, and, of course, far more work needs to be done for the actual implementation.
Let us bear in mind that these are national plans, and not just the Government’s plans. This means the nation as a whole has to come together and pull in the same direction in order for the NEM and the 10MP to succeed. Our immediate priority is to jointly grow the economic pie, instead of noisily debating over which slice we deserve. Make no mistake, failure is not an option.
We are here to ensure the transformation is successful and the targets for both the NEM and the 10MP are met.
> Liberalisation of economy
For a country to achieve accelerated growth, one needs to liberalise the economy. One of the better examples of sectors is the liberalisation of the oil and gas sector which encompasses areas as such shipping, distribution of gas, petrochemicals, education and vocational/technical training, and so on.
Our oil and gas sector has reached a stage in which we are already an established player in the global stage. Yet the opportunities for the SMEs are still small compared to other countries including non-oil producing nations like Singapore. Therefore, given the maturity of the sector, the opening up of the sector will boost the country’s GDP by many folds.
As such, sir, I sincerely urge you (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) to consider liberalising Malaysia’s oil and gas sector, and allow many more of our non-bumiputra investors to be joint-venture partners, contractors and sub-contractors in areas such as exploration, platform constructions, logistics, deep-sea operations and others.
Another area that needs to be liberalised is the telecommunication sector. With the full opening of the sector, increased competition actually augurs well for both the operators and the consumers.
With protectionism, rates of telecommunication services offered are high. Thus the country’s broadband usage is less than desired. We are hardly touching the 40% penetration rate as compared to the higher levels achieved by other countries.
> The Role of GLCs in the NEM
The GLCs make up nearly 40% of the value of the Bursa and there is no denying that they dominate the private sector in the economy in terms of their assets and capitalisation. GLCs have been instrumental in helping the bumiputra business community to flourish – to give them a head start to form a core cluster of bumi entrepreneurs to mentor and nurture others to be equally competitive and to be confident in the global stage.
But at the same time, it must be recognised that Malaysia is just a small market with 26 million people. As such, GLCs must take the bold step to venture regionally and/or globally like CIMB Bank. CIMB has expanded its financial wings to Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and is doing very well in South-East Asia.
However, to be regionally and globally competitive, we need to make sure that the best talent remains in our shores. I encourage more GLCs to open up their board of directors to include more non-bumiputras as well as international expertise. It is important also that GLCs open up their procurement system to include competitive SMEs based on the quality of their service and products that they offer, rather than based on race or equity requirement.
> Open Tender System
Likewise, we call for greater transparency in our tendering process. Closed tender systems have always been associated with corruption and kickbacks. Quality of projects will also be compromised. This does not go down well with the good governance which the Government is trying to project. The open tender system not only removes accusations and talk of corrupted administration but also lowers the cost of projects.
We hold the opinion that all the public procurement should be open to all local SMEs, provided with equal access and opportunities. Under the 9th Malaysia Plan, over RM1bil was allocated for SME development alone. Bank Negara estimated the number of SMEs in the country at about 600,000.
The importance of the SMEs is recognised by the Government. The NEAC report stated that SMEs currently make up 35% of Malaysia’s GDP and 20% of its exports. If the future procurements were to be opened to the SMEs, the SMEs would account for much more than the current 35% of the GDP. If the value of the SMEs were to double, they will account for over 50% of the country’s GDP.
Following the decision to relax the 30% bumiputra equity requirement for IPOs as well as the liberalisation of the 27 services sub-sectors I urge you, sir, to similarly consider being flexible in implementing the 30% bumiputra equity in other sectors.
Rather than enforcing the 30% bumi equity requirement across the board, a more flexible system in the form of a Margin of Preference system should be implemented on a sector-by-sector basis.
In the days of traditional economic structure, when capital and land were the major economic input, we could insist upon a certain percentage of equity distribution and still be fairly successful.
But we are now in the age of knowledge economy, where brain power in the form of innovation and creativity is the major (if not sole) requirement. If a talented investor, whether local or foreign, wants to start a new venture to design and manufacture a product based on his innovation for the new IT generation consumers in Malaysia, we cannot insist that he shares 30% of his creativity with us.
He is talented and can go to any other part of the world to pursue his dreams. Instead we should offer him all the assistance he needs so that he can come to Malaysia, create high-paying jobs and help propel us to being a high-income economy.
> Merit–based and Needs–based System
Fundamentally, the Malaysian Chinese have been and still are very understanding and loyal citizens. Globalisation has presented Malaysians many opportunities but it has also forced us to continue to be a competitive nation. Malaysians cannot remain globally competitive unless we go to a merit-based system.
On the other hand, we must inculcate a caring society in which the poor must be looked after. The NEM has pointed out that the bottom 40% of households earn less than RM1,500 per month. Thus, it is clear that preferential treatment must be given according to needs rather than race.
> Retaining and Attracting Talent
To achieve a high-income nation status, the NEM sets out a couple of primary thrust and enablers to move the economy up the value chain and also to address the persistent socio-economic inequalities. Amongst the enablers are developing a quality workforce and reducing dependence on foreign labour. In order to retain our talent pool in the country, we must recognise their contribution to the nation – to make sure that they are rewarded according to their merits.
Therefore, at this juncture, I would like to applaud YAB Datuk Seri’s recent decision to offer scholarships to all students, regardless of race, who scored 9A+ in their SPM examinations. This is truly in the 1Malaysia spirit.
This shows the Government’s efforts to develop human capital. Don’t forget high achievers are in fact hidden talents and assets to a nation. Elevating and improving the level of education in the country also mean paying more attention to vernacular schools.
Approximately 20% of Malaysia’s total trade over the last couple of years is with countries that adopt Mandarin as their main language. Total trade of the primary countries that use Mandarin as their mother tongue has been estimated at over US$2.5 trillion per annum. Malaysia’s trade with these countries in turn accounts for only 2% of their total trade. Given our multi-lingual and multi-cultural society, we believe Malaysia has yet to tap into the full potential of these trading nations.
The great strategist Sun Tzu has been frequently quoted on this where he said that whoever is first in the battlefield and awaits the coming of the “competitors” will be fresh for the fight. Whoever trails behind in the field will arrive exhausted, having to hasten to battle.
Thus, with more schools, we would be able to produce more students from these vernacular schools. Only then can we generate a workforce conversant in Mandarin in order to be able to seize the opportunities offered in the global markets.
Not only are additional schools required to cater for future demand and population growth but more importantly to ease the current overcrowding problem.
To add to the problem, the number of students in Chinese schools is expected to increase by an additional 65,000 over the next five years.
> Rationalisation of Subsidy, Minimum Wage and Skilled Workers
In Malaysia, only 23% of workers (11 million) are skilled workers, including those with higher education degrees. We are one of the countries with the least qualified workers in the region. Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan have about 40% skilled workers. Lack of skilled and qualified workers in Malaysia is impeding economic progress.
Malaysia is addicted to cheap foreign workers. Studies by the Human Resources Ministry show that 34% of our 1.3 million workers earn less than RM700 per month, below the poverty line of RM720 per month.
What is worrying is the World Bank study on wage trend which showed that Malaysia recorded only an annual 2.6% growth during the last 10 years. The influx of foreign workers depresses the wage increase of local workers.
MCA calls for the execution of a minimum wage policy on a sectoral and regional basis. Over 90% of the countries in the world already have legislations in place on minimum wage.
The setting up of a minimal wage system is in line with MCA’s calls for rationalisation of subsidy. Subsidy cut is a must to prevent distortion in the allocations of the country. Implementation of subsidy reduction schemes cannot stand alone as it needs to be complemented with a minimum wage system to offset negative impact of the reduction in subsidy.
The activation of the Minimum Wage Council now is therefore looking more and more appropriate. At this point, our businesses can no longer win market share by trying to be the cheapest producers of goods or providers of services. In a globalised world, such an edge is only fleeting.
Lasting competitive advantage today has to come from productivity-led growth and innovation. The 10MP includes Government measures to create an environment in which the creativity, energy and initiative of private enterprises can be nurtured and harnessed.
On that note, I believe the Chinese Economic Congress today is most timely. We need to ensure we know each and everyone’s role, to be able to tap into each forte to ensure the NEM and 10MP are executed efficiently to achieve the targets already set out. There is no denying the road ahead will be tough but I have full confidence that, under your leadership, we will see the bright light at the end of the tunnel.
I acknowledge that the business community has certain expectations of what the Government should and should not do.
In the overall scheme of things, 10 years is a mere blink of an eye. But for Malaysia, the next decade may well prove to be a crucial phase in our nation’s history.
Permit me to end with a couple of ancient sayings by Confucius. We should “better be a diamond with flaws rather than a pebble without”. Also, “only the wisest and stupidest of men never change” and for one “to know what is right and not to do it, is the worst type of cowardice”.
So we intend to change for the better and to do what is right. We can start off with this congress where we can brainstorm, learn our roles and how we can help in ensuring the target of becoming a high income advanced nation can be met
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s address to the Prime Minister and guests at the opening of the party’s Chinese Economic Congress yesterday.
WELCOME to the “Chinese Economic Congress” with the theme “Role of the Chinese community in achieving the NEM and 10th Malaysia Plan targets”.
The NEM and the 10MP are two of the four pillars of national transformation that will enable Malaysia to achieve the goals of Vision 2020, that is, to be a high-income economy and developed nation by 2020. The other pillars are the 1Malaysia concept and the Government Transformation Programme.
Keynote speech: Dr Chua delivering his address at the Chinese Economic Congress yesterday.
Much thought and effort has gone into crafting the NEM and 10MP, and, of course, far more work needs to be done for the actual implementation.
Let us bear in mind that these are national plans, and not just the Government’s plans. This means the nation as a whole has to come together and pull in the same direction in order for the NEM and the 10MP to succeed. Our immediate priority is to jointly grow the economic pie, instead of noisily debating over which slice we deserve. Make no mistake, failure is not an option.
We are here to ensure the transformation is successful and the targets for both the NEM and the 10MP are met.
> Liberalisation of economy
For a country to achieve accelerated growth, one needs to liberalise the economy. One of the better examples of sectors is the liberalisation of the oil and gas sector which encompasses areas as such shipping, distribution of gas, petrochemicals, education and vocational/technical training, and so on.
Our oil and gas sector has reached a stage in which we are already an established player in the global stage. Yet the opportunities for the SMEs are still small compared to other countries including non-oil producing nations like Singapore. Therefore, given the maturity of the sector, the opening up of the sector will boost the country’s GDP by many folds.
As such, sir, I sincerely urge you (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) to consider liberalising Malaysia’s oil and gas sector, and allow many more of our non-bumiputra investors to be joint-venture partners, contractors and sub-contractors in areas such as exploration, platform constructions, logistics, deep-sea operations and others.
Another area that needs to be liberalised is the telecommunication sector. With the full opening of the sector, increased competition actually augurs well for both the operators and the consumers.
With protectionism, rates of telecommunication services offered are high. Thus the country’s broadband usage is less than desired. We are hardly touching the 40% penetration rate as compared to the higher levels achieved by other countries.
> The Role of GLCs in the NEM
The GLCs make up nearly 40% of the value of the Bursa and there is no denying that they dominate the private sector in the economy in terms of their assets and capitalisation. GLCs have been instrumental in helping the bumiputra business community to flourish – to give them a head start to form a core cluster of bumi entrepreneurs to mentor and nurture others to be equally competitive and to be confident in the global stage.
But at the same time, it must be recognised that Malaysia is just a small market with 26 million people. As such, GLCs must take the bold step to venture regionally and/or globally like CIMB Bank. CIMB has expanded its financial wings to Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and is doing very well in South-East Asia.
However, to be regionally and globally competitive, we need to make sure that the best talent remains in our shores. I encourage more GLCs to open up their board of directors to include more non-bumiputras as well as international expertise. It is important also that GLCs open up their procurement system to include competitive SMEs based on the quality of their service and products that they offer, rather than based on race or equity requirement.
> Open Tender System
Likewise, we call for greater transparency in our tendering process. Closed tender systems have always been associated with corruption and kickbacks. Quality of projects will also be compromised. This does not go down well with the good governance which the Government is trying to project. The open tender system not only removes accusations and talk of corrupted administration but also lowers the cost of projects.
We hold the opinion that all the public procurement should be open to all local SMEs, provided with equal access and opportunities. Under the 9th Malaysia Plan, over RM1bil was allocated for SME development alone. Bank Negara estimated the number of SMEs in the country at about 600,000.
The importance of the SMEs is recognised by the Government. The NEAC report stated that SMEs currently make up 35% of Malaysia’s GDP and 20% of its exports. If the future procurements were to be opened to the SMEs, the SMEs would account for much more than the current 35% of the GDP. If the value of the SMEs were to double, they will account for over 50% of the country’s GDP.
Following the decision to relax the 30% bumiputra equity requirement for IPOs as well as the liberalisation of the 27 services sub-sectors I urge you, sir, to similarly consider being flexible in implementing the 30% bumiputra equity in other sectors.
Rather than enforcing the 30% bumi equity requirement across the board, a more flexible system in the form of a Margin of Preference system should be implemented on a sector-by-sector basis.
In the days of traditional economic structure, when capital and land were the major economic input, we could insist upon a certain percentage of equity distribution and still be fairly successful.
But we are now in the age of knowledge economy, where brain power in the form of innovation and creativity is the major (if not sole) requirement. If a talented investor, whether local or foreign, wants to start a new venture to design and manufacture a product based on his innovation for the new IT generation consumers in Malaysia, we cannot insist that he shares 30% of his creativity with us.
He is talented and can go to any other part of the world to pursue his dreams. Instead we should offer him all the assistance he needs so that he can come to Malaysia, create high-paying jobs and help propel us to being a high-income economy.
> Merit–based and Needs–based System
Fundamentally, the Malaysian Chinese have been and still are very understanding and loyal citizens. Globalisation has presented Malaysians many opportunities but it has also forced us to continue to be a competitive nation. Malaysians cannot remain globally competitive unless we go to a merit-based system.
On the other hand, we must inculcate a caring society in which the poor must be looked after. The NEM has pointed out that the bottom 40% of households earn less than RM1,500 per month. Thus, it is clear that preferential treatment must be given according to needs rather than race.
> Retaining and Attracting Talent
To achieve a high-income nation status, the NEM sets out a couple of primary thrust and enablers to move the economy up the value chain and also to address the persistent socio-economic inequalities. Amongst the enablers are developing a quality workforce and reducing dependence on foreign labour. In order to retain our talent pool in the country, we must recognise their contribution to the nation – to make sure that they are rewarded according to their merits.
Therefore, at this juncture, I would like to applaud YAB Datuk Seri’s recent decision to offer scholarships to all students, regardless of race, who scored 9A+ in their SPM examinations. This is truly in the 1Malaysia spirit.
This shows the Government’s efforts to develop human capital. Don’t forget high achievers are in fact hidden talents and assets to a nation. Elevating and improving the level of education in the country also mean paying more attention to vernacular schools.
Approximately 20% of Malaysia’s total trade over the last couple of years is with countries that adopt Mandarin as their main language. Total trade of the primary countries that use Mandarin as their mother tongue has been estimated at over US$2.5 trillion per annum. Malaysia’s trade with these countries in turn accounts for only 2% of their total trade. Given our multi-lingual and multi-cultural society, we believe Malaysia has yet to tap into the full potential of these trading nations.
The great strategist Sun Tzu has been frequently quoted on this where he said that whoever is first in the battlefield and awaits the coming of the “competitors” will be fresh for the fight. Whoever trails behind in the field will arrive exhausted, having to hasten to battle.
Thus, with more schools, we would be able to produce more students from these vernacular schools. Only then can we generate a workforce conversant in Mandarin in order to be able to seize the opportunities offered in the global markets.
Not only are additional schools required to cater for future demand and population growth but more importantly to ease the current overcrowding problem.
To add to the problem, the number of students in Chinese schools is expected to increase by an additional 65,000 over the next five years.
> Rationalisation of Subsidy, Minimum Wage and Skilled Workers
In Malaysia, only 23% of workers (11 million) are skilled workers, including those with higher education degrees. We are one of the countries with the least qualified workers in the region. Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan have about 40% skilled workers. Lack of skilled and qualified workers in Malaysia is impeding economic progress.
Malaysia is addicted to cheap foreign workers. Studies by the Human Resources Ministry show that 34% of our 1.3 million workers earn less than RM700 per month, below the poverty line of RM720 per month.
What is worrying is the World Bank study on wage trend which showed that Malaysia recorded only an annual 2.6% growth during the last 10 years. The influx of foreign workers depresses the wage increase of local workers.
MCA calls for the execution of a minimum wage policy on a sectoral and regional basis. Over 90% of the countries in the world already have legislations in place on minimum wage.
The setting up of a minimal wage system is in line with MCA’s calls for rationalisation of subsidy. Subsidy cut is a must to prevent distortion in the allocations of the country. Implementation of subsidy reduction schemes cannot stand alone as it needs to be complemented with a minimum wage system to offset negative impact of the reduction in subsidy.
The activation of the Minimum Wage Council now is therefore looking more and more appropriate. At this point, our businesses can no longer win market share by trying to be the cheapest producers of goods or providers of services. In a globalised world, such an edge is only fleeting.
Lasting competitive advantage today has to come from productivity-led growth and innovation. The 10MP includes Government measures to create an environment in which the creativity, energy and initiative of private enterprises can be nurtured and harnessed.
On that note, I believe the Chinese Economic Congress today is most timely. We need to ensure we know each and everyone’s role, to be able to tap into each forte to ensure the NEM and 10MP are executed efficiently to achieve the targets already set out. There is no denying the road ahead will be tough but I have full confidence that, under your leadership, we will see the bright light at the end of the tunnel.
I acknowledge that the business community has certain expectations of what the Government should and should not do.
In the overall scheme of things, 10 years is a mere blink of an eye. But for Malaysia, the next decade may well prove to be a crucial phase in our nation’s history.
Permit me to end with a couple of ancient sayings by Confucius. We should “better be a diamond with flaws rather than a pebble without”. Also, “only the wisest and stupidest of men never change” and for one “to know what is right and not to do it, is the worst type of cowardice”.
So we intend to change for the better and to do what is right. We can start off with this congress where we can brainstorm, learn our roles and how we can help in ensuring the target of becoming a high income advanced nation can be met
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Why are the Malays poor? Blame it on Umno!
Thursday, 01 April 2010 22:23
Who squandered the national wealth on prestige projects while neglecting the poor? Who bailed out crony businessmen by writing off billions of ringgit, asks P Ramakrishnan.
Of late, the pressure is building up to convey the impression that the Malays are poor because of the non-Malays. It is trumpeted that the non-Malays are enriching themselves at the expense of the Malays.
This erroneous and mischievous line of argument is deliberately pushed to achieve two objectives: One, to get the Malays riled up and to create hatred for the non-Malays as the source and cause of Malay poverty. Two, this is a ploy to consolidate the position of these hate-mongers so that they can be accepted as the defenders of the race and champions who would deliver the Malays from their wretched situation.
But these extremist elements do not reveal how they have benefited from the policies of Umno that were meant for the welfare of the majority poor Malays. They do not reveal how the benefits have gone to the crony corporate figures and the well connected political elite irrespective of their ethnicity.
They do not disclose how billions of ringgit had been squandered to rescue the failed ventures of their elite group. They do not disclose how billions were pumped into Bank Rakyat and Bank Bumi to sustain them. They do not disclose why Mirzan Mahathir’s floundering and debt-laden shipping empire had to be bailed out with our national wealth. They do not disclose why Tajudin Ramli’s stake in MAS was bought over for RM8 per MAS share when the market price was only RM3.62.
Likewise many other individual Malays have benefited enormously. They don’t lose out when their businesses fail but they gain in spite of their failure. Contracts, licences, AP permits, new shares and whatnot are grabbed by these individuals for themselves and their families. The poor majority Malays do not benefit from these policies.
It was recently disclosed that out of RM54 billion in shares allocated for Bumiputeras, only RM2 billion were still in their hands. What has happened to the RM52 billion that cannot be accounted for? RM54 billion is a colossal sum of wealth that has been dished out. How did RM52 billion disappear into thin air?
After 40 years of NEP, it is absolutely unacceptable that the deserving poor have not benefited in the way it was intended. Sometimes we wonder if the Malays are kept poor simply and deliberately to get their votes by blaming the non-Malays for their abject situation.
Over the last 40 years, successive Umno presidents and deputy presidents served as prime ministers and deputy prime ministers wielding great powers, influencing policies and determining the fate of the Malays. Every Education Minister since Merdeka has come from Umno. Every Finance Minister after Tun Tan Siew Sin has been an Umno man. Every Rural Development Minister has been an Umno man. The Cabinet was dominated by Umno leaders. How is it that with this heavy representation of Umno leaders in the Cabinet the vast majority of Malays have remained deprived and desperately poor? How did Umno, ever ready to advance Malay interest, permit this neglect?
The Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional holds the purse strings of the national wealth. Why wasn’t this wealth distributed to the poor as well? Why did the greedy grab everything? Was this done without the knowledge of Umno leaders?
Don’t blame the non-Malays who have no say in the policies of the government; blame it on Umno. Who squandered the national wealth on prestige projects while neglecting the poor? Who bailed out crony businessmen by writing off billions of ringgit? It is Umno and nobody else! If the Malays are poor, it is because of Umno. Don’t blame it on others.
There is a serious lesson to be learnt from John F Kennedy’s view: If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
Be warned!
P Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran
Who squandered the national wealth on prestige projects while neglecting the poor? Who bailed out crony businessmen by writing off billions of ringgit, asks P Ramakrishnan.
Of late, the pressure is building up to convey the impression that the Malays are poor because of the non-Malays. It is trumpeted that the non-Malays are enriching themselves at the expense of the Malays.
This erroneous and mischievous line of argument is deliberately pushed to achieve two objectives: One, to get the Malays riled up and to create hatred for the non-Malays as the source and cause of Malay poverty. Two, this is a ploy to consolidate the position of these hate-mongers so that they can be accepted as the defenders of the race and champions who would deliver the Malays from their wretched situation.
But these extremist elements do not reveal how they have benefited from the policies of Umno that were meant for the welfare of the majority poor Malays. They do not reveal how the benefits have gone to the crony corporate figures and the well connected political elite irrespective of their ethnicity.
They do not disclose how billions of ringgit had been squandered to rescue the failed ventures of their elite group. They do not disclose how billions were pumped into Bank Rakyat and Bank Bumi to sustain them. They do not disclose why Mirzan Mahathir’s floundering and debt-laden shipping empire had to be bailed out with our national wealth. They do not disclose why Tajudin Ramli’s stake in MAS was bought over for RM8 per MAS share when the market price was only RM3.62.
Likewise many other individual Malays have benefited enormously. They don’t lose out when their businesses fail but they gain in spite of their failure. Contracts, licences, AP permits, new shares and whatnot are grabbed by these individuals for themselves and their families. The poor majority Malays do not benefit from these policies.
It was recently disclosed that out of RM54 billion in shares allocated for Bumiputeras, only RM2 billion were still in their hands. What has happened to the RM52 billion that cannot be accounted for? RM54 billion is a colossal sum of wealth that has been dished out. How did RM52 billion disappear into thin air?
After 40 years of NEP, it is absolutely unacceptable that the deserving poor have not benefited in the way it was intended. Sometimes we wonder if the Malays are kept poor simply and deliberately to get their votes by blaming the non-Malays for their abject situation.
Over the last 40 years, successive Umno presidents and deputy presidents served as prime ministers and deputy prime ministers wielding great powers, influencing policies and determining the fate of the Malays. Every Education Minister since Merdeka has come from Umno. Every Finance Minister after Tun Tan Siew Sin has been an Umno man. Every Rural Development Minister has been an Umno man. The Cabinet was dominated by Umno leaders. How is it that with this heavy representation of Umno leaders in the Cabinet the vast majority of Malays have remained deprived and desperately poor? How did Umno, ever ready to advance Malay interest, permit this neglect?
The Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional holds the purse strings of the national wealth. Why wasn’t this wealth distributed to the poor as well? Why did the greedy grab everything? Was this done without the knowledge of Umno leaders?
Don’t blame the non-Malays who have no say in the policies of the government; blame it on Umno. Who squandered the national wealth on prestige projects while neglecting the poor? Who bailed out crony businessmen by writing off billions of ringgit? It is Umno and nobody else! If the Malays are poor, it is because of Umno. Don’t blame it on others.
There is a serious lesson to be learnt from John F Kennedy’s view: If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
Be warned!
P Ramakrishnan is president of Aliran
Monday, March 29, 2010
Civil Servants Urged To Change Mindset To Ensure Success Of GTP
March 26, 2010 17:06 PM
KUCHING, March 26 (Bernama) -- Civil servants in the country must be ready to change their mindset to ensure the success of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says deputy director-general of Public Service Malaysia, Datuk Dr Ismail Alias.
The role of the civil servants is significant in carrying out the aspirations and agenda of the government to be more effective in its delivery of services and accountable for outcomes that matter most to the people.
"Transformation is important to improve the quality of service and delivery system so as to realise the wishes of the Prime Minister.
"Transformation must start from the mindset and the innovation, performance, accountability, integrity, loyalty, knowledge, perseverance and vision must be absorbed and put in practice.
"Civil servants must possess a creative and innovative thinking as the right mindset when blended together can result in a successful year for the country," he told reporters after a talk on "Transformation of mindset to face global challenges" at the Sultan Iskandar building here today.
He added that a transformation of the mindset can help civil servants control their emotions and be more organised when carrying out their duties to help the country achieve an advanced, united and just society with high standards of living and become a fully developed nation.
-- BERNAMA
KUCHING, March 26 (Bernama) -- Civil servants in the country must be ready to change their mindset to ensure the success of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says deputy director-general of Public Service Malaysia, Datuk Dr Ismail Alias.
The role of the civil servants is significant in carrying out the aspirations and agenda of the government to be more effective in its delivery of services and accountable for outcomes that matter most to the people.
"Transformation is important to improve the quality of service and delivery system so as to realise the wishes of the Prime Minister.
"Transformation must start from the mindset and the innovation, performance, accountability, integrity, loyalty, knowledge, perseverance and vision must be absorbed and put in practice.
"Civil servants must possess a creative and innovative thinking as the right mindset when blended together can result in a successful year for the country," he told reporters after a talk on "Transformation of mindset to face global challenges" at the Sultan Iskandar building here today.
He added that a transformation of the mindset can help civil servants control their emotions and be more organised when carrying out their duties to help the country achieve an advanced, united and just society with high standards of living and become a fully developed nation.
-- BERNAMA
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Internet has broken down many walls
Internet has broken down many walls, says Najib
PUTRAJAYA: Singing praises of the Internet, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said it had broken down many walls dividing the people.
“The beauty of the Internet is that it breaks down the ethnic, religious and age walls.
“We are here because we are connected via the Internet,” he said at the 1Malaysia hi-tea he hosted for his Internet friends at his official residence Seri Perdana here yesterday.
Also present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and their two children, Nooryana Najwa and Nor Ashman Razak.
The Prime Minister said about five million Malaysians were active on the social website Facebook, which he described as a good indication that the people used information and communications technology.
About 300 of Najib’s Internet friends of various races attended the event.
“I want all of you to feel that you have the Government that is very responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Malaysian people ... and we will use the latest technology to get connected and communicate with ‘rakyat Malaysia’,” he added.
Najib said the meeting enabled him to meet Internet friends who had taken the initiative to include him on Facebook, with the current total of 120,000 friends growing by the day.
During the dialogue at the hi-tea, Najib said a special website to display the names of successful winners of tenders would be launched soon as part of the efforts to reduce corruption.
Najib said the Government was also making efforts to have a minimum wage in the private sector to help people in the lower income group achieve the highest possible growth rate.
PUTRAJAYA: Singing praises of the Internet, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said it had broken down many walls dividing the people.
“The beauty of the Internet is that it breaks down the ethnic, religious and age walls.
“We are here because we are connected via the Internet,” he said at the 1Malaysia hi-tea he hosted for his Internet friends at his official residence Seri Perdana here yesterday.
Also present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and their two children, Nooryana Najwa and Nor Ashman Razak.
The Prime Minister said about five million Malaysians were active on the social website Facebook, which he described as a good indication that the people used information and communications technology.
About 300 of Najib’s Internet friends of various races attended the event.
“I want all of you to feel that you have the Government that is very responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Malaysian people ... and we will use the latest technology to get connected and communicate with ‘rakyat Malaysia’,” he added.
Najib said the meeting enabled him to meet Internet friends who had taken the initiative to include him on Facebook, with the current total of 120,000 friends growing by the day.
During the dialogue at the hi-tea, Najib said a special website to display the names of successful winners of tenders would be launched soon as part of the efforts to reduce corruption.
Najib said the Government was also making efforts to have a minimum wage in the private sector to help people in the lower income group achieve the highest possible growth rate.
Eight Pillars To Transform The Country
March 13, 2010 17:16 PM
By Normalazwa Jamaludin and Elmi Rizal Elias
PUTRAJAYA, March 13 (Bernama) -- The civil service, which has 1.2 million members, plays a huge role in making sure the government achieve its aspirations.
This is even more so at a time when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has already started the country's massive transformation process based on eight pillars comprising four key thrusts and four complementary values in his administration which will soon celebrate its first anniversary.
The four key thrusts are the 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now concept, Government Transformation Programme (GTP), New Economic Model (NEM) and the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).
The four complementary values are: making creativity and innovation a culture, giving importance to speedy action-taking and decision-making process, striving to provide value for money, and giving emphasis to the virtue of integrity.
These eight pillars, mooted by the prime minister, act as a guideline for the civil service in discharging its everyday duties and in achieving the ultimate objective of making Malaysia a high-income nation.
Even more significant is the fact that this idea was spelled out by the prime minister before a gathering of 4,000 civil servants at the 11th Civil Service Convention at Putrajaya International Convention Centre here on Tuesday.
He chose the event as a platform to explain and emphasis the role which the public sector should play in realising the government's aspirations and visions.
1Malaysia is the core philosophy underlying all the policies of the government with the ultimate objective of fostering national unity.
"This has been the ambitions and aspirations of all Malaysians for so long. Whether we like it or not, in a plural country like Malaysia, any form of national ambitions such as striving to achieve a better life for each citizen will remain a pipe dream without national unity.
"It goes without saying that without national unity, there will be no political stability, which is the core of everything," the prime minister said.
The transformation agenda aims to make the government more responsive to the aspirations and heartbeat of the people, which the prime minister aptly demonstrated when he said that the era of government knows best is over and that it should now act as a facilitator.
The third and fourth thrusts, namely the NEM and 10MP, are two economic initiatives to chart the country's direction in the long, medium and short terms.
The four key thrusts and four complementary values are supporting one another.
To acculturate creativity and innovation, civil servants should possess critical and constructive thinking when carrying out their responsibility by seeking creative, innovative and out of the ordinary solutions when confronted with problems.
Having the speed in taking actions and making decisions is also crucial as this can increase the "velocity of money" in the country's economic system.
The value for money approach will prevent wastage and make sure that the government and the people get maximum returns for every ringgit and sen spent.
The prime minister also emphasises on integrity because through such value, Malaysia can become a developed nations not only in terms of economy and technology but also in terms of social, culture, intellectual and spiritual.
Civil servants hail the prime minister's message, with Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan saying all members of the public service should work together to realise the government's aspirations.
He said it was incumbent upon them to enhance their performance and give first priority to the people.
He also said that the prime minister had given his full confidence to the civil service as partners in fulfilling the government's promise and in giving a full commitment to strengthen the government's delivery system.
Malaysian Institute of Integrity president Datuk Dr Mohd Tap Salleh said the eight pillars were achievable through the cooperation and teamwork among members of the civil service and the administration.
He said there was no difference in the objective of the civil servants and members of the administration as the ultimate aim was to help the people.
"We have set in motion steps to realise the country's aspirations. As the prime minister puts it, now is no longer the time for the first gear but third and fourth gear because the challenge in the future will be huge.
"Based on the country's competitiveness level, we are not at the height where we should be," he said.
He said the emphasis by Najib was not only relevant to the public sector but also to the private sector.
"He emphasises that the corporate sector should also roll up their sleeves and move along. There is no difference between the public sector and the private sector as both should move in tandem.
"The year 2020 is only 10 years away and if this is not done, the objectives set out in Vision 2020 will not be achieved," he said.
Cuepacs president Omar Osman described the eight pillars as a comprehensive message which provided a clear guideline for the civil service in charting the country's future.
The move was in line with the government transformation agenda apart from enhancing the image of the civil service in the eyes of the people and spurring the country towards a developed nation status, he said.
Omar said the change in the public service should involve all levels, from top ranking officers to their subordinates.
The transformation, as Mohd Sidek puts it, will bring change to the country's socio-economic landscape in a short period.
The question is, can the civil service keep pace with the prime minister's speed?
There is no doubt in the minds of many who were listening to Najib's more than one-hour address on Tuesday that the government machinery should move equally as fast or else the prime minister's transformation agenda would be stalled.
-- BERNAMA
By Normalazwa Jamaludin and Elmi Rizal Elias
PUTRAJAYA, March 13 (Bernama) -- The civil service, which has 1.2 million members, plays a huge role in making sure the government achieve its aspirations.
This is even more so at a time when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has already started the country's massive transformation process based on eight pillars comprising four key thrusts and four complementary values in his administration which will soon celebrate its first anniversary.
The four key thrusts are the 1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now concept, Government Transformation Programme (GTP), New Economic Model (NEM) and the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).
The four complementary values are: making creativity and innovation a culture, giving importance to speedy action-taking and decision-making process, striving to provide value for money, and giving emphasis to the virtue of integrity.
These eight pillars, mooted by the prime minister, act as a guideline for the civil service in discharging its everyday duties and in achieving the ultimate objective of making Malaysia a high-income nation.
Even more significant is the fact that this idea was spelled out by the prime minister before a gathering of 4,000 civil servants at the 11th Civil Service Convention at Putrajaya International Convention Centre here on Tuesday.
He chose the event as a platform to explain and emphasis the role which the public sector should play in realising the government's aspirations and visions.
1Malaysia is the core philosophy underlying all the policies of the government with the ultimate objective of fostering national unity.
"This has been the ambitions and aspirations of all Malaysians for so long. Whether we like it or not, in a plural country like Malaysia, any form of national ambitions such as striving to achieve a better life for each citizen will remain a pipe dream without national unity.
"It goes without saying that without national unity, there will be no political stability, which is the core of everything," the prime minister said.
The transformation agenda aims to make the government more responsive to the aspirations and heartbeat of the people, which the prime minister aptly demonstrated when he said that the era of government knows best is over and that it should now act as a facilitator.
The third and fourth thrusts, namely the NEM and 10MP, are two economic initiatives to chart the country's direction in the long, medium and short terms.
The four key thrusts and four complementary values are supporting one another.
To acculturate creativity and innovation, civil servants should possess critical and constructive thinking when carrying out their responsibility by seeking creative, innovative and out of the ordinary solutions when confronted with problems.
Having the speed in taking actions and making decisions is also crucial as this can increase the "velocity of money" in the country's economic system.
The value for money approach will prevent wastage and make sure that the government and the people get maximum returns for every ringgit and sen spent.
The prime minister also emphasises on integrity because through such value, Malaysia can become a developed nations not only in terms of economy and technology but also in terms of social, culture, intellectual and spiritual.
Civil servants hail the prime minister's message, with Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan saying all members of the public service should work together to realise the government's aspirations.
He said it was incumbent upon them to enhance their performance and give first priority to the people.
He also said that the prime minister had given his full confidence to the civil service as partners in fulfilling the government's promise and in giving a full commitment to strengthen the government's delivery system.
Malaysian Institute of Integrity president Datuk Dr Mohd Tap Salleh said the eight pillars were achievable through the cooperation and teamwork among members of the civil service and the administration.
He said there was no difference in the objective of the civil servants and members of the administration as the ultimate aim was to help the people.
"We have set in motion steps to realise the country's aspirations. As the prime minister puts it, now is no longer the time for the first gear but third and fourth gear because the challenge in the future will be huge.
"Based on the country's competitiveness level, we are not at the height where we should be," he said.
He said the emphasis by Najib was not only relevant to the public sector but also to the private sector.
"He emphasises that the corporate sector should also roll up their sleeves and move along. There is no difference between the public sector and the private sector as both should move in tandem.
"The year 2020 is only 10 years away and if this is not done, the objectives set out in Vision 2020 will not be achieved," he said.
Cuepacs president Omar Osman described the eight pillars as a comprehensive message which provided a clear guideline for the civil service in charting the country's future.
The move was in line with the government transformation agenda apart from enhancing the image of the civil service in the eyes of the people and spurring the country towards a developed nation status, he said.
Omar said the change in the public service should involve all levels, from top ranking officers to their subordinates.
The transformation, as Mohd Sidek puts it, will bring change to the country's socio-economic landscape in a short period.
The question is, can the civil service keep pace with the prime minister's speed?
There is no doubt in the minds of many who were listening to Najib's more than one-hour address on Tuesday that the government machinery should move equally as fast or else the prime minister's transformation agenda would be stalled.
-- BERNAMA
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Government Has Political Will To Implement NKRA - Koh
December 18, 2009 22:12 PM
from BERNAMA.COM
PETALING JAYA, Dec 18 (Bernama) -- The government has the political will to ensure every programme under the six National Key Result Areas (NKRA) are implemented to provide the best service to the people said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
"If there is no political will, we will not have exhibited the NKRA documents. We would have just kept it a secret," he told reporters when asked whether the government had the capability to implement the NKRA.
Koh, who is also the chairman of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) Board said programmes aimed at reducing crime and increasing People's Volunteer Corps (RELA) had already been implemented.
"Some of the objectives may be short term and some will take longer to do, and some may be trajectory such as for crime. As the reporting system becomes more efficient, we will actually see an increase in crime reports, but if measures are implemented correctly, we will see the impact in crime reduction," he said.
Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Pemandu Board said the 1Malaysia GTP roadmap to be announced next month, was a strong evidence of the government's political will for transformation.
Idris said they had received about 1,000 written comments and 70 per cent of them agreed with the six NKRA.
He said although some were still not convinced that the plans would be implemented, the government is committed to see it succeed.
"Some came with the pre-conceived idea that civil servants were pathetic. But now they are seeing something different and also the cabinet ministers are totally committed to implement the NKRAs," he said.
Earlier, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang who was among those at the open day commended the NKRA but was skeptical of the government's political will to implement them.
"They are at least making some progress and the deep problem of corruption is being admitted. But is there the political will to break the back of these problems like those of crime, poverty, deteriorating education standards, and making for higher quality of life.
"While what has been presented today is commendable, does it permeate the entire political and cabinet level? asked Kit Siang.
Citing zero tolerance for corruption as one of the target of the transformation, Kit Siang said cabinet ministers were not talking about it.
He said ministers must come forward and the entire cabinet must be committed to the transformation of the government.
"Unless these KPI programmes are reflected by policies and statements by ministers in their daily activities, there is going to be a deficient in public confidence," he said.
Lim said when the government declares a transformation plan, immediate action must be followed.
-- BERNAMA
Transforming – the Idris Jala way
from The STAR Online; Saturday December 19, 2009
By P. GUNASEGARAM,
DATUK SERI Idris Jala, the man from Bario in the highlands of Sarawak and a career Shell person until he moved to Malaysia Airlines to take a challenging role to turn the ailing national airline around, is of course no stranger to transformation.
To him, transformation is a big change, or as he puts it, it’s about big, fast results or BFR. Along with it comes a large appetite for risk because when changes are very major there are serious risks of things going wrong.
“The bigger the risk, the bigger the resistance to change. I have never gone through a transformation where there is no resistance to change,” he says.
What he brings to the Performance Delivery and Management Unit or Pemandu, of which he is CEO and which will drive the Government Transformation Plan (GTP), is his trademark style of engagement, transparency and accountability which stood him in such good stead with his earlier change plans.
When Jala became managing director of Malaysia Airlines in December 2005 after 23 years at Shell, his mandate was to turn around the airline. It had made a loss of an unprecedented RM1.7bil that year.
Barely three months later, Jala publicly unveiled his first turnaround plan – Malaysia Airlines would cut losses from RM1.7bil to RM620mil in 2006, achieve a profit of RM50mil in 2007 and a record profit of RM500mil in 2008.
It was a move never before or since seen in the corporate world – a listed company publicly stated its profit targets, mentioned broadly how it proposed to achieve them and kept details of how exactly it was going to achieve them out of the public eye. And the targets were simply stupendous.
Most people considered that plan way too ambitious and some even treated it with derision. But in the second year itself, Malaysia Airlines made a record profit of over RM900mil, its highest ever.
That led to Malaysia Airlines’ second turnaround plan, this time for five years. The profit target – RM1.5bil by 2012 and as much as RM2bil–RM3bil if conditions are more favourable.
Over the last 10 or so years, in addition to Malaysia Airlines, he turned around Shell’s LPG operations in Sri Lanka, and led the business turnaround of Shell MDS, the first gas-to-liquids commercial plant in the world and the sole supplier of clean diesel fuel for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He also headed a business consultancy unit within Shell.
Perhaps his biggest asset is his ability to engage people at all levels and infect them with his eternal optimism, and buttressed by all the effort and detail, turn that to real work done and make the impossible possible.
But there are critics who are sceptical: “This is not Malaysia Airlines, this is the Government. Those politicians and bumbling, bungling government officials will swallow him up.” Perhaps. But that’s not what Jala thinks. He believes success is assured - it’s a question of how much.
“I accept that I can fail. That makes me unafraid of failure,” he has said repeatedly in the past.
That kind of mental mood, and a stoic resolve to let whatever happen after you have done all you can, may be the very ingredient needed for success – it stops you from dwelling on the possibility of failure and doing instead all it takes to gain success.
Below are excerpts of the answers Jala gave us from questions StarBizWeek posed to him on the sidelines of this week’s GTP open day at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre.
SBW: What you did at MAS, you’re expanding it into a nationwide approach here?
Jala: Yes, it’s the same. Before you do anything, you better know the details (of the problems and the solutions). When we say we want to improve urban transport, the issues are brainstormed in the lab. We have to come out in detail exactly how we’re going to make that happen.
The lab examined KTM Komuter trains, right down to how many passengers are on the trains every day. We then knew that the answer was to increase the number of trains as they were running at over-capacity.
Then we examined buses and their routes and looked at the integration of the different transportation modes. We brought reams of data into the labs to be analysed.
For crime, we have made a pronouncement that we want to reduce street crime by 20%. But pronouncing a KPI is not good enough. Being clear about how you’re going to achieve that is most important. We got all the data from the police to find out where these crimes are taking place in urban areas and realised that there were only around 50 hotspots.
Once you know that, it becomes obvious where the police need to be deployed. With this intelligence, we are moving away from the old method of deploying police based on geographical spread. Immediately, 1,100 police personnel have been redeployed to these hotspots. We will also install more CCTVs in these areas.
There is going to be a big cost to these projects, such as purchasing new trains. Where is this funding going to come from?
The Prime Minister has made it very clear that the NKRA (national key results areas) is priority and he said so because these are things that the rakyat want. To get the money for these things will involve reallocating funds, using money from other areas which are deemed less urgent.
In the book (a planned road map detailing the KPIs to achieve the six broad goals of the GTP will be published early next year), we will talk about how much we need. These numbers won’t be firm until we get the input from the rakyat.
If the rakyat suggest that there are other things that are more important than what we thought of in the lab, then we may need to rejig it.
What’s the progress so far?
Some activities have started, some not yet. For example, on the KTM Komuter trains, we asked them how many carriages they had, and they said 58 carriages. How many are operational? 25. How many are broken? 33. No wonder we have a problem. How come the 33 are not operational?
It’s because there is not enough money for maintenance. And there is not enough money for maintenance because KTM is losing money. And KTM is not getting subsidy from the Government because it is losing money.
So it is a chicken and egg situation. Two things will happen. We intend to replace some carriages and acquire new ones. The carriages come only in 2012.
Yes, unfortunately it takes time. Just like aeroplanes, it takes time.
But by buying the new carriages, does it fix the bigger problem KTM is facing, which is that it cannot seem to run an operationally profitable business?
To be fair to them, there is a revenue shortfall. They cannot generate sufficient revenue with the kind of fares they are charging. If you never increase fares, you’ll never make money.
There’s also an operational problem of under-capacity. KTM does not have the right capacity to handle the passengers. Today, KTM (Komuter) has carriages that can fill 400 passengers. But there are 600 people going on these trains, so they are really packed. The laboratory was very clear in identifying the problems. Once identified, we then figured out which ones to start with first. You cannot start fixing the problem by raising fares as the service levels are not there yet. So we’re starting by spending money to get the new carriages in and improving the service.
The next step will be to introduce differentiated fares, like Malaysia Airlines, lah. You pay for what you can afford and the service you expect. In the interim, while waiting for the carriages to come, the plan is to increase the frequency of the trains in order to use the carriages more efficiently. That has already begun.
Getting basic infrastructure right
Let me shift into other areas – like basic rural infrastructure. A big part of the GTP is to aim to provide the basics in rural areas. We will give them roads, clean and treated water, and electricity. Based on our findings, many of the rural areas do not have access to those things. I think from 2010 to 2012 there will be the highest amount of investment being poured into roads and infrastructure since the start of our independence.
Is it economically viable to do that?
Yes. It will stimulate the economy because there will be more construction. The reality today, as we move towards a high-income economy, when we talk about 1Malaysia, is that it must comprise and include everybody. We must include the poor. We cannot bring a country to become a highly progressive society if there are Malaysians left behind. That is why we are focusing on the low-income households. But we are also looking at urban development.
What is the concern of urbanites? The public transportation system. And if you don’t fix that, the people will say that the Government does not truly recognise their problems. We give the most income tax to the country, and yet how come our public transport system is not as good as in other countries?
What are you doing about corruption?
We’re putting in place a check and balance. We’re cutting the approval time (for all sorts of Government services) so that we don’t empower anyone. Now you don’t have to wait one month for your passport. You get it within two hours. The power is no longer there with that person to facilitate the processing of the passport.
You don’t face problems of resistance?
Sure we do. Every change has resistance. This transformation is not incremental. It is big, fast results. Because it is big, it also carries a big risk. So we must have the appetite for making the big changes and handling the associated risks.
Here’s an example. We have identified that a key problem is a low quality of pre-school education. With a not-so-good foundation, the problems will creep into the secondary and university levels. Currently, only 60% of all the students who go to primary one have access to pre-school. There are 40% of students who have never been to kindergarten. So by the time they go to primary one, that 40% will be lagging behind.
What we have to do now is to improve primary and pre-school education. So we are going to convert something like 20,000 teachers from secondary schools and put them into primary schools. Naturally, there is resistance, but these are fundamental issues we will have to grapple with. If we don’t do this, 23 years from now, this group of people (the students) will be lagging even further.
I have never gone through a transformation programme where there is no resistance to change. So I have said, guys if we want to make incremental changes, that’s okay. Small risk, small resistance. But big transformation is big risk and big resistance. But the price (of not doing it) is big lah. So is the reward.
We all agree that Vision 2020 is a good thing. But at the current cost and speed, we will not get there. But we can get there if we transform and do those things we said we are going to do.
In your laboratory on education, was it addressed that part of the reason why we don’t have good universities is because of the politicking there. We have had a huge brain drain of our university faculty.
That’s partly true and partly false. But we only know the instant calculus. We fix the problem that is there now. And we know that the problem is in pre-school and primary. So we better fix this. So that when these people move into secondary school and university, we have time to fix it.
But you cannot eat a whole elephant. You have to chop it into bits and eat it. We cannot solve the whole problem in one sitting. It doesn’t mean nothing is being done in those areas. The Ministry of Higher Education under Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, is doing things to improve the universities.
Going back to corruption. Malaysia seems to keep falling in the corruption index, so what kind of resistance are you facing?
They are three buckets of corruption. One is called enforcement and regulatory corruption. The other is called procurement corruption. Then there is political corruption.
Some of the recommendations we made include open tenders, and making sure no minister gives out support letters for any projects. The fact is our corruption index is falling. If that keeps happening, foreign investors won’t have confidence to invest here as they feel policies are so opaque.
We have no choice. We have to make changes to the things that we are doing to reduce corruption. Stiffer punishment is another one. We cannot deal with corruption without stiffer punishment. We are also trying to reduce the time for cases to be tried, particularly those that generate a lot of public interest, to under one year. Some drag on for five years.
So are we correct to say that the message now, to those ‘on the take’ is that the Government is going to catch you and punish you?
Yes.
Can Jala and the GTP succeed?
But you really think you can succeed? That this programme is different from all the other attempts the Government has made in the past to change and transform?
I have no doubt about success because success is a matter of degree. We may not get to the highest peak, but definitely we will succeed to higher levels from current levels. I always believe certain things we can control and certain things we cannot. Sixty per cent of the things in our lives is not in our control. The 40% that we can control, we try our best.
We’re sure you spend a lot of time thinking how you are going to get the buy-in from the 1.2 million civil servants.
The first thing we did was not get a roomful of consultants. Instead, we got a roomful of civil servants. I asked the Cabinet for 240 civil servants. “Please give them to me for six weeks. We will sit there and find solutions,” I told them.
The labs are like a nursery. The lab is a safe place for them to grow. Once it is agreed, we then put them for implementation.
We created something called Delivery Task Force which is chaired by the Prime Minister. He has attended every single one of the meetings. Every month.
The political will is there. The commitment is absolutely there. I sit in those meetings. We report what is on track, what is not on track, who is not delivering. Just like in the private sector lah. There is no difference between how I ran MAS and how I am running this.
Again, why is it different this time, from what has been attempted in the past with limited or no success?
Nobody has done it like this. There is no generality. We don’t talk about pronouncement of policies. I don’t want to hear that. We are talking about things to do.
Yes, we have heard of these things before. But nobody pins it down like we are doing. The difference is in the details – the gory details. Every country can say it wants to improve rural development. But how are you going to do that? We bring it down from 30,000 feet to three feet. That is why we came out with the labs.
The solutions are coming from the civil servants, that is why these solutions will be implemented, because it is invented by them.
To be really honest, they knew the answer all this while. It was just that there was never an opportunity for everyone to talk and brainstorm together.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The 6 KRAs
Targets set for the six Key Result Areas
The Government’s promise of an improved delivery system takes flesh with the Prime Minister’s unveiling of the short-term targets for the six National Key Result Areas.
1. Reduction of crime rate
1. Reduction of crime rate
- Reduce street crime, including snatch thefts and unarmed robbery, by 20% by the end of 2010.
- Re-train Rela members to help improve public perception on safety.
- Upgrade equipment for enforcement agencies and increase the usage of CCTV.
- Set up special courts for street crime to speed up the legal process.
2. Combating corruption
- Updating relevant policies, procedures and enforcement to improve global perception.
- Use open or restricted tender process for all government projects with the exception of those sensitive in nature.
3. Widening access to affordable and quality education
- Make pre-school education part of the national education system.
- Ensure all normal pupils are able to read, write and count when they enter Year Four before 2012.
- Reward school principals and headmasters based on the achievements of each school.
- Turn 100 daily smart, cluster, trust and boarding schools into high performing learning centres by 2012.
4. Raising the living standard of the Poor
- Pay out all welfare cash aid on the first of each month from January.
- Create 4,000 women entrepreneurs under the Sahabat Amanah Ikhtiar programme by 2012.
5. Improving Infrastructure in rural areas
- Build 1,500km of roads in Sabah and Sarawak by 2012.
- Ensure that no one lives more than 5km from a tarred road in the peninsula by 2012.
- Increase electricity coverage in Sabah and Sarawak to 95% by end of 2012.
- Provide 24-hour electricity supply to 7,000 orang asli families in the peninsula by the end of 2012.
- Increase the number of public transport users to 25% by end of 2012 from the present 16%.
- Add 35 sets of four-car-trains to operate on the Kelana Jaya LRT track by the end of 2012.
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