Who would have thought that 15 years after the Highland Tower tragedy, similar disaster is affecting houses located approximately 1.5 km from the area. 14 bungalows were completely destroyed, killing 4 at the time of this write up.
Who was to be blamed?
You know how Malaysia isn’t that big (with population of about 20 Million thus far) and how everyone is connected to everyone in some way or another. And plus the fact that I have a very big family, so when Bukit Antarabangsa was struck with the landslide, you will find me going all frantic about saving someone who has been forgotten by the rest of the world (well, that was just me being all havoc and stuff).
So my sister’s family got cut off from civilization – no electricity, water or any manmade technological discovery you can never imagine having to live with. And the rest of the world forgot about those in Bukit Utama who was stuck at the top of the hill, as the only entrance out was inaccessible.
My brother, Maie who is staying with them was coming home at about 4 am that day. So when some makcik right by the street franticly tried waving him to stop, he chose to ignore fearing two reasons,
1. The Makcik was trying to get seringgit from him
2. The Makcik hitching a ride to some quiet area, which will later turn out to be a grave and the makcik is actually another creature of the earth. Err spooky.
The whole area was pitch black, and he couldn’t see what the fuss is all about when there were glimpse of ambulance and police car on the street. He stopped, got out of the car and then he saw a family running out of a house and the landslide occurring right in front of his eyes. If he were to be going home a bit earlier and not waste his precious time talking his friends at the mamak, he might even be under those piles of soil and rocks by now. Thank Goodness for that.
I only got to know when Ahmad called me at 730 that morning, so I rushed downstairs and frankly, quite shocked to see Maie enjoying his breakfast with ma and abah. So, it’s old news, and again, I am among the last to know (can even hear Huda and Fiza singing to this tune, flashback… during the time when I was actually the last in our circle to know that Huda is getting married!). And of course, I continued my sleep after.
Woke up at 10 am, and the rest of the day was spent on communicating with Colin and Maie (as the middle person) on the rescue plan. After various engagements with the authority and the neighbors, they boldly decided to GET OUT!
The best thing was, when PM announced that he is coming to the site, everyone stopped the SAR (Search and Rescue) work as they felt obliged to prepare for the arrival of the Yang Berhormat. But the Sultan of Selangor, as always, showed true leadership character. He came unannounced; hence, these people didn’t really have time to prepare the red carpet and the nuisance of making all the necessary ‘preparation’ work. But yeah, different people has different way of showing how mucyh they care la kan.
But anyway, coming back to the Evacuation Plan…
Msis couldn’t really walk with the bad ankle that she has, but she decided to brave the pain and the trail up ahead. I wish she would have just taken the heli, but there were an apparent lack of communication between the authority and the rest of those staying up there, so she decided to go through anyway. I waited for about 1.5 hours, before seeing the family. Gosh, what a relief it is that they are safe. Even Sarah (my two year old nephew) did not seem traumatized by the whole ordeal.
So here we are now after 2 long days, recapping the whole episode and how we wish things like this has not happen. An old Chinese man who were forced to evacuate, mumbled about how they have invested so much into the place, and how things such as this should not have happen. And yes, things like this should not have happen.
Today, there is still SAR continues for one last survivor, a Sri Lankan whom they fear may still remained trapped.
And yes, they have identify a probably cause. An expert even mentioned that this landslide is apparently man-made, as the area has the same geological factors as other parts of Kuala Lumpur, ie soil, rock and there is underground water everywhere. They say that the abandoned project may have been the cause of the landslide, as the site is not completed and there is no maintenance of the site.
Whatever it is, they need to punish the ones whom have caused this mayhem. And the kind of punishment needs to serve as a lesson to all.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Jawatan Ketua Wanita.. Sila Pilih Untuk Masa Depan Anda Yang Lebih Cerah Dari Mentol Restoran di Taman Melati Ini
So, in the case of Rafidah vs Shahrizat, given the opportunity to vote and determine the future of Wanita, who would you choose?
You have the veteran contender who has served ages in the organisation, losing only once in the Ketua Election only to come back to proclaim what is rightfully hers with Shahrizat on her winning side. Then on the other side of the court you have the cunning lawyer who once said, 'My words is my honour' and all hell break loose when she defy the earlier decision by the Exco and decided to go against the the No 1.
What is wrong waiting another 3 months before being officially declared as Ketua. Some say that its because, no one would have liked the idea of being position as the Acting Head, when you know for a certain that you could have been Head all along. Why wait 3 months before you get the position, when you can do it much earlier. Why the delay? Perhaps she should have think of that before agreeing in the Aug 4 meeting with all the Exco.
That's why Planning is important! (ehem ehem.. Planning Engineer talking. Give way).
When PM made a statement that he will sort things out once he's back from his Uzbek-Turkmen trip, and that the position should not be contested, Shahrizat came out and say, 'Yes, i will contest" a day after. Hmm...
I don't know whether it will be a healthy competition, now that the voters will be split, and if Rafidah wins, she will never give away the position to Shahrizat in June, or any other month! So, she'll train some new more candidates who can take up Shahrizat anytime. In the end, what will happen to Wanita section?
I leave it up to you. Do you think the position should have been contested?
You have the veteran contender who has served ages in the organisation, losing only once in the Ketua Election only to come back to proclaim what is rightfully hers with Shahrizat on her winning side. Then on the other side of the court you have the cunning lawyer who once said, 'My words is my honour' and all hell break loose when she defy the earlier decision by the Exco and decided to go against the the No 1.
What is wrong waiting another 3 months before being officially declared as Ketua. Some say that its because, no one would have liked the idea of being position as the Acting Head, when you know for a certain that you could have been Head all along. Why wait 3 months before you get the position, when you can do it much earlier. Why the delay? Perhaps she should have think of that before agreeing in the Aug 4 meeting with all the Exco.
That's why Planning is important! (ehem ehem.. Planning Engineer talking. Give way).
When PM made a statement that he will sort things out once he's back from his Uzbek-Turkmen trip, and that the position should not be contested, Shahrizat came out and say, 'Yes, i will contest" a day after. Hmm...
I don't know whether it will be a healthy competition, now that the voters will be split, and if Rafidah wins, she will never give away the position to Shahrizat in June, or any other month! So, she'll train some new more candidates who can take up Shahrizat anytime. In the end, what will happen to Wanita section?
I leave it up to you. Do you think the position should have been contested?
Friday, November 21, 2008
Interview PETRONAS: TSH tells it all
This is one of the most interesting interview that TSP has ever given, and the fact that he doesn't give much air for interviews made it more interesting. Thank you Malaysia Today for publishing this.
I read the shorter version of the interview last week, but i was too busy to actually share my thought on this. Then i found the excerpts of the interview.
I read the stupid comments made not just by the public, and after 1 day of careful thinking, i am glad that i didnt post it earlier. I may have over-reacted. Well, who wouldn't feel irritated after reading these painful comments, and realising how you are getting beaten left right up bottom. Women with their EQ difficulties.
I am very much directly involved in the project, where my Kebabangan field is one of the gas field going into SOGT. So of course, it very much affected me.
We develop the gas, we get scold.
We give work to the local, we get scold.
We give business to the government, we get scold.
So we get scold no matter what la.
Geez... i am getting all emo again.
Cheers. Happy reading.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Controversies have surfaced on the oil and gas development in Sabah, especially with regards to the RM1.6 billion Kimanis-Bintulu gas pipeline project. Certain Sabah politicians are in no mood to share the gas with Sarawak, even though there may be an excess. There have also been questions raised over the role of the state government. There are even voices that since the gas belongs to Sabah and if the state cannot use it right away, it should be kept for future generations. Questions have also been thrown at Petronas on how the oil and gas industry in Sabah will benefit the local people. Petronas president and chief executive officerCEO Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican speaks to gives his view and explanation in this exclusive interview with JONISTON BANGKUAI of the New Sunday Times and Sabah-based Daily Express chief editor JAMES SARDA. The following are excerpts of from the interview. are as follows:
Q: There have been numerous questions raised about the oil and gas industries in Sabah, particularly the 500km multi-billion ringgit Kimanis-Bintulu gas pipeline project and the setting up of a petrochemical complex in Sabah. How do you deal with this?
A: We have to put this in perspective. I am only going to deal with facts because I am a technocrat. You have to go back to history. The oil and gas industry in Sabah started many years ago, even before the incorporation of Petronas. But Sabah has small resources and therefore small production. But it has been a producer for a long time. The oil and gas industry in Sabah was based in Labuan and this included the Labuan Crude Oil Terminal, Asian Supply Base and methanol plant. Labuan became a federal territory in 1984. But the development of oil and gas continued. The first methanol plant was developed by the Sabah Gas Industries which was bailed out by Petronas in 1992. Even though Labuan became a federal territory, Sabah continued to enjoy royalty from the production of oil and gas offshore Sabah. In the last six years, there have been discoveries of oil and gas, particularly in the deepwaters off Sabah. The first major development of this new discovery of oil is Kikeh which came into production in August last year. With that production, Sabah's royalty value went up. The reserves of gas offshore Sabah are small, about 10 trillion cubic feet, and they are scattered in reservoirs that are not very large. This is different from the reservoirs in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia which contain huge reserves. Because they are small and scattered, the viability of developing the oil and gas is quite limited until such time when we discover sufficient volume to develop. So what we came up with is this: The development of offshore Sabah gas is going to be undertaken in two clusters -- the northern and southern clusters. What the clusters mean is that there will be a central facility which will gather the gas from various reservoirs and it will be brought to Sabah. So you have two big pipelines coming in from the north and south. And they will end up in Kimanis at the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT). That is for gas. The future development of oil that has been discovered, starting with the Gumusut development, which is ultra deep, will also be landed in Kimanis. There will be crude oil tanks with a capacity for three billion barrels and the oil will be exported from there. Hence, the combined Kimanis facility will be called the SOGT. It took us 30 years to develop Bintulu which is today one of the single largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) complexes in the world. It has taken us 35 years to develop Kerteh. In order for gas to be developed, there has to be a base load to make it commercially viable. In the case of Peninsular Malaysia, the base load was provided by the export to Singapore. Only when you have this base load can downstream gas industries proceed. We are bringing gas from offshore Sabah to onshore Sabah. A portion of it, as we design this, will be piped to Bintulu. That gives us the base to provide the economic viability to develop the gas offshore Sabah. Bear in mind that the gas reserves are not all Petronas' but they also belong to production-sharing contractors who would only develop it if there is economic return.
Q: When did discussion with the Sabah government on the petrochemical plant begin?
A: The first discussion was in 2006 when the whole concept was deliberated. At that discussion, we (Petronas) said we will embark on a masterplan for downstream gas industries which would include petrochemicals. In fact, we conducted a joint feasibility study with Yayasan Sabah for a world-scale fertiliser plant or urea plant. But it was not commercially viable because the cost of construction was very high. We have not given up and we will revisit the proposed project when the cost and market environment changes. In the meantime, we are in the process of completing the integrated petrochemical masterplan which will then be presented to the state government when it is ready. To have a downstream integrated petrochemical complex also requires a lot of other things such as infrastructure -- meaning not only roads but also marine facilities and water. For example, in Kerteh, we use 30 million gallons of water every day. We also need power and human resources. All these need to be taken into account if we are going to attract world-class companies. This is a global business. We need to attract and bring in the "big boys" as partners. We have not been keeping quiet. We have held discussions with key petrochemical companies and identified potential sites. We have been very quiet about this because we don't want any speculation, especially where land is concerned. We are in a competitive global business environment. If you make an announcement prematurely about what project you want to embark on, you will be alerting the competitors who can then be ahead of you. The industry is such that you cannot build little plants here and there. It is not viable. That is why all the facilities we have built are of world-scale capacities.
Q: Can you elaborate on what the SOGT entails?
A: As part of the development of the SOGT, the immediate thing that has happened is the joint venture between the state government and Wah Seong Corp Bhd which is a listed company operating pipe welding and coating plant in KKIP (Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park) which employs 250 Sabahans. The plant is not built just for the SOGT but also for other projects in Malaysia and outside Malaysia. We are also training close to 500 Sabahans in various skills and not just for this development. But again, the expectation of the oil and gas industry as a large provider of jobs is also not correct. It is a highly skilled, highly technical job with few vacancies. But the spillover effect for small-and medium-size industries to provide services is huge. We have been in communication with the state government to encourage Sabahans in this. What is important is that this is a long-term industry and we have to look at the success of the Sarawak service providers because they have been very focused. They have been able to look at the long-term to the extent that they have been able to export their services. If the expectation is for all this to happen overnight, it is wrong. Another key consideration is when we talk about having a gas-based industry, any investor who wants to invest in a petrochemical facility will want to see the sustainability of production and reserves for at least 20 years. You do not invest billions of dollars and find that there is no gas after six or seven years. As the gas owner, you have to give that commitment that you will be able to provide the resource for at least 20 years.
Q: How long will Sabah be able to produce gas?
A: The offshore Sabah resources compared with Sarawak and the peninsula is very small. Sarawak's gas reserve is 45 trillion cubic feet and in the peninsula, it is about 39 trillion. Sabah has about 10 trillion to 12 trillion, if you include associated gas, and it is scattered and in small reservoirs making it expensive to develop. The important thing is developing the gas the way we have conceptualised and planned to help maximise value to the state government because the state will receive royalty from the gas production.
Q: Is the setting up of the proposed petrochemical plant in Sabah something new?
A: It has been ongoing and the methanol plant in Labuan is also a petrochemical plant. Many competent and capable Sabahans are actually located in Labuan where they are the service providers. The chief minister (Datuk Seri Musa Aman) and some state officials visited Kerteh in 2006 to see the operation there.
Q: Some Sabah leaders want a gas plant to be set up in the state, instead of spending RM1.6 billion to build the gas pipeline to Bintulu.
A: The proposal was considered but it was not viable because we cannot sustain it for 30 years. In the end, if you look at it in the national context, we will be wasting resources because we already have a complex in Bintulu. The reason we are sending the gas to Bintulu is because of the base. The cost of an LNG plant today is about US$1,200 (RM4,224) per tonne. The third plant in Bintulu which was completed in 2002 cost US$200 a tonne.
Q: Does this mean that the only option is to send the gas to Bintulu?
A: Yes, but we will still pay Sabah the royalty. We don't plan to take everything to Bintulu. We keep a certain amount to support the downstream gas industry in Sabah. This will provide the base to develop the resources.
Q: When do you expect the masterplan on the proposed petrochemical complex in Sabah and the urea plant to be completed?
A: By early next year we will be able to complete the petrochemical masterplan. As for now, the urea plant is out because the cost is too high.
Q: What about the proposed gas-powered plant that is to be built in Sabah?
A: Petronas Gas Bhd has already entered into a joint venture with Yayasan Sabah for a 300 megawatt combined cycle power plant in Kimanis. It should be fully on stream in early 2011, which is when the gas is expected to land. We have a joint committee chaired by the state secretary to oversee this.
Q: The public has the impression that the state government had not been playing an active or participatory role in the project.
A: Like I said, you cannot make a premature announcement on a project like this.
Q: What is the overall investment required for the petrochemical complex in Sabah?
A: Kertih's was RM70 billion. As for Sabah, developing the two gas clusters and the Gumusut field has already exceeded RM10 billion. Gumusut, which is being developed by Petronas, Shell Production Sharing Contractors and Conoco, is expected to start producing in 2011. We are working with the various training institutions in Sabah to train Sabahans.
Q: Some Sabah politicians are saying the gas belongs to Sabah and as such it must benefit the state.
A: I think this is a national resource. You cannot look at it in a parochial way. The focus should be on all the supporting industries. We have explained to the trade and business chambers in Sabah on many occasions that there will be many opportunities for them. When we talk of certain packages of contracts, we restrict it to Sabah contractors. For example, the site preparation work for the SOGT in Kimanis involves two Sabah Bumiputera contractors and the value of the contract is RM100 million. One consortium gets RM60 million and the other RM40 million. The first consortium is led by Montis and the other is Ribuan Gaya. The supply and coating of pipes is worth RM400 million, and it is a 60 per cent joint venture with the state government. The company is Petropaip Sabah Sdn Bhd.
Q: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok had said that he was disappointed that the state government was not supporting his objection to the pipeline on grounds that the gas was most needed in Sabah. What is your view on this?
A: To be fair to the state, they know more about what had transpired. But we did not want to have a premature announcement. We are only a small reserve holder compared with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. If we make too much noise, what happens if the Saudis say they want to do the plant first? You are in competition as a resource holder to attract the right investor to come into a joint venture with you. The competition from Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore that I went through to get Dow and BASF to come to Kertih and Kuantan was tremendous. We were on the same flight to New York with the chairman of EDB (Economic Development Board of Singapore) and we were going to see the same investor.
Q: Are you saying it is unfair for certain quarters to say the state government was hardly involved in the project?
A: What I can say is that they have been fully involved since 2006 when we presented and discussed the concept with them. Like I said, I am not a politician but a technocrat. I can give you facts, the history and how we've done it.
Q: Is it fair to say then that in the case of the state government, the chief minister was aggressively involved in the petrochemical plant project, contrary to the perception that has been created?
A: Yes. I think it is fair comment. And also together with him we even discussed this with the national leaders, both the prime minister and his deputy since 2006.
Q: In the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC), one of the core focus is the development of an oil and gas industry in Sabah. Can you elaborate?
A: That is how it got lifted and included as part of the corridor's development. Not the other way around. Even before 1995, when we landed gas in Kg Gayang (Tuaran), for many years nobody used the gas. The independent power producer only used 20 per cent of the capacity that we landed.
Q: Sabah is facing an energy shortage and following the proposal to build a coal-fired power plant in the east coast, there is talk of using gas to produce electricity.
A: This (gas-powered electricity plant) is in our discussions with Tenaga Nasional. You cannot just land (the gas) here, there and everywhere. We are continuously discussing with Tenaga Nasional their requirements. I have always believed that Borneo should have its own power grid instead of having small power plants here and there. It makes economic sense.
Q: The published cost for the gas pipeline is RM1.6 billion but some politicians in Sabah think it will be RM3 billion.
A: The EPCC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning) cost of the gas pipeline is RM1.6 billion. One of the members of the consortium is a Yayasan Sabah company, Petrosab. The others are India-based Punj Lloyd and Dialog E&C Sdn Bhd.
Q: Although you have outlined the reasons, the lingering feeling will still be why not a LNG plant in Sabah?
A: The Kertih plant was not cheap because you are talking about reactors. An urea plant today will cost a fortune. And all these products have a global market and the price will be determined accordingly. So when you do a feasibility study you are not only doing the technical feasibility study but also looking at the market, the future price.
Q: It is left to Sabah then to get a better deal in some other way, perhaps higher royalty?
A: That is not for me to comment.
Q: Another grouse of Sabah leaders is that Petronas has hundreds of subsidiaries and yet Sabahans are not benefiting in the form of directorships, etc.
A: Sabahans have got quite a number of our scholarships. And all these training is funded by us.
- nst
I read the shorter version of the interview last week, but i was too busy to actually share my thought on this. Then i found the excerpts of the interview.
I read the stupid comments made not just by the public, and after 1 day of careful thinking, i am glad that i didnt post it earlier. I may have over-reacted. Well, who wouldn't feel irritated after reading these painful comments, and realising how you are getting beaten left right up bottom. Women with their EQ difficulties.
I am very much directly involved in the project, where my Kebabangan field is one of the gas field going into SOGT. So of course, it very much affected me.
We develop the gas, we get scold.
We give work to the local, we get scold.
We give business to the government, we get scold.
So we get scold no matter what la.
Geez... i am getting all emo again.
Cheers. Happy reading.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Controversies have surfaced on the oil and gas development in Sabah, especially with regards to the RM1.6 billion Kimanis-Bintulu gas pipeline project. Certain Sabah politicians are in no mood to share the gas with Sarawak, even though there may be an excess. There have also been questions raised over the role of the state government. There are even voices that since the gas belongs to Sabah and if the state cannot use it right away, it should be kept for future generations. Questions have also been thrown at Petronas on how the oil and gas industry in Sabah will benefit the local people. Petronas president and chief executive officerCEO Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican speaks to gives his view and explanation in this exclusive interview with JONISTON BANGKUAI of the New Sunday Times and Sabah-based Daily Express chief editor JAMES SARDA. The following are excerpts of from the interview. are as follows:
Q: There have been numerous questions raised about the oil and gas industries in Sabah, particularly the 500km multi-billion ringgit Kimanis-Bintulu gas pipeline project and the setting up of a petrochemical complex in Sabah. How do you deal with this?
A: We have to put this in perspective. I am only going to deal with facts because I am a technocrat. You have to go back to history. The oil and gas industry in Sabah started many years ago, even before the incorporation of Petronas. But Sabah has small resources and therefore small production. But it has been a producer for a long time. The oil and gas industry in Sabah was based in Labuan and this included the Labuan Crude Oil Terminal, Asian Supply Base and methanol plant. Labuan became a federal territory in 1984. But the development of oil and gas continued. The first methanol plant was developed by the Sabah Gas Industries which was bailed out by Petronas in 1992. Even though Labuan became a federal territory, Sabah continued to enjoy royalty from the production of oil and gas offshore Sabah. In the last six years, there have been discoveries of oil and gas, particularly in the deepwaters off Sabah. The first major development of this new discovery of oil is Kikeh which came into production in August last year. With that production, Sabah's royalty value went up. The reserves of gas offshore Sabah are small, about 10 trillion cubic feet, and they are scattered in reservoirs that are not very large. This is different from the reservoirs in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia which contain huge reserves. Because they are small and scattered, the viability of developing the oil and gas is quite limited until such time when we discover sufficient volume to develop. So what we came up with is this: The development of offshore Sabah gas is going to be undertaken in two clusters -- the northern and southern clusters. What the clusters mean is that there will be a central facility which will gather the gas from various reservoirs and it will be brought to Sabah. So you have two big pipelines coming in from the north and south. And they will end up in Kimanis at the Sabah Oil and Gas Terminal (SOGT). That is for gas. The future development of oil that has been discovered, starting with the Gumusut development, which is ultra deep, will also be landed in Kimanis. There will be crude oil tanks with a capacity for three billion barrels and the oil will be exported from there. Hence, the combined Kimanis facility will be called the SOGT. It took us 30 years to develop Bintulu which is today one of the single largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) complexes in the world. It has taken us 35 years to develop Kerteh. In order for gas to be developed, there has to be a base load to make it commercially viable. In the case of Peninsular Malaysia, the base load was provided by the export to Singapore. Only when you have this base load can downstream gas industries proceed. We are bringing gas from offshore Sabah to onshore Sabah. A portion of it, as we design this, will be piped to Bintulu. That gives us the base to provide the economic viability to develop the gas offshore Sabah. Bear in mind that the gas reserves are not all Petronas' but they also belong to production-sharing contractors who would only develop it if there is economic return.
Q: When did discussion with the Sabah government on the petrochemical plant begin?
A: The first discussion was in 2006 when the whole concept was deliberated. At that discussion, we (Petronas) said we will embark on a masterplan for downstream gas industries which would include petrochemicals. In fact, we conducted a joint feasibility study with Yayasan Sabah for a world-scale fertiliser plant or urea plant. But it was not commercially viable because the cost of construction was very high. We have not given up and we will revisit the proposed project when the cost and market environment changes. In the meantime, we are in the process of completing the integrated petrochemical masterplan which will then be presented to the state government when it is ready. To have a downstream integrated petrochemical complex also requires a lot of other things such as infrastructure -- meaning not only roads but also marine facilities and water. For example, in Kerteh, we use 30 million gallons of water every day. We also need power and human resources. All these need to be taken into account if we are going to attract world-class companies. This is a global business. We need to attract and bring in the "big boys" as partners. We have not been keeping quiet. We have held discussions with key petrochemical companies and identified potential sites. We have been very quiet about this because we don't want any speculation, especially where land is concerned. We are in a competitive global business environment. If you make an announcement prematurely about what project you want to embark on, you will be alerting the competitors who can then be ahead of you. The industry is such that you cannot build little plants here and there. It is not viable. That is why all the facilities we have built are of world-scale capacities.
Q: Can you elaborate on what the SOGT entails?
A: As part of the development of the SOGT, the immediate thing that has happened is the joint venture between the state government and Wah Seong Corp Bhd which is a listed company operating pipe welding and coating plant in KKIP (Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park) which employs 250 Sabahans. The plant is not built just for the SOGT but also for other projects in Malaysia and outside Malaysia. We are also training close to 500 Sabahans in various skills and not just for this development. But again, the expectation of the oil and gas industry as a large provider of jobs is also not correct. It is a highly skilled, highly technical job with few vacancies. But the spillover effect for small-and medium-size industries to provide services is huge. We have been in communication with the state government to encourage Sabahans in this. What is important is that this is a long-term industry and we have to look at the success of the Sarawak service providers because they have been very focused. They have been able to look at the long-term to the extent that they have been able to export their services. If the expectation is for all this to happen overnight, it is wrong. Another key consideration is when we talk about having a gas-based industry, any investor who wants to invest in a petrochemical facility will want to see the sustainability of production and reserves for at least 20 years. You do not invest billions of dollars and find that there is no gas after six or seven years. As the gas owner, you have to give that commitment that you will be able to provide the resource for at least 20 years.
Q: How long will Sabah be able to produce gas?
A: The offshore Sabah resources compared with Sarawak and the peninsula is very small. Sarawak's gas reserve is 45 trillion cubic feet and in the peninsula, it is about 39 trillion. Sabah has about 10 trillion to 12 trillion, if you include associated gas, and it is scattered and in small reservoirs making it expensive to develop. The important thing is developing the gas the way we have conceptualised and planned to help maximise value to the state government because the state will receive royalty from the gas production.
Q: Is the setting up of the proposed petrochemical plant in Sabah something new?
A: It has been ongoing and the methanol plant in Labuan is also a petrochemical plant. Many competent and capable Sabahans are actually located in Labuan where they are the service providers. The chief minister (Datuk Seri Musa Aman) and some state officials visited Kerteh in 2006 to see the operation there.
Q: Some Sabah leaders want a gas plant to be set up in the state, instead of spending RM1.6 billion to build the gas pipeline to Bintulu.
A: The proposal was considered but it was not viable because we cannot sustain it for 30 years. In the end, if you look at it in the national context, we will be wasting resources because we already have a complex in Bintulu. The reason we are sending the gas to Bintulu is because of the base. The cost of an LNG plant today is about US$1,200 (RM4,224) per tonne. The third plant in Bintulu which was completed in 2002 cost US$200 a tonne.
Q: Does this mean that the only option is to send the gas to Bintulu?
A: Yes, but we will still pay Sabah the royalty. We don't plan to take everything to Bintulu. We keep a certain amount to support the downstream gas industry in Sabah. This will provide the base to develop the resources.
Q: When do you expect the masterplan on the proposed petrochemical complex in Sabah and the urea plant to be completed?
A: By early next year we will be able to complete the petrochemical masterplan. As for now, the urea plant is out because the cost is too high.
Q: What about the proposed gas-powered plant that is to be built in Sabah?
A: Petronas Gas Bhd has already entered into a joint venture with Yayasan Sabah for a 300 megawatt combined cycle power plant in Kimanis. It should be fully on stream in early 2011, which is when the gas is expected to land. We have a joint committee chaired by the state secretary to oversee this.
Q: The public has the impression that the state government had not been playing an active or participatory role in the project.
A: Like I said, you cannot make a premature announcement on a project like this.
Q: What is the overall investment required for the petrochemical complex in Sabah?
A: Kertih's was RM70 billion. As for Sabah, developing the two gas clusters and the Gumusut field has already exceeded RM10 billion. Gumusut, which is being developed by Petronas, Shell Production Sharing Contractors and Conoco, is expected to start producing in 2011. We are working with the various training institutions in Sabah to train Sabahans.
Q: Some Sabah politicians are saying the gas belongs to Sabah and as such it must benefit the state.
A: I think this is a national resource. You cannot look at it in a parochial way. The focus should be on all the supporting industries. We have explained to the trade and business chambers in Sabah on many occasions that there will be many opportunities for them. When we talk of certain packages of contracts, we restrict it to Sabah contractors. For example, the site preparation work for the SOGT in Kimanis involves two Sabah Bumiputera contractors and the value of the contract is RM100 million. One consortium gets RM60 million and the other RM40 million. The first consortium is led by Montis and the other is Ribuan Gaya. The supply and coating of pipes is worth RM400 million, and it is a 60 per cent joint venture with the state government. The company is Petropaip Sabah Sdn Bhd.
Q: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok had said that he was disappointed that the state government was not supporting his objection to the pipeline on grounds that the gas was most needed in Sabah. What is your view on this?
A: To be fair to the state, they know more about what had transpired. But we did not want to have a premature announcement. We are only a small reserve holder compared with Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. If we make too much noise, what happens if the Saudis say they want to do the plant first? You are in competition as a resource holder to attract the right investor to come into a joint venture with you. The competition from Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore that I went through to get Dow and BASF to come to Kertih and Kuantan was tremendous. We were on the same flight to New York with the chairman of EDB (Economic Development Board of Singapore) and we were going to see the same investor.
Q: Are you saying it is unfair for certain quarters to say the state government was hardly involved in the project?
A: What I can say is that they have been fully involved since 2006 when we presented and discussed the concept with them. Like I said, I am not a politician but a technocrat. I can give you facts, the history and how we've done it.
Q: Is it fair to say then that in the case of the state government, the chief minister was aggressively involved in the petrochemical plant project, contrary to the perception that has been created?
A: Yes. I think it is fair comment. And also together with him we even discussed this with the national leaders, both the prime minister and his deputy since 2006.
Q: In the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC), one of the core focus is the development of an oil and gas industry in Sabah. Can you elaborate?
A: That is how it got lifted and included as part of the corridor's development. Not the other way around. Even before 1995, when we landed gas in Kg Gayang (Tuaran), for many years nobody used the gas. The independent power producer only used 20 per cent of the capacity that we landed.
Q: Sabah is facing an energy shortage and following the proposal to build a coal-fired power plant in the east coast, there is talk of using gas to produce electricity.
A: This (gas-powered electricity plant) is in our discussions with Tenaga Nasional. You cannot just land (the gas) here, there and everywhere. We are continuously discussing with Tenaga Nasional their requirements. I have always believed that Borneo should have its own power grid instead of having small power plants here and there. It makes economic sense.
Q: The published cost for the gas pipeline is RM1.6 billion but some politicians in Sabah think it will be RM3 billion.
A: The EPCC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning) cost of the gas pipeline is RM1.6 billion. One of the members of the consortium is a Yayasan Sabah company, Petrosab. The others are India-based Punj Lloyd and Dialog E&C Sdn Bhd.
Q: Although you have outlined the reasons, the lingering feeling will still be why not a LNG plant in Sabah?
A: The Kertih plant was not cheap because you are talking about reactors. An urea plant today will cost a fortune. And all these products have a global market and the price will be determined accordingly. So when you do a feasibility study you are not only doing the technical feasibility study but also looking at the market, the future price.
Q: It is left to Sabah then to get a better deal in some other way, perhaps higher royalty?
A: That is not for me to comment.
Q: Another grouse of Sabah leaders is that Petronas has hundreds of subsidiaries and yet Sabahans are not benefiting in the form of directorships, etc.
A: Sabahans have got quite a number of our scholarships. And all these training is funded by us.
- nst
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Toastmaster - Hidup Mesti Terima Kegagalan
Sometimes in life you just have to learn to accept the fact that life does not always treat you fair, and learn to handle resentment as ethical as you can. Sometimes you must not take things too personal and accept what fate has chosen for you.
I was furious at the fact that I lost, cause I thought I had it pretty much bagged and ready to go. Luckily I didn't show the sign of pure bliss of confidence, else, I would have stormed out of the room deniably claiming my ‘lost’.
Ok, so there I was rewinding the moment, rethinking about . What did i do wrong? How could I have been ONLY second best?
Everyone congratulated me on a speech well done, and some said that I should have won. I gave a fake smile and gave the humble answer where I don’t think I was not good enough to begin with. Secretly I knew I was not making sense. If only you were there, you could see that I have moved leaped from my early un-confident speech. I have transformed myself. It was shaky at the beginning, but I went off marvelously once I have gained my confidence.
I spent that night on the bed, playing my speech on my head over and over again and comparing mine to the guy who won. I keep thinking about why life has been unfair to me, that the contest was not just about who’s the best. Somehow he appeals more, I guess. It’s not about who has the best English or the best content, it’s maybe about who warms up more to you even before the contest begin? Who has a more catchy opening? It’s all starting to make some sense.
This is what happened during the recent Area Humor & Evaluation Contest for toastmasters, and yes, I won 2nd place. I need regain my momentum and fight back to win the Divisional level. I just need to be better for myself, and everyone else.
Don’t worry. I’m just being a tad dramatic here, one like period, which I do have every now and then. Wish me luck for the next one.
I was furious at the fact that I lost, cause I thought I had it pretty much bagged and ready to go. Luckily I didn't show the sign of pure bliss of confidence, else, I would have stormed out of the room deniably claiming my ‘lost’.
Ok, so there I was rewinding the moment, rethinking about . What did i do wrong? How could I have been ONLY second best?
Everyone congratulated me on a speech well done, and some said that I should have won. I gave a fake smile and gave the humble answer where I don’t think I was not good enough to begin with. Secretly I knew I was not making sense. If only you were there, you could see that I have moved leaped from my early un-confident speech. I have transformed myself. It was shaky at the beginning, but I went off marvelously once I have gained my confidence.
I spent that night on the bed, playing my speech on my head over and over again and comparing mine to the guy who won. I keep thinking about why life has been unfair to me, that the contest was not just about who’s the best. Somehow he appeals more, I guess. It’s not about who has the best English or the best content, it’s maybe about who warms up more to you even before the contest begin? Who has a more catchy opening? It’s all starting to make some sense.
This is what happened during the recent Area Humor & Evaluation Contest for toastmasters, and yes, I won 2nd place. I need regain my momentum and fight back to win the Divisional level. I just need to be better for myself, and everyone else.
Don’t worry. I’m just being a tad dramatic here, one like period, which I do have every now and then. Wish me luck for the next one.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
THE 'KITE RUNNER's' 'INFIDELITY CHAIN' made 'EAGLE EYE' 'PUNGGOK RINDUKAN BULAN' 'KAMI'
So, how do you spend a week-long holiday entrapped in the big city – Kuala Lumpur?
Various ways: lepak2 with your boyfriend (check), finish up on those novels which you bought but have not read (check check), watch movies (check check check).
I do have to admit that my Raya was not as glamorous. Wore the new baju kurung on the first day, and that was Raya for me. Wait, I wore the other new baju kurung for a wedding on Saturday night, so I do have another 2 unworn .. opsie.. yeah, I lavishly went on a major shopping spree for 4 baju kurung this year.
So, the two books I read:
THE INFIDELITY CHAIN – a lot of raunchy acts, plots that were quite interesting, good
ending. Not a Must-Have-Book, but definitely the one that kills your boredom on Second Day of Raya
KITE RUNNER – Excellent! A story about family, friendship, war and terror. Finally a book so moving that you’re taken away by the story. A book that made me feels thankful for the tranquility that I enjoy in this country
And the three movies I watched:
EAGLE EYE – Disappointing. Not the Spielberg make that you would expect. A rip off from some other futuristic movie
PUNGGOK RINDUKAN BULAN – I can’t believe Amir Muhammad even had anything to do with it. I lost the story line not even mid-way. And apparently, there were only 3 of us who sat in the big cinema watching the show. I guess everyone else knows better. And here I thought that I am artsy enough to follow this show till the end.
KAMI – Quite good. Love the plot, and love the character Lyn. Suddenly reminded me of Dawson’s Creek. But not the kind of movie to educate you about what these indie acts ie gigs etc all about, more of a movie about teenagers and their many issues. But an enjoyable movie after all.
Work starts Monday (erk.. remember how you used to dread saying that school starts Monday!) Not sure whether I had plenty of rest to begin with, and staying up late just to blog about it.
Good nite everyone (or morning in this case). Look forward for a brand new day tomorrow.
Various ways: lepak2 with your boyfriend (check), finish up on those novels which you bought but have not read (check check), watch movies (check check check).
I do have to admit that my Raya was not as glamorous. Wore the new baju kurung on the first day, and that was Raya for me. Wait, I wore the other new baju kurung for a wedding on Saturday night, so I do have another 2 unworn .. opsie.. yeah, I lavishly went on a major shopping spree for 4 baju kurung this year.
So, the two books I read:
THE INFIDELITY CHAIN – a lot of raunchy acts, plots that were quite interesting, good
ending. Not a Must-Have-Book, but definitely the one that kills your boredom on Second Day of Raya
KITE RUNNER – Excellent! A story about family, friendship, war and terror. Finally a book so moving that you’re taken away by the story. A book that made me feels thankful for the tranquility that I enjoy in this country
And the three movies I watched:
EAGLE EYE – Disappointing. Not the Spielberg make that you would expect. A rip off from some other futuristic movie
PUNGGOK RINDUKAN BULAN – I can’t believe Amir Muhammad even had anything to do with it. I lost the story line not even mid-way. And apparently, there were only 3 of us who sat in the big cinema watching the show. I guess everyone else knows better. And here I thought that I am artsy enough to follow this show till the end.
KAMI – Quite good. Love the plot, and love the character Lyn. Suddenly reminded me of Dawson’s Creek. But not the kind of movie to educate you about what these indie acts ie gigs etc all about, more of a movie about teenagers and their many issues. But an enjoyable movie after all.
Work starts Monday (erk.. remember how you used to dread saying that school starts Monday!) Not sure whether I had plenty of rest to begin with, and staying up late just to blog about it.
Good nite everyone (or morning in this case). Look forward for a brand new day tomorrow.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Hati-hati di Jalan Raya
I got the call at 7.01 pm, and had the shocked of my life.
3 of my cousin were on the way for balik kampong, when the Kancil they were driving met with an accident… a head-on collision with a 1 tonne lorry. The driver passed away instantly and the two others were in ICU.
My family were the first to arrive in Hospital Raub that night, as their parents were making their way miles away from Padang Pak Amat, Kelantan and we are the only family living closest. We were told that Izzati was brought to Hospital Temerloh due to her criticality, and the oldest, Sulong is being warded with 1 eyes temporary blinded due to the impact from the broken glasses.
Sulong was still half conscious, but he repeatedly asked about Izzati. He was quite relief knowing that his little sister was all right, but little did he knew about the fate of his younger brother. We didn’t want to break the news there and then.
What was supposed to be a short trip to the hospital, turned into an overnight outing. We spent the next few hours in Raub for sahur, and slept at the back of the car waiting for daylight as we would need to perform Dowe’s last ritual right.
It was not until 11 am that day that solat jenazah with Ayah Chik was performed. It was also when Sulong walked out of the ward, that we told him about Dowe. Never did he expect that his little brother would be the first to go. He watched from afar as Dowe’s body were carried on the van.
I know that somehow he blamed himself. If only he didn’t insisted to go home that evening, or if he had just driven back himself. But things just simply happen, and God had better plan for all of us.
I do not want to elaborate in detail what happen cause I don’t feel like reliving those heartbreaking moments.
But Selamat Hari Raya everyone. Drive safe. Don’t rush.
3 of my cousin were on the way for balik kampong, when the Kancil they were driving met with an accident… a head-on collision with a 1 tonne lorry. The driver passed away instantly and the two others were in ICU.
My family were the first to arrive in Hospital Raub that night, as their parents were making their way miles away from Padang Pak Amat, Kelantan and we are the only family living closest. We were told that Izzati was brought to Hospital Temerloh due to her criticality, and the oldest, Sulong is being warded with 1 eyes temporary blinded due to the impact from the broken glasses.
Sulong was still half conscious, but he repeatedly asked about Izzati. He was quite relief knowing that his little sister was all right, but little did he knew about the fate of his younger brother. We didn’t want to break the news there and then.
What was supposed to be a short trip to the hospital, turned into an overnight outing. We spent the next few hours in Raub for sahur, and slept at the back of the car waiting for daylight as we would need to perform Dowe’s last ritual right.
It was not until 11 am that day that solat jenazah with Ayah Chik was performed. It was also when Sulong walked out of the ward, that we told him about Dowe. Never did he expect that his little brother would be the first to go. He watched from afar as Dowe’s body were carried on the van.
I know that somehow he blamed himself. If only he didn’t insisted to go home that evening, or if he had just driven back himself. But things just simply happen, and God had better plan for all of us.
I do not want to elaborate in detail what happen cause I don’t feel like reliving those heartbreaking moments.
But Selamat Hari Raya everyone. Drive safe. Don’t rush.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 1997 - 1998
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 1997 - 1998
By Nor Mohamed Yakcop
A moment comes, which rarely comes in a lifetime, when a particular event redefines a person's life and changes the course permanently. For me, the meeting with Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on the evening of October 3, 1997 was such an event. It enabled me to devote the next 6 years of my life working for Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, meeting him almost daily. In the process, it enabled me to see, at very close range, the abilities of this great man http://www.chedet.com/2008/06/oil-price.html> . The combination of many noble qualities in one person is rare, and it is this unique combination that has enabled Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to transform Malaysia from an otherwise typical third world country into a thriving and vibrant nation, well on the way to become a developed nation. It is also this combination of qualities that enabled Dr. Mahathir Mohamad to save Malaysia from becoming another IMF nation during the financial crisis of 1997 - 1998. I am often asked about my involvement in the recovery plan implemented on September 1, 1998.
It began on September 29, 1997, when I received a telephone call from the office of Dr Mahathir Mohamad informing me that the Prime Minister wanted to see me. The PM was in Cuba at that time, and I asked (in jest) if I was to meet the Prime Minister in Cuba ! I was told (not in jest) that he will be arriving in Buenos Aires on October 3, 1997 and I was to make sure I was in Buenos Aires at least a day before he arrived. I packed my bags and left for Buenos Aires, and arrived in Buenos Aires on October 2. The PM arrived the following day at 5 pm and we met immediately at his suite. He informed me that he had asked many people to explain to him what was causing the financial crisis but no one was able to give him a satisfactory reply. He asked me whether I could explain to him what exactly was happening. I asked him how much time he had, and he said two hours.
I explained to him how the forex market works, about short positions and long positions, about hedging and how currencies are borrowed and sold, the difference between "bid" and "offer" and how funds can be transferred from one country to another at the click of a button. I also explained how the equity market works and the relationship between the forex market and the equity market. Dr. Mahathir hardly said anything, asked one or two questions, and listened intently. After two hours, he had to end the meeting to get ready to go for an official dinner. He asked me about my plans for the night and I said I had been invited for the same dinner. Dr. Mahathir said to me: You go back to your room and write down all that you have been telling me for the last two hours, and see me at 7 am tomorrow. I went back to my room, skipped dinner, and wrote it all down, finishing at about 6 am. I saw him the next morning at 7 am and gave him the report.
He asked me to take a rest and come back again at 2 pm.. When I returned, he told me that he had read the report and that he now understands what was happening in the financial markets. We started discussing various methods of overcoming the crisis, and our discussions continued when we returned to Malaysia. I met him almost daily for discussion, sometimes at his house and sometimes at his office. We tried a few mechanisms to overcome the crisis, some of which worked initially, but the hedge funds were so strong that it was difficult to proceed successfully with these mechanisms. In early 1998, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad asked me to explore the idea of imposing an exchange control regime to overcome the crisis. I remember preparing voluminous notes on this subject.
Dr. Mahathir went through the notes carefully, and kept asking for more and more details. We went through many rounds of discussion, until he was finally convinced both with the concept as well as the proposed mechanism. The rest, I guess, is history. Dr. Mahathir also asked me to prepare a paper on how to put an end to Malaysian shares traded in CLOB (Central Limit Order Book) in Singapore. Dr. Mahathir was of the view that an important reason for the falling stock market was the short-selling of Malaysian stocks in CLOB. I prepared the report and Dr. Mahathir understood, for the first time, how exactly CLOB operates. The report, which was also implemented on September 1, 1998, put to an end the trading of Malaysian shares in CLOB.
I should add that the exchange control measures were crafted in such a way as to minimize the control aspects and maximize the outcome. The Prime Minister went through the proposed mechanism many times to make sure that the control elements were as few as possible, but adequate enough to ensure a positive outcome. There were no bureaucratic elements in these measures, such as requiring importers to obtain Bank Negara's permission to import. The Ringgit was also pegged at a level where it was not overvalued. In almost every other country, which imposes exchange control measures and pegs its currency, there would, almost by definition, be numerous bureaucratic controls, and the currency would also be pegged at an overvalued rate.
It is often assumed that the system of exchange control (including fixed exchange rate) that we implemented on September 1, 1998 saved the country. The measures of September 1, 1998 were undoubtedly a necessary condition, but it was not a sufficient condition to overcome the crisis. Malaysia was saved, not by exchange control measures per se, but by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Let me explain. Any other developing country, facing a similar crisis, if it had introduced the measures that we introduced in September 1998, the measures would probably have failed. The fact that in Malaysia these measures succeeded is due to the ability and character of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
The economy and the financial system, under Dr. Mahathir's leadership, was in a very healthy state-healthy enough for the exchange control measures to be implemented without negative consequences. Moreover, the Prime Minister's hands-on management style enabled quick and timely decisions to be made, which was vital under the new exchange control regime. Dr. Mahathir, as Prime Minister, had ensured that the Malaysian economy was fundamentally strong. Ringgit was strong and stable. On the back of the currency stability (at RM2.50 against the US dollar) Malaysia was doing very well. At the end of 1996, real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at almost 8.5 per cent and the growth was expected to continue for many more years.
The government was enjoying a fiscal surplus. The external debt was low, at 40 per cent of the Gross National Product (GNP). The current account of the balance of payments had narrowed from a deficit of 10 per cent to 5 per cent of GNP, and was expected to improve further. Inflation was at its lowest at 2.1 percent. We had steady growth of over 8 per cent for a major part of that period. And this fundamental strength of Malaysia was a critical factor that enabled the exchange control measures to succeed. For a period of more than a year after the measures of September 1, 1998 were implemented, the Prime Minister met with a small group of us everyday - 6 days a week - for at least 2 hours to go through various economic data, including data on loan growth, exports, imports, property overhang etc.
This enabled the Prime Minister to take quick actions, whenever required. I remember one morning when we were going through the property figures, he looked at me and directed that I should organize a property fair to clear the overhang of properties. I did, and property worth more than RM 3 billion was sold. Even after the crisis was over, Dr. Mahathir continued to meet with the group regularly, though no longer on a daily basis. And Dr. Mahathir continued to go through all the economic data with a sharp pencil. No other Prime Minister in the world, either in developed or developing countries, employs such a hands-on approach in managing the economy.
We can see, therefore, that it was not the exchange control measures per se that saved the country but the man - Dr. Mahathir Mohamad - himself. The period 1997 - 1998 was, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, the worst of times, but it was also the best of times. The worst conditions brought out the best in Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. There is a saying that a good leader is like good tea - you only know the true quality when he is in hot water ! Throughout the crisis, the Prime Minister was focussed on resolving the crisis. Day and night, he thought of nothing else but the crisis.
He read all he could on finance; he kept asking me to prepare notes on various technical issues. Sometimes he was sick with bad flu and cough, but he did not take time off to rest. He was convinced that he had to understand the issues before he could work out the solutions. His native intelligence and ability to focus on core issues were there throughout the crisis. He did not show any sign of fear even at the worst of time, only concern at the fast deteriorating state of the economy. He was, at all times, confident that he would prevail in the end. I would like to add two additional points related to the financial crisis. The first is that, in implementing the measures of September 1, 1998, Dr. Mahathir not only saved Malaysia but the neighbouring countries as well.
Let me explain. When Malaysia imposed its exchange control measures on September 1, 1998, the currency speculators realised that the other affected countries (Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea) could also impose similar controls, and they, therefore, stopped their activities in its track. The speculators backed off. They bought back the currencies that they had sold. This is resulted in the regional currencies appreciating. Moreover, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was not happy with what Malaysia had done, particularly since, after implementing the measures, we did exactly the opposite of what the IMF wanted us to do, i.e. we lowered our interest rates and injected liquidity into the system. The IMF, therefore, started relaxing conditions in other countries and allowed them to lower their interest rates and allowed them to inject liquidity to stimulate their economies so that Malaysia would not outperform the IMF countries.
Therefore, it is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Mahathir Mohamad not only saved Malaysia, but the other affected countries in the region as well - Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea. My second point is regarding what would have happened if the exchange control measures were not implemented. If the measures were not implemented, many of corporations in Malaysia would have gone under, due to the high interest rates http://jebatmustdie.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/theres-something-about-anwar-alright> . When the corporations fall like dominos, banks would have faced severe liquidity and solvency problems due to the ballooning NPLs. The problems of the banks would have resulted in a credit squeeze, which would have led to another round of corporate failures. The Government's revenue would have fallen drastically as fewer firms would be paying corporate taxes, thereby reducing the Government's ability to stimulate the economy through fiscal policy measures. As a result of the problems faced by corporations and banks, unemployment would have increased substantially, leading to a second round of problems.
This is the classic vicious cycle, which could have, in the end, destroyed the social and political stability of the country. This was a scenario that was waiting to happen. It did not happen because of the decisiveness and guts of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who decided to take the path less travelled. We owe Dr. Mahathir much gratitude for what he has done for Malaysia over the last 22 years. Solving the financial crisis of 1997 - 1998 was just one, albeit perhaps the most important, of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's many contributions to the nation. On a personal note, over the last 6 years, I have come to admire this great man for his abilities, his high moral values and, most of all, for his sincerity. Certainly, a man like Dr. Mahathir Mohamad is not born everyday. (23rd. October, 2003)
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Sign - Hijau Atau Merah?
Dear company collegue,
Anonymously written.
Anonymously written.
For your info, we have already stated our case to the management last Thursday. We have engaged the management enquiring them into getting clarifications for the new salary increment. Believe me, it did catch their attention. And on Friday, a group of staff have collectively stated their case to the advocates, hence HR. The two main issue that was brought up are the concern as the salary difference are not equitable throughout the years of difference, and that the salary gap between those with years of experience almost matches the salary of new entrant.
So far, the Carigali HR seems concerned and has been very helpful, and they are trying to seek further clarification from the Task Force. At the end, the group has demanded two things: HR to share the formulation of how the new salary is calculated and the justification on the differences for the salary adjustment. But then, there’s nothing else that can be done at this point in time.
If you choose to run petition, you can expect that it will trigger just the wrong side of the management. And look at this:
STAFF WILL REJECT
- New entrants are still getting the new salary increment regardless. So you can see yourself earning much lower than the new entrants.
- New allowance package will not kick in (your meal, travel, new salary progression, etc)
STAFF WILL ACCEPT
- We have stressed to them that loyalty will remain a concern
In the end, you see that you are in the losing end with only ONE option to choose from.
Don’t just give in to resentment! Perhaps you are angry that you are not getting what you deserve and started to compare against others. But the HR answer was that you are not supposed to make comparison. What you earn is Private & Confidential and you are not allowed to share it with others. In other words – it’s better than nothing, right?
So listen, I know that in the angry mode you’d be telling yourself that the company does not value your years of experience. The thing is, if you are an E1 in the market (a junior engineer in this case), the market does not treasure your experience and hence what they have applied here. So you would see that you are not getting much higher than the new entrants. Yes, the task force must have consisted of some older G that are probably envious to the current state in which we lack of E2, and E1 are mostly the doer nowadays. They don’t value our experience because during their times, you do not seek independence within 2 years of working experience. Well, they should wake up obviously. I doubt that there was any Technical personnel view accounted for when they came up with the salary revision.
But anyway, that’s an old issue. Let’s look ahead and work with what we have. Yes, pride should be accounted for. The company should reward us for our hard work, and differentiate performers with non-performers. But with debts of more than RM300 K, I am in no position to argue. Perhaps I should just reap the company of its knowledge and trainings, and ensure that I use this opportunity to enrich myself. Some might not be here long, but for some others, you’d realize that the package will reward you long term. They are making it up in other ways, ie. Salary progression increment which has doubled, new allowance package and revision to your current EPF. I had my first tantrum with the company on Thursday, but I soon settled off. Some say that I went back against what I believe so much, and decided to accept. But my answer is I do not want to be on the losing end.
Yes, I will accept. But at the same time, I’ll try harder into making the management listens. If I succumb to rejecting the offer, I might just not get anything. And dear friends, 16th September political uncertainty is something to ponder.
Anonymous?
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Peace Not War
The first world war is what people terms as The End of War. Well, no one has then figured that it was actually the very beginning of a disaster.
What makes human think that they are superior? What has mankind do that they could be proud off?
Remember Hiroshima & Nagasaki – the mass massacre of more than 150’000 Japanese civilian and US prisoners of war, and injuring tens of thousand more? Imagine what the pilot must have felt the moment he agreed to take up the task of dropping Little Boy Bomb on the U.S. B-29 Enola Gay on August 6, 1945, which explodes with the force of 15kilotons of explosive AND three days later in Nagasaki, the Fatman bomb dropped by the U.S. B-29 Bock’s Car exploding with the force of 22 kilotons explosive. What then would be running through the pilot’s head when the nuclear weapon actually hit the ground?
You can see remain of dead bodies and shattered buildings within a mile. The survivors waited for death as emergency services were minimal. Cremation fires were burning day and night. This my friend, was THE merciless killings that had change the course of World War II.
At one time, Malaysia under the leadership of then Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reach-far in promoting peace and harmony.
Bosnia Herzegovina was a good example. The Muslims, Croats, and Serbs were racially indistinguishable, except perhaps for their religious belief. When Serbs and Croats partition the country among themselves through ruthless ethnic cleansing in particular the genocide of Muslims, it shattered the world.
Remember the Summer of 1994 in Srebrenica, a town in Western Bosnia Herzegovina where 8’000 Bosnian Muslim were murdered in a football field under the watchful eyes of the Peacekeepers (UNPROFOR)? After the United Nations peacekeepers withdrew their fleet, Malaysian troops (more than 10’000 in total) were the only one who has chosen to remain as garrison, and this are all done at our own expense. Tun Mahathir, enraged towards what was happening, went further than anyone in the matter. In the end, it just needed the push from the most powerful country in the world to put an end to it - when President Clinton finally made a stand and decided on taking some drastic measurement.
But the ‘powers that be’ may not be all that great. Iraq is a good example of how sometimes power and money can become the strongest motivating factor. After spending more than USD500 Bil (and USD3 Trillion long term) and losing more than 3,900 American coalition personnel, some say the US authorities are now moving in as parasites - reaping the oil benefit from the country. Iraqi civilians killed ranges from 81,532 to 1,120,000 where 70% do not have access to clean water, 80% without sanitation and 90% of Iraqi’s 180 hospital lacks the basic medical and surgical supplies. Whether the lives lost equate the Million of Barrels of oil gain, you be the judge of that. 79% of the Iraqi has already voted to oppose the presence of Coalition, and 64% American oppose the war in Iraq. But, did anyone cares to listen?
America has not been all that successful in winning their wars. Probably they still have not recovered from the deep cut of losing the Vietnam war.
Well, the deep cut of living years in oppression and detest towards the Western was the main reason that pushes Osama bin Laden to plan the perfect revenge on the America’s World Trade Centre Towers on September 11 killing 2,752 people. It may have well resulted in the invasion of Afghanistan, but it clearly shows that revenge will come your way at one point or another. And when it does, it is an option of whether you can fight back, or exemplify Japan during Hiroshima, where they picked up the pieces and recover. If the United States can plan the perfect war on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, why do they stumble when they are given back the taste of their own medicine? Isn’t there such belief as karma – what you give, you get back in return?
At this point in time, Malaysia is going to war amongst ourselves. Political drift have causes the people to forget the very reason that independence was achieved. Somehow, you’d see that sons and father argue about their belief, and husband and wife separated due to clashes in opinion.
We should consider ourselves fortunate that our democratic voices are being heard of, and that our kids ie Tan Hong Ming (from the PETRONAS TV commercial) do not know the meaning of races. Don’t let the fate of 13 May become another nightmare streak that may be repeated. Do not let this happen! Treat others the way we want to be treated. It is time to turn away from even the mini-war that we have amongst each other and unite towards making a better future.
So, turn to the person right next to you, and give a friendly shake. Be reminded to thank your friend and yourself for the wonderful country of Malaysia.
So, what happen in the past define us. We will not be able to go back in the hope of trying to change the past, but then rest assured that the course of the future is still something that we can steer. What happens now may be the present that we have chosen. But the future of tomorrow is still very uncertain. So, be cautious when making decision! Peace, and out.
Note: Again another Toastmaster Speech. Speech #7 from the Manual. Peace and out.
What makes human think that they are superior? What has mankind do that they could be proud off?
Remember Hiroshima & Nagasaki – the mass massacre of more than 150’000 Japanese civilian and US prisoners of war, and injuring tens of thousand more? Imagine what the pilot must have felt the moment he agreed to take up the task of dropping Little Boy Bomb on the U.S. B-29 Enola Gay on August 6, 1945, which explodes with the force of 15kilotons of explosive AND three days later in Nagasaki, the Fatman bomb dropped by the U.S. B-29 Bock’s Car exploding with the force of 22 kilotons explosive. What then would be running through the pilot’s head when the nuclear weapon actually hit the ground?
You can see remain of dead bodies and shattered buildings within a mile. The survivors waited for death as emergency services were minimal. Cremation fires were burning day and night. This my friend, was THE merciless killings that had change the course of World War II.
At one time, Malaysia under the leadership of then Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reach-far in promoting peace and harmony.
Bosnia Herzegovina was a good example. The Muslims, Croats, and Serbs were racially indistinguishable, except perhaps for their religious belief. When Serbs and Croats partition the country among themselves through ruthless ethnic cleansing in particular the genocide of Muslims, it shattered the world.
Remember the Summer of 1994 in Srebrenica, a town in Western Bosnia Herzegovina where 8’000 Bosnian Muslim were murdered in a football field under the watchful eyes of the Peacekeepers (UNPROFOR)? After the United Nations peacekeepers withdrew their fleet, Malaysian troops (more than 10’000 in total) were the only one who has chosen to remain as garrison, and this are all done at our own expense. Tun Mahathir, enraged towards what was happening, went further than anyone in the matter. In the end, it just needed the push from the most powerful country in the world to put an end to it - when President Clinton finally made a stand and decided on taking some drastic measurement.
But the ‘powers that be’ may not be all that great. Iraq is a good example of how sometimes power and money can become the strongest motivating factor. After spending more than USD500 Bil (and USD3 Trillion long term) and losing more than 3,900 American coalition personnel, some say the US authorities are now moving in as parasites - reaping the oil benefit from the country. Iraqi civilians killed ranges from 81,532 to 1,120,000 where 70% do not have access to clean water, 80% without sanitation and 90% of Iraqi’s 180 hospital lacks the basic medical and surgical supplies. Whether the lives lost equate the Million of Barrels of oil gain, you be the judge of that. 79% of the Iraqi has already voted to oppose the presence of Coalition, and 64% American oppose the war in Iraq. But, did anyone cares to listen?
America has not been all that successful in winning their wars. Probably they still have not recovered from the deep cut of losing the Vietnam war.
Well, the deep cut of living years in oppression and detest towards the Western was the main reason that pushes Osama bin Laden to plan the perfect revenge on the America’s World Trade Centre Towers on September 11 killing 2,752 people. It may have well resulted in the invasion of Afghanistan, but it clearly shows that revenge will come your way at one point or another. And when it does, it is an option of whether you can fight back, or exemplify Japan during Hiroshima, where they picked up the pieces and recover. If the United States can plan the perfect war on Hiroshima & Nagasaki, why do they stumble when they are given back the taste of their own medicine? Isn’t there such belief as karma – what you give, you get back in return?
At this point in time, Malaysia is going to war amongst ourselves. Political drift have causes the people to forget the very reason that independence was achieved. Somehow, you’d see that sons and father argue about their belief, and husband and wife separated due to clashes in opinion.
We should consider ourselves fortunate that our democratic voices are being heard of, and that our kids ie Tan Hong Ming (from the PETRONAS TV commercial) do not know the meaning of races. Don’t let the fate of 13 May become another nightmare streak that may be repeated. Do not let this happen! Treat others the way we want to be treated. It is time to turn away from even the mini-war that we have amongst each other and unite towards making a better future.
So, turn to the person right next to you, and give a friendly shake. Be reminded to thank your friend and yourself for the wonderful country of Malaysia.
So, what happen in the past define us. We will not be able to go back in the hope of trying to change the past, but then rest assured that the course of the future is still something that we can steer. What happens now may be the present that we have chosen. But the future of tomorrow is still very uncertain. So, be cautious when making decision! Peace, and out.
Note: Again another Toastmaster Speech. Speech #7 from the Manual. Peace and out.
Monday, September 01, 2008
The SuperModel Me
Note: My 5th Speech for Toastmaster 'Body Movement' made in TMI. There was quite a few body movement imititating the supermodels. Haha... Enjoy..
Ready
Pose
Action
Click
What do you need to become a great supermodel?
Height? Look? That certain poise? And the list that never ends.
I had my first modeling encounter when I was in Form 4 when I was spotted by a Talent Scout while making the normal window shopping round in Sungei Wang. I was with my best friend at the time, when came this girl who approached me and gave me a card.
A week later, I was already in a boarding school in Jasin. When I made the normal routine call back home every week, my sister mentioned to me that someone from the Agency called. It struck me. Were these people serious? Would this be my ticket out from the boarding school that I hated so much, at that time? I nearly made the decision about skipping school and pursue what could be a different path than now. I thought that as my sister was already doing some part-time modeling, so probably it runs in the family.
Well, that was 10 years ago minus the pimple and fat acid. I have definitely evolved since then.
When Tyra Banks came out with ‘America's Next Top Model’, it was definitely any girl’s favorite show. Everyone wants to be best friend of Gisele Bunchen, Naomi Campbell and Tyra Moss. They want to look, dress and be like a model. Sorry boys, but just bear with me for the sake of your wife/girlfriend.
You know how some ladies are we term as plastic? Ladies, at times, we are drawn to the kind of lavish lifestyle of Beverly Hills, or OC. Some talk with a made-accent when they are just plain ‘Mek Yah’ from Bachok, Kelantan. At some point in time, everyone is trying hard to be the Mat Saleh celup.
The basic rule is, to dress to impress, the walk that people will talk, and definitely to have the look that kills.
Ladies best friend are their 4-inch high heels that kills their feet. Learn to stand like a supermodel by practicing your posture. This means that you pull your shoulders back and create the illusion that you’re leaning back a little, rather than hunching forward. This obviously, I fail rather badly.
How do you walk? Train yourself to keep your weight balanced. Put one foot in front of the other (literally) and walk such that your footprints should form a single line. This is what most acrobat would do well. And don’t take big steps as you will look ungraceful, and you do not want to have the ‘FALL’ing experience in front of a crowd. Trust me, it is not all that fun. Been there, done that. You just have to remember to recover gracefully as if nothing has ever happen.
Face expression is a critical element in modeling. Have you watch the show Zoolander, played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Two dumb witted characters who would come out with various patented look. There are various impressions such as the sultry stare, the creepy stare or even the trying-too-hard stare.
To be successful, you must develop your own signature walk. Inject some personality into it, and grace your audience as if you are the legendary diva. Move your body swiftly, Remember to experiment, as practice makes you perfect.
If you can’t do any of the followings, you can just dress like one. The Gucci dress, Prada shoe, and scarf from Hermes makes you feel like you are worth a Million Dollar!
But I do secretly fancy having my face printed a thousand times. And yes, I do have my famous moment when my face was used for our various brochures in some of the program organized by PETRONAS and montages produced in-house. I didn’t get people asking for my autograph sadly, but I am happy to lead the kind of life I have now.
I am proud to be handing out business card with an Engineer title at the back, one which I only recently acquire 3 months ago when I changed to a new job. I would rather have people wondering about what I do, rather than having my face plastered all over the tabloid over some scandal which I would probably have asked the papers to put up in order to publicize my career.
So, be happy with what you have, and I’m sure that things would work out for you in one way or another. Sometimes, when you secretly want something badly, it will eventually work out for you. Fingers crossed!
Ready
Pose
Action
Click
What do you need to become a great supermodel?
Height? Look? That certain poise? And the list that never ends.
I had my first modeling encounter when I was in Form 4 when I was spotted by a Talent Scout while making the normal window shopping round in Sungei Wang. I was with my best friend at the time, when came this girl who approached me and gave me a card.
A week later, I was already in a boarding school in Jasin. When I made the normal routine call back home every week, my sister mentioned to me that someone from the Agency called. It struck me. Were these people serious? Would this be my ticket out from the boarding school that I hated so much, at that time? I nearly made the decision about skipping school and pursue what could be a different path than now. I thought that as my sister was already doing some part-time modeling, so probably it runs in the family.
Well, that was 10 years ago minus the pimple and fat acid. I have definitely evolved since then.
When Tyra Banks came out with ‘America's Next Top Model’, it was definitely any girl’s favorite show. Everyone wants to be best friend of Gisele Bunchen, Naomi Campbell and Tyra Moss. They want to look, dress and be like a model. Sorry boys, but just bear with me for the sake of your wife/girlfriend.
You know how some ladies are we term as plastic? Ladies, at times, we are drawn to the kind of lavish lifestyle of Beverly Hills, or OC. Some talk with a made-accent when they are just plain ‘Mek Yah’ from Bachok, Kelantan. At some point in time, everyone is trying hard to be the Mat Saleh celup.
The basic rule is, to dress to impress, the walk that people will talk, and definitely to have the look that kills.
Ladies best friend are their 4-inch high heels that kills their feet. Learn to stand like a supermodel by practicing your posture. This means that you pull your shoulders back and create the illusion that you’re leaning back a little, rather than hunching forward. This obviously, I fail rather badly.
How do you walk? Train yourself to keep your weight balanced. Put one foot in front of the other (literally) and walk such that your footprints should form a single line. This is what most acrobat would do well. And don’t take big steps as you will look ungraceful, and you do not want to have the ‘FALL’ing experience in front of a crowd. Trust me, it is not all that fun. Been there, done that. You just have to remember to recover gracefully as if nothing has ever happen.
Face expression is a critical element in modeling. Have you watch the show Zoolander, played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Two dumb witted characters who would come out with various patented look. There are various impressions such as the sultry stare, the creepy stare or even the trying-too-hard stare.
To be successful, you must develop your own signature walk. Inject some personality into it, and grace your audience as if you are the legendary diva. Move your body swiftly, Remember to experiment, as practice makes you perfect.
If you can’t do any of the followings, you can just dress like one. The Gucci dress, Prada shoe, and scarf from Hermes makes you feel like you are worth a Million Dollar!
But I do secretly fancy having my face printed a thousand times. And yes, I do have my famous moment when my face was used for our various brochures in some of the program organized by PETRONAS and montages produced in-house. I didn’t get people asking for my autograph sadly, but I am happy to lead the kind of life I have now.
I am proud to be handing out business card with an Engineer title at the back, one which I only recently acquire 3 months ago when I changed to a new job. I would rather have people wondering about what I do, rather than having my face plastered all over the tabloid over some scandal which I would probably have asked the papers to put up in order to publicize my career.
So, be happy with what you have, and I’m sure that things would work out for you in one way or another. Sometimes, when you secretly want something badly, it will eventually work out for you. Fingers crossed!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Pengalaman Masa Silau - Gunung Ledang
(ALL pix courtesy of Aiman - i curik so cause i know you won't mind :p)
When Aiman called me up on one fine day to join the expedition to Ledang, I was overwhelm with joy. It’s been a while since I got geared up for any action-packed adventure, so it was an instant agreement on my side.
When I put down the phone, it suddenly struck me. It has been a while since I last work out in the gym. I squeeze on my arm muscle and starting jumping up and down to measure the strength I’ve got prepared for the expedition. You see, climbing the 6th hardest mountain in Malaysia is not an easy task. I was gasping for air after the 5th jump, and look ridiculously embarrassed when my brother came into the room. “Looks like someone badly needed to shed off those weights huh” he said.
So I advocated myself to running and lifting weight in the gym for the next one week. It was definitely a crash effort, but nevertheless worth the shot. I need to be mentally and physically prepared, as well as try to at least look good in my sports attire.
I was all geared up that fine Saturday morning. The 2 ½ drive was nothing compared to the sole admiration for the beautiful green lushes. With the spirit of Malaysia Boleh, a group of 15 of us went marching ahead while humming the song “Inilah Barisan Kita, Yang Mahu Mendaki…”.
The joy was not just mine. We had Amir, our evergreen entertainer who
would sing all the Malay songs you could imagine dated from the 70s. I wasn’t sure whether it was the exhausting hour going up the hill or the exhausting sound of Amir’s sometime not-so-lovely voice that made us decided took the took a 10 minutes break, but it was indeed the break we need.
I wasn’t sure why, but then it had just occurred to me there and then. “Isn’t this the mountain where the story of Puteri Gunung Ledang originated?” Choi! Everyone gave me the unbelievable stare, and Amir quietly whispered to me, “You don’t talk about the mystical creature whenever you are in a jungle. It’s forbidden for whatever reason that you should be aware off”
I suddenly had cramp in my stomach. I gulp the remaining saliva in my mouth and gave the frightful look back to Amir. My good friend Aiman then winked and we continue our journey up the challenging hill.
The trail was a tricky one, and definitely the Nike shoe that I had for the last 4 years is not up to it. But the real challenge has yet to come. We had the shocked of our life looking at the steep rock curving 90 degrees that we had to climb. There was no safety harness and felt relief that the wall climbing experience I had in Summit before has become a worthwhile investment.
As We reached the top of Gunung Ledang, there was a sigh of relief from all as we inhale the fresh purified air, and the feel of wind brushing our hair. We didn’t had the Malaysian flag with us, or else I bet you that it would be the typical picture of climbers with the Malaysian flag and fist going up the air plastered on my office wall.
Aiman and I decided to enjoy our time climbing down admiring the beautiful scenic view. We thought that as we are walking in the middle, we are not too far off from the front group and if we couldn’t catch up, we could always fall back with the rest of other team at the back. So Aiman the photographer decided to snap more pictures of the creatures of the jungle, and of yours truely of course.
We were almost ¾ way down the mountain when we lost the earlier trail. We can still hear Amir’s loud voice singing Ekamatra’s song from behind. Aiman pointed out to a big opening on the right side of the trail, but I was hesitant on following the trail. Well, girls may not be good at road signs or remembering the street, but we do have good intuition about certain things.
There were no other trail that was visible; hence I decided that I might be wrong, as always. The route was slippery, and the ground was covered all over with fallen leaves. It doesn’t at all look like the familiar trail that we’ve taken.
My feet were already killing me that I tried hard to focus on getting down the mountain as quick as I can. And in all that time, I was thankful that Aiman was there at my side. I slipped and fall at times, and had to crawl down in order to keep myself at balanced. It has been a while since the wind carried Amir’s tune, so we were sure that we are no longer on the right trail, but we remain silent to the probable fact that we might be lost.
I was in painful tear of joy when we finally found a trail leading towards another familiar route. I didn’t want to look back at the 30 minutes detour we had. As we reached the base camp, we saw the familiar looking group waving and jumping in joy. Apparently we were 1 hour behind the last group, and they were about to notify the authority if we did not show up within the next 10 minutes.
I wasn’t sure about what had happen. We had finally broken our silence on the way back to Kuala Lumpur. “I think we got lost” was the first sentence that Aiman managed to utter to myself and 3 other friends who rode the car. “But I thought that you were sure about the way?”, I said.
Apparently he didn’t want me to worry, and kept my focus by saying that we were almost there. He knew that there was something unusual with the gigantic tree that he kept seeing on our way down. He felt like we were being watched. Aiman may sound like a Muslim name, but it belongs to a Chinese boy called Eng Yao. Realising the fact that we may have fallen to the passage of some mystical force, he tried to recite the various religious texts he knew .. Christian, Buddhist to even rehearsing Bismillah in his head. He couldn’t finish any of the content, and felt the shivering cold wind gushing through.
I clearly was more focused on the thumbing paint of both my feet, that I didn’t felt anything supernatural about it. But Amir then gave me the frightful look that said, “I told you that you should not mention the mystical creature, for whatever reason that you should be aware off”.
Could it be the reason, or are we just two stubborn climbers who should have followed the big group instead of trying to be smart? For whatever it is, shh… just an advice, When you go to the jungle, never mention about the mystical creature … well, for whatever reason that you should be aware off. And this is a true story that has happen back in May of last year. Peace and out.
When Aiman called me up on one fine day to join the expedition to Ledang, I was overwhelm with joy. It’s been a while since I got geared up for any action-packed adventure, so it was an instant agreement on my side.
When I put down the phone, it suddenly struck me. It has been a while since I last work out in the gym. I squeeze on my arm muscle and starting jumping up and down to measure the strength I’ve got prepared for the expedition. You see, climbing the 6th hardest mountain in Malaysia is not an easy task. I was gasping for air after the 5th jump, and look ridiculously embarrassed when my brother came into the room. “Looks like someone badly needed to shed off those weights huh” he said.
So I advocated myself to running and lifting weight in the gym for the next one week. It was definitely a crash effort, but nevertheless worth the shot. I need to be mentally and physically prepared, as well as try to at least look good in my sports attire.
I was all geared up that fine Saturday morning. The 2 ½ drive was nothing compared to the sole admiration for the beautiful green lushes. With the spirit of Malaysia Boleh, a group of 15 of us went marching ahead while humming the song “Inilah Barisan Kita, Yang Mahu Mendaki…”.
The joy was not just mine. We had Amir, our evergreen entertainer who
would sing all the Malay songs you could imagine dated from the 70s. I wasn’t sure whether it was the exhausting hour going up the hill or the exhausting sound of Amir’s sometime not-so-lovely voice that made us decided took the took a 10 minutes break, but it was indeed the break we need.I wasn’t sure why, but then it had just occurred to me there and then. “Isn’t this the mountain where the story of Puteri Gunung Ledang originated?” Choi! Everyone gave me the unbelievable stare, and Amir quietly whispered to me, “You don’t talk about the mystical creature whenever you are in a jungle. It’s forbidden for whatever reason that you should be aware off”
I suddenly had cramp in my stomach. I gulp the remaining saliva in my mouth and gave the frightful look back to Amir. My good friend Aiman then winked and we continue our journey up the challenging hill.
The trail was a tricky one, and definitely the Nike shoe that I had for the last 4 years is not up to it. But the real challenge has yet to come. We had the shocked of our life looking at the steep rock curving 90 degrees that we had to climb. There was no safety harness and felt relief that the wall climbing experience I had in Summit before has become a worthwhile investment.As We reached the top of Gunung Ledang, there was a sigh of relief from all as we inhale the fresh purified air, and the feel of wind brushing our hair. We didn’t had the Malaysian flag with us, or else I bet you that it would be the typical picture of climbers with the Malaysian flag and fist going up the air plastered on my office wall.
Aiman and I decided to enjoy our time climbing down admiring the beautiful scenic view. We thought that as we are walking in the middle, we are not too far off from the front group and if we couldn’t catch up, we could always fall back with the rest of other team at the back. So Aiman the photographer decided to snap more pictures of the creatures of the jungle, and of yours truely of course.
We were almost ¾ way down the mountain when we lost the earlier trail. We can still hear Amir’s loud voice singing Ekamatra’s song from behind. Aiman pointed out to a big opening on the right side of the trail, but I was hesitant on following the trail. Well, girls may not be good at road signs or remembering the street, but we do have good intuition about certain things.
There were no other trail that was visible; hence I decided that I might be wrong, as always. The route was slippery, and the ground was covered all over with fallen leaves. It doesn’t at all look like the familiar trail that we’ve taken.
My feet were already killing me that I tried hard to focus on getting down the mountain as quick as I can. And in all that time, I was thankful that Aiman was there at my side. I slipped and fall at times, and had to crawl down in order to keep myself at balanced. It has been a while since the wind carried Amir’s tune, so we were sure that we are no longer on the right trail, but we remain silent to the probable fact that we might be lost.
I was in painful tear of joy when we finally found a trail leading towards another familiar route. I didn’t want to look back at the 30 minutes detour we had. As we reached the base camp, we saw the familiar looking group waving and jumping in joy. Apparently we were 1 hour behind the last group, and they were about to notify the authority if we did not show up within the next 10 minutes.I wasn’t sure about what had happen. We had finally broken our silence on the way back to Kuala Lumpur. “I think we got lost” was the first sentence that Aiman managed to utter to myself and 3 other friends who rode the car. “But I thought that you were sure about the way?”, I said.
Apparently he didn’t want me to worry, and kept my focus by saying that we were almost there. He knew that there was something unusual with the gigantic tree that he kept seeing on our way down. He felt like we were being watched. Aiman may sound like a Muslim name, but it belongs to a Chinese boy called Eng Yao. Realising the fact that we may have fallen to the passage of some mystical force, he tried to recite the various religious texts he knew .. Christian, Buddhist to even rehearsing Bismillah in his head. He couldn’t finish any of the content, and felt the shivering cold wind gushing through.
I clearly was more focused on the thumbing paint of both my feet, that I didn’t felt anything supernatural about it. But Amir then gave me the frightful look that said, “I told you that you should not mention the mystical creature, for whatever reason that you should be aware off”.
Could it be the reason, or are we just two stubborn climbers who should have followed the big group instead of trying to be smart? For whatever it is, shh… just an advice, When you go to the jungle, never mention about the mystical creature … well, for whatever reason that you should be aware off. And this is a true story that has happen back in May of last year. Peace and out.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Bersumpah Atas Nama Tuhan
So, nowadays it has become a trend to swear in the name of the Most Merciful to proclaim you’re innocent. The ‘coffee-boy’ Saiful started the whole fiasco and now, even the top government officials who should have in the right mind, think better, has follow suit.
DPM solemnly swore that he didn’t know Alt Sha, and made his second swear right in a MOSQUE. Surely it catched the attention of the masses, even more amidst the grueling Permatang Pauh by-election.
Then the former Menteri Besar of Perak, Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said he would swear before God that he had nothing to do with the arrest of two Exco members and “invites” his successor Nizar to join him.
Looks like it has become a ticket to buy off innocence. Looks like nowadays, the law has meant nothing. Looks like we are nearing the end of the world.
I may not be a religious Muslim, but I believe in karma. I believe in the Almighty, and I dare not challenge God for the most obvious reason. Probably they are innocent (well, you are Innocent until Proven Guilty), but to play around with the Muslim belief is just NOT the right approach to shone your ingenuousness.
All in all, it looks like everything is steering towards making a big success in the PP by-election. The arrest of 2 Perak EXCO members by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) – plus another 3 non-EXCO, and the 15 cent reduction of petrol – coming earlier than the 1st September announcement, .. are among the surprises the government had on their sleeve. Seems like the battle is getting nastier as polls nearer.
I am still undecided. I would probably vote for Anwar, but I fear the changes that he’s going to make if he becomes the PM. I fear for the nation, and the rights of the Bumiputera. But at least, UMNO is now awake.
Let’s just pray for the stability of the country, shall we. Amin….
ps: Check this one out on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG9OohT5SAg
DPM solemnly swore that he didn’t know Alt Sha, and made his second swear right in a MOSQUE. Surely it catched the attention of the masses, even more amidst the grueling Permatang Pauh by-election.
Then the former Menteri Besar of Perak, Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli Ghazali said he would swear before God that he had nothing to do with the arrest of two Exco members and “invites” his successor Nizar to join him.
Looks like it has become a ticket to buy off innocence. Looks like nowadays, the law has meant nothing. Looks like we are nearing the end of the world.
I may not be a religious Muslim, but I believe in karma. I believe in the Almighty, and I dare not challenge God for the most obvious reason. Probably they are innocent (well, you are Innocent until Proven Guilty), but to play around with the Muslim belief is just NOT the right approach to shone your ingenuousness.
All in all, it looks like everything is steering towards making a big success in the PP by-election. The arrest of 2 Perak EXCO members by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) – plus another 3 non-EXCO, and the 15 cent reduction of petrol – coming earlier than the 1st September announcement, .. are among the surprises the government had on their sleeve. Seems like the battle is getting nastier as polls nearer.
I am still undecided. I would probably vote for Anwar, but I fear the changes that he’s going to make if he becomes the PM. I fear for the nation, and the rights of the Bumiputera. But at least, UMNO is now awake.
Let’s just pray for the stability of the country, shall we. Amin….
ps: Check this one out on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG9OohT5SAg
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Tan Sri-ku, Director-ku
You may have read this…
“Tan Sri Hassan Merican resigned from the post of CEO & Director of PETRONAS Gas Berhad (PGB), effective Friday. He’s replaced by Wan Zulkeflee”
Just to clarify to everyone, as yesterday Tils was giving me the exact expression that has been lingering the mind of the whole nation.
Tan Sri is not resigning from his post as THE Managing Director CEO & Chairman of PETRONAS, but simply relinquishing power as the CEO & Director of PETRONAS Gas Berhad.
He will be here for a long time, all.. making the necessary changes to the country. Fingers crossed. Hopefully you’ll see a bigger paycheck coming your way before Raya.
“Tan Sri Hassan Merican resigned from the post of CEO & Director of PETRONAS Gas Berhad (PGB), effective Friday. He’s replaced by Wan Zulkeflee”
Just to clarify to everyone, as yesterday Tils was giving me the exact expression that has been lingering the mind of the whole nation.
Tan Sri is not resigning from his post as THE Managing Director CEO & Chairman of PETRONAS, but simply relinquishing power as the CEO & Director of PETRONAS Gas Berhad.
He will be here for a long time, all.. making the necessary changes to the country. Fingers crossed. Hopefully you’ll see a bigger paycheck coming your way before Raya.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Saya Teman Baru YouthSays
I've got my YouthSays Broadcast Badge
The YouthSays Broadcast Badge will take your voice and broadcast it to the world. So, let's just see how involved i am with this.
Go Malaysia. Go Youth. Let's find new friends.
Cheers.
The YouthSays Broadcast Badge will take your voice and broadcast it to the world. So, let's just see how involved i am with this.
Go Malaysia. Go Youth. Let's find new friends.
Cheers.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Tisu Bang...
Malaysians are a generous bunch.
Hmm, Malaysians are a generous bunch?
Aha, Malaysians are a generous bunch!
We may be skimpy on paying the tolls, parking ticket, that extra tips to the waitresses or some (ehem) even resort to stealing the papers and magazines from the office, but we never say no to those who offer tissues for a reasonable barter trade of your money.
The normal scenario where you see a blind old man accompanied by a young looking women, or a young boy from the Tahfiz school, or another familiar looking kid asking “Tisu bang”, or with the mini poster of “I-am-from-Rumah-so-and-so-and-we-need-your-donation-to-help-build-our-home”, or some “Please-Help-My-Sister-She-is-Suffering-From-Cancer”. This is some typical catchy phrases that would definitely attract you.
Somehow we think that giving money to the disadvantage is actually our legal ticket to any wrong doings we have done in the past. But I bet that there are somehow, perfectly two reasons why most Malaysians are a generous bunch.
Firstly.
Ladies, do you know that some boys are a show off! Boys, you are out on a date with this girl who got your heart beating fast that you can’t think straight. So you reach into your wallet in the hope that she would go ahh at the sight of your kind generosity to help the disadvantage.
Or let’s face the second reason.
Malaysian is just a generous bunch!
This is perfectly the valid reason why the very first thing I’ve done when I assume presidency of DDYPC is to organize a fund raising during the fasting period for 2 of the orphanages homes for 39 kids in Rumah Haluan Penyayang, Shah Alam and another 25 kids in Baitul Fitrah, Rawang. The effort put forward by the dedicated DDYPC committee has enabled us to collect more than RM 9’000 from the Development Division’s community. Not bad huh. These are the great Samaritan in PETRONAS.
However, this is not the typical scenario that you see overseas. Well, probably because they have completely eliminate the so called ‘Poor-Index’, or enforcing zero tolerance towards open charity such as what we see at the side of the street. And surprising, it has worked well as the people are not at all a thrifty.
Believe me or not, your act of giving openly, however good the intention it is, just does not feed all too well in this community.
Do you notice that the more you give, the list of people receiving multiply. Have you noticed that if you stay for two hours in places like Rasta or Uptown, you would eventually bump into the same “Tisu bang” again. Well, these people do the hourly sweep you see.
It is not my place to condemn, but some people say that they get a monthly income of approximately RM5K at least (tax free), which is 2 times bigger than the normal salary of a PETRONAS entrant. And some people say that we in PETRONAS enjoys the lavish benefit of Oil & Gas in this country. Hmm.. probably it is the best time to swap job. At 3 am when their shift is done, ‘through some personal experience’, you can see the handicap man drive away in that Honda that you always long for.
Hence people, listen. Realising this, why don’t you use your will power to channel your fund accordingly? It can be through zakat, or through various other efforts put by our company, PETRONAS. Remember the spirit of Energy Receive, Energy Return, Aspiring People Everywhere?
PETRONAS is the One-Stop-Solution for the Community.
Helping the kids – we have got the BAKTI program which helps underprivilledge students in improving their communication skills
Orphanage – Every year, we organize the Sentuhan Kasih for us to realize their dreams, and of course to give some duit raya as well
Community Service – Have you heard of the ongoing effort we are doing with the Penan, a community living remote off Sabah
Education – You can always volunteer to become a speaker at any of the Career Talk
And lots of other things on the list which continue growing. And right now, we have hundreds of dedicated PETRONAS staff serving voluntarily to drive the effort.
So, I am convinced that Malaysians are a generous bunch, and they just need to be directed to the proper way to channel their hard earn money and sweat. So, if you seek any advice, I can be consulted anytime as your Financial Adviser should you need to make that generous decision.
Hmm, Malaysians are a generous bunch?
Aha, Malaysians are a generous bunch!
We may be skimpy on paying the tolls, parking ticket, that extra tips to the waitresses or some (ehem) even resort to stealing the papers and magazines from the office, but we never say no to those who offer tissues for a reasonable barter trade of your money.
The normal scenario where you see a blind old man accompanied by a young looking women, or a young boy from the Tahfiz school, or another familiar looking kid asking “Tisu bang”, or with the mini poster of “I-am-from-Rumah-so-and-so-and-we-need-your-donation-to-help-build-our-home”, or some “Please-Help-My-Sister-She-is-Suffering-From-Cancer”. This is some typical catchy phrases that would definitely attract you.
Somehow we think that giving money to the disadvantage is actually our legal ticket to any wrong doings we have done in the past. But I bet that there are somehow, perfectly two reasons why most Malaysians are a generous bunch.
Firstly.
Ladies, do you know that some boys are a show off! Boys, you are out on a date with this girl who got your heart beating fast that you can’t think straight. So you reach into your wallet in the hope that she would go ahh at the sight of your kind generosity to help the disadvantage.
Or let’s face the second reason.
Malaysian is just a generous bunch!
This is perfectly the valid reason why the very first thing I’ve done when I assume presidency of DDYPC is to organize a fund raising during the fasting period for 2 of the orphanages homes for 39 kids in Rumah Haluan Penyayang, Shah Alam and another 25 kids in Baitul Fitrah, Rawang. The effort put forward by the dedicated DDYPC committee has enabled us to collect more than RM 9’000 from the Development Division’s community. Not bad huh. These are the great Samaritan in PETRONAS.
However, this is not the typical scenario that you see overseas. Well, probably because they have completely eliminate the so called ‘Poor-Index’, or enforcing zero tolerance towards open charity such as what we see at the side of the street. And surprising, it has worked well as the people are not at all a thrifty.
Believe me or not, your act of giving openly, however good the intention it is, just does not feed all too well in this community.
Do you notice that the more you give, the list of people receiving multiply. Have you noticed that if you stay for two hours in places like Rasta or Uptown, you would eventually bump into the same “Tisu bang” again. Well, these people do the hourly sweep you see.
It is not my place to condemn, but some people say that they get a monthly income of approximately RM5K at least (tax free), which is 2 times bigger than the normal salary of a PETRONAS entrant. And some people say that we in PETRONAS enjoys the lavish benefit of Oil & Gas in this country. Hmm.. probably it is the best time to swap job. At 3 am when their shift is done, ‘through some personal experience’, you can see the handicap man drive away in that Honda that you always long for.
Hence people, listen. Realising this, why don’t you use your will power to channel your fund accordingly? It can be through zakat, or through various other efforts put by our company, PETRONAS. Remember the spirit of Energy Receive, Energy Return, Aspiring People Everywhere?
PETRONAS is the One-Stop-Solution for the Community.
Helping the kids – we have got the BAKTI program which helps underprivilledge students in improving their communication skills
Orphanage – Every year, we organize the Sentuhan Kasih for us to realize their dreams, and of course to give some duit raya as well
Community Service – Have you heard of the ongoing effort we are doing with the Penan, a community living remote off Sabah
Education – You can always volunteer to become a speaker at any of the Career Talk
And lots of other things on the list which continue growing. And right now, we have hundreds of dedicated PETRONAS staff serving voluntarily to drive the effort.
So, I am convinced that Malaysians are a generous bunch, and they just need to be directed to the proper way to channel their hard earn money and sweat. So, if you seek any advice, I can be consulted anytime as your Financial Adviser should you need to make that generous decision.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Tun Dr Ismail ... You're the Man!
I just thought that this is an interesting reading, and would like to share with all. And i can't watch to catch his play soon in KLPac.
Cheers all.
---
Full text of Raja Nazrin Shah's speech at the 17th Tun Ismail Ovation Thursday, 31 July 2008 02:29pm
Introduction
Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived, once remarked: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Tun Dr Ismail bin Abdul Rahman was a giant on whose shoulders an entire nation stands.
We see further, and are more, today because of the legacy that the good doctor, and others like him, left behind. He was a man who was hugely talented and unswervingly committed. Yet he was also utterly humble and selfless in his service to the nation. I am glad his memory lives on, and I am delighted to deliver this oration that bears his name. Today I want to talk on the subject of leadership. I hope that what I have to say is worthy of the man and would have met with his approval.
The subject of leadership is something that mankind has struggled to understand for at least two and a half millennia. Around 500 B.C., for example, Lao Tze and Confucius laid down guiding principles for rulers to administer their kingdoms. Among Confucius' many leadership precepts, he is perhaps best known for the Golden Rule: "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." Two centuries later, the Greek philosopher, Plato, wrote The Republic, in which he conceived the idea of the philosopher king. According to Plato philosopher kings had to undergo fifty years of intellectual and physical preparation to lead the state. A thousand years later, the Florentine diplomat and political philosopher, Machiavelli, penned The Prince, in which he introduced pragmatism and realism as essential elements of leadership.
The search for what makes good leaders continues to this day. Politicians, captains of industry, management gurus, psychologists, academics and, of course, the general public, all have their take on what makes some leaders bad, others good, and yet others great. I do not intend to summarise the vast and varied literature on the subject. Instead, I would like to do three things. First, I would like to suggest three leadership qualities that I think the world will need in the 21st century. Second, I would like to make three observations about common leadership challenges and weaknesses. Third, I want to suggest that these imperatives and challenges of leadership are relevant to Malaysia.
Imperatives of leadership in the 21st century
Leaders and leadership are as relevant today, as when man first organised themselves into tribes and later nations. One has only to open a newspaper, turn on the television or connect to the Internet, to see that the individuals who lead other individuals are a constant source of fascination. Their words, thoughts and actions are diligently studied. Their character strengths and flaws are carefully scrutinised. On this basis, we collectively express admiration or heap scorn. Sometimes we do both, as leaders, in the beginning, please us and, thereafter, disappoint. Or vice versa, when leaders earn our approval despite low expectations at the outset.
A great deal of serious scholarship has been invested in the question of what the qualities of a good leader are. The result is that we now have a mountain of information but no clear-cut answers. Charisma, for example, is often regarded as one of the necessary traits of leadership. Charismatic leaders are ones who can create feelings of intense admiration, confidence and loyalty among followers. But even charismatic leaders are not immune to being challenged or abandoned by their followers. If they do not fulfil their promises or if they do not act in honourable and morally correct ways, they too can quickly lose popular support. Some of history's worst leaders have been described as charismatic. By playing to his followers' basest needs and fears, Hitler's charisma and vaulting ambition brought his nation to disaster.
More than charismatic leadership, I believe what the nations of the world today need is what the leadership theorist James MacGregor Burns calls "transformational leadership" , which strives to achieve higher ideals, nobler values and superior behaviour among followers. It encourages followers to rise above narrow self-interests and to work in the service of others towards the common good. It mobilizes people to face, rather than avoid, tough realities; to tackle difficult problems and to make hard decisions. It does not turn away from the difficulty of problems by offering fake remedies. It elevates followers to a higher moral level. One example I often refer to is that of Europe. At the turn of the 20th century, many European countries were still devastatingly poor and a large number of their citizens had to migrate in order to survive. Their tendency to regularly go to war with each other also did not help matters. By the end of the 20th century, however, these same countries had become prosperous and advanced. More importantly, they had not only disavowed violence as a means of solving their problems, but had become instrumental in creating the conditions for world peace and stability.
In contrast to transformational leaders, transactional leaders tend to focus on their interests, and the interests of those on whom they depend. Not surprisingly, they are realists and pragmatists by nature and use threats, punishment and reward to achieve their ends. Such leaders can use their power for both legitimate and illegitimate purposes. In democracies, opposing political parties pitch themselves at each other to ensure public accountability and responsiveness. When
global conflicts have to be resolved or international business deals concluded, transactional leadership is called for. But transactional leaders can also exploit greed, fear and hatred to advance less desirable agendas. Racists, separatists and extremists of every stripe believe in the use of raw power to achieve their ends, even if it means depriving others of their rights, happiness and even lives.
We need more transformational leaders in the 21st century. By extension, we also need leaders who are much more capable in the exercise of what the political scientist Joseph Nye calls "soft
power". Hard power is what we are all familiar with. For governments, it includes the ability to direct, punish, defend and invade. For companies, it is the power to hire and fire and to acquire and dispose of companies. Soft power, on the other hand, is non-coercive. It sets agendas, persuades, shapes preferences and harnesses voluntary actions. It is marked by participation, delegation and networking, not command-and-control. In short, soft power is about working with and through people. While both may be needed, there is a greater need for soft power in today's complex information-based world.
The reason why soft power is required in increasing measure is that people today are becoming increasingly empowered, and countries are becoming too interdependent, to be ruled by hard power alone. Many societies are assimilating liberal democratic values. Mass education has made people more knowledgeable and discerning. They are less compliant and more distrustful of those in authority. Problems such as global warming, the spread of infectious diseases, disaster relief require collective and co-ordinated actions. Their solutions require the implicit consent of people who are switched-on and plugged-in.
The third imperative for leadership is that it must be moral and just. Good leadership in the modern age cannot operate in a moral vacuum. International law today makes it harder than in the past for leaders to get away with genocide, corruption and abuse of power. Countries
also organise embargoes and apply diplomatic pressure. These are the hard power elements. In addition, however, there is also the power of international public opinion. As mentioned earlier, the fates of countries today are intertwined as never before. The attitudes of the citizens of other countries therefore also matter as never before. When countries are perceived to behave in an immoral or unjust manner, global opinion will be marshalled against them. The fact is that
international opinion, influenced by a 24-hour-7-day-a-week media, is a prime shaper of international politics, economics and business.
Leaders today are held up by the public to a much higher standard than in the past, when there may have been no choice but to accept them. They have to have a high degree of personal integrity if they are deemed to be suitable to carry out public responsibilities. If they do
not, there will be the nagging fear that these personal compromises will carry over and affect the conduct of public duties and responsibilities.
Common leadership challenges and weaknesses
Leaders must exemplify the values they want their followers to have. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world". It is difficult, if not impossible, to persuade people to be idealistic and highly motivated when leaders are
self-serving and interested only in retaining power and control. Indeed, when a world leader extols the virtues of democracy, human rights and respect for the law, and then proceeds to act in a manner that is contrary to them, he or she makes an utter mockery of them.
Only when leaders show themselves to be driven by higher order goals can their followers feel fully assured that they are not somehow being deceived and manipulated into serving illegitimate or self-serving causes. Otherwise conflicting values and clash of interests will give
rise to widespread civil apathy or, even worse, open disobedience.
Walking-the-talk is therefore more than just a nice maxim. It is integral to what good leadership is about and what being a leader means. Tun Dr Ismail lived out the mottos "leadership-by-example" and "clean, efficient and trustworthy" long before these phrases gained currency. He demonstrated uncompromising integrity in all his dealings. Such is the measure of the man that we still speak of his leadership qualities and achievements 35 years after his passing.
Another common challenge for leaders is in the area of listening. Listening establishes a number of things simultaneously. It says that the leader values people. Leaders who are not people-oriented will generally find it very hard to lead from the top, front or middle. By showing themselves to be open to feedback, leaders also establish a basis for trust. Leaders who listen are less likely to pursue illegitimate goals or actions. By having their ideas and perspectives
considered, followers feel that they have a stake in the decisions made by their leaders. Finally, consultation is essential because without it, leaders cannot make informed and objective decisions.
Instead, they fall victim to the dreaded groupthink.
Listening, of course, is never easy. There are not only the views of electorates to consider, but also those of independent analysts, non-governmental organisations, media, financial markets and the blogosphere. On just about any issue of importance there will be differences of opinions due to dissimilar interests and values.
Diversity, however, is a fact of life and engaging diversity is one of the leader's main tasks. There is, of course, a limit to how much leaders can discourse and take into account. At the end of the day, they will have to make and be held accountable for decisions that they think is right. Their lives, however, would be easier if those who are affected by their decisions believe that they have been heard.
A third common challenge for leaders is to deliberately surround themselves with the best and most capable people, ones who can bring different talents and insights to bear and who may not necessarily be the most compliant. True leaders know, however, that they do not have all the answers and they must seek out those who are more competent and capable and delegate duties and responsibilities to them. If they do not, bad and poorly executed decisions can result, and this may end up eroding popular support for them. In order to be effective, they must have their eyes firmly fixed on achieving results.
Naturally, there are downsides to choosing highly capable and motivated people for one's inner circle. For one thing, they may not see eye-to-eye on many issues. It can take time a great deal of time and effort to forge a consensus. Occasionally, agreement may just not be possible. For another, second-tier leaders quite often end up challenging the leader. This makes many first-tier leaders wary about those they appoint to positions of responsibility. They may be tempted
to offer important positions to loyalists who are unsuited. Leaders, however, have to be more confident about their positions. They have to remember that they have a duty towards those who support them and that they should be uncompromising in discharging their responsibilities.
Implications for Malaysia
The general observations I have made about the imperatives and challenges of leadership in the 21st century are, I believe, relevant to Malaysia. One of this country's enduring strengths has been its almost obsessive focus on effective leadership, that is, one which has to deliver the goods to the people. This has been one source of legitimacy for leaders apart from personal popularity. The leadership process has also, to a degree, been open and inclusive and resulted in
Malaysia emerging as a shining model of development. Other countries may have had as much, if not more, than Malaysia but they were able to accomplish very much less.
As a result of its successes in human development, Malaysian society has changed. I believe that this has also made it necessary for the type of leadership to also undergo a transition from the transactional to the transformational. The Malaysian development ethos today is no
longer framed in purely materialistic terms. Malaysians, especially the younger generation, are empowered and energised. Their demands are for more moral, open, representative, equable and equitable forms of leadership. They want leaders who can courageously cross sectarian
boundaries and who depend on their intellectual and moral integrity and gravitas to attract and retain support, not just on political power and patronage.
Leaders today need to be masters of soft power because hard power, though still required to maintain law and order, is not well adapted in dealing with today's complex and interdependent world. As with any change, there will be tensions. Progress may advance and, at times, retreat, in line with changing circumstances. The pressures for transformational leadership, however, will be incessant and unremitting.
Such leaders will emerge in the future but it is necessary to remember that they have been around also in the past. Tun Dr. Ismail was one in the first wave of leaders who demonstrated an integrity that was beyond question. He passionately believed that Malaysia was a country that could accommodate the hopes and dreams of all its peoples. He envisaged a Malaysia for all without colour lines, without ethnic borders and without any one group feeling a sense of inferiority. He was Malay and a nationalist but he firmly opposed racism of any kind. Instead, he celebrated diversity.
Nor did he have the inflated self-importance that so many, on reaching his position, might have had. On being conferred an honorary doctorate of laws by Universiti Sains Malaysia on 9 June 1973, he said:
"…Saya berdiri di hadapan saudara-saudara bukan sebagai seorang pemimpin negara, bukan sebagai seorang politik, bukan sebagai seorang tokoh dalam masyarakat, tetapi hanya sebagai seorang hamba Allah di tengah-tengah orang yang berilmu, sebagai seorang manusia yang telah
lewat umur, tetapi telah banyak menjalani hidup yang penuh dengan kisah-kisah suka dan dukanya."
Such was the humility of the man. He passed away just 55 days later.
In the person of Tun Dr. Ismail, we are offered a glimpse of a gallant leader who exemplified everything that he advocated. He showed us that it is possible to hold steadfastly to one's beliefs and yet not deprive others of theirs. History shows that many have been given the chance to lead but only a few have excelled at it. This is because leaders often lose their values once they become besotted with power. Let us hope and pray that there will be many more giants like Tun Dr Ismail on whose shoulders we can stand to continue to undertake Malaysia's transformation into a modern democratic society.
Thank you.
Cheers all.
---
Full text of Raja Nazrin Shah's speech at the 17th Tun Ismail Ovation Thursday, 31 July 2008 02:29pm
Introduction
Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived, once remarked: "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Tun Dr Ismail bin Abdul Rahman was a giant on whose shoulders an entire nation stands.
We see further, and are more, today because of the legacy that the good doctor, and others like him, left behind. He was a man who was hugely talented and unswervingly committed. Yet he was also utterly humble and selfless in his service to the nation. I am glad his memory lives on, and I am delighted to deliver this oration that bears his name. Today I want to talk on the subject of leadership. I hope that what I have to say is worthy of the man and would have met with his approval.
The subject of leadership is something that mankind has struggled to understand for at least two and a half millennia. Around 500 B.C., for example, Lao Tze and Confucius laid down guiding principles for rulers to administer their kingdoms. Among Confucius' many leadership precepts, he is perhaps best known for the Golden Rule: "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself." Two centuries later, the Greek philosopher, Plato, wrote The Republic, in which he conceived the idea of the philosopher king. According to Plato philosopher kings had to undergo fifty years of intellectual and physical preparation to lead the state. A thousand years later, the Florentine diplomat and political philosopher, Machiavelli, penned The Prince, in which he introduced pragmatism and realism as essential elements of leadership.
The search for what makes good leaders continues to this day. Politicians, captains of industry, management gurus, psychologists, academics and, of course, the general public, all have their take on what makes some leaders bad, others good, and yet others great. I do not intend to summarise the vast and varied literature on the subject. Instead, I would like to do three things. First, I would like to suggest three leadership qualities that I think the world will need in the 21st century. Second, I would like to make three observations about common leadership challenges and weaknesses. Third, I want to suggest that these imperatives and challenges of leadership are relevant to Malaysia.
Imperatives of leadership in the 21st century
Leaders and leadership are as relevant today, as when man first organised themselves into tribes and later nations. One has only to open a newspaper, turn on the television or connect to the Internet, to see that the individuals who lead other individuals are a constant source of fascination. Their words, thoughts and actions are diligently studied. Their character strengths and flaws are carefully scrutinised. On this basis, we collectively express admiration or heap scorn. Sometimes we do both, as leaders, in the beginning, please us and, thereafter, disappoint. Or vice versa, when leaders earn our approval despite low expectations at the outset.
A great deal of serious scholarship has been invested in the question of what the qualities of a good leader are. The result is that we now have a mountain of information but no clear-cut answers. Charisma, for example, is often regarded as one of the necessary traits of leadership. Charismatic leaders are ones who can create feelings of intense admiration, confidence and loyalty among followers. But even charismatic leaders are not immune to being challenged or abandoned by their followers. If they do not fulfil their promises or if they do not act in honourable and morally correct ways, they too can quickly lose popular support. Some of history's worst leaders have been described as charismatic. By playing to his followers' basest needs and fears, Hitler's charisma and vaulting ambition brought his nation to disaster.
More than charismatic leadership, I believe what the nations of the world today need is what the leadership theorist James MacGregor Burns calls "transformational leadership" , which strives to achieve higher ideals, nobler values and superior behaviour among followers. It encourages followers to rise above narrow self-interests and to work in the service of others towards the common good. It mobilizes people to face, rather than avoid, tough realities; to tackle difficult problems and to make hard decisions. It does not turn away from the difficulty of problems by offering fake remedies. It elevates followers to a higher moral level. One example I often refer to is that of Europe. At the turn of the 20th century, many European countries were still devastatingly poor and a large number of their citizens had to migrate in order to survive. Their tendency to regularly go to war with each other also did not help matters. By the end of the 20th century, however, these same countries had become prosperous and advanced. More importantly, they had not only disavowed violence as a means of solving their problems, but had become instrumental in creating the conditions for world peace and stability.
In contrast to transformational leaders, transactional leaders tend to focus on their interests, and the interests of those on whom they depend. Not surprisingly, they are realists and pragmatists by nature and use threats, punishment and reward to achieve their ends. Such leaders can use their power for both legitimate and illegitimate purposes. In democracies, opposing political parties pitch themselves at each other to ensure public accountability and responsiveness. When
global conflicts have to be resolved or international business deals concluded, transactional leadership is called for. But transactional leaders can also exploit greed, fear and hatred to advance less desirable agendas. Racists, separatists and extremists of every stripe believe in the use of raw power to achieve their ends, even if it means depriving others of their rights, happiness and even lives.
We need more transformational leaders in the 21st century. By extension, we also need leaders who are much more capable in the exercise of what the political scientist Joseph Nye calls "soft
power". Hard power is what we are all familiar with. For governments, it includes the ability to direct, punish, defend and invade. For companies, it is the power to hire and fire and to acquire and dispose of companies. Soft power, on the other hand, is non-coercive. It sets agendas, persuades, shapes preferences and harnesses voluntary actions. It is marked by participation, delegation and networking, not command-and-control. In short, soft power is about working with and through people. While both may be needed, there is a greater need for soft power in today's complex information-based world.
The reason why soft power is required in increasing measure is that people today are becoming increasingly empowered, and countries are becoming too interdependent, to be ruled by hard power alone. Many societies are assimilating liberal democratic values. Mass education has made people more knowledgeable and discerning. They are less compliant and more distrustful of those in authority. Problems such as global warming, the spread of infectious diseases, disaster relief require collective and co-ordinated actions. Their solutions require the implicit consent of people who are switched-on and plugged-in.
The third imperative for leadership is that it must be moral and just. Good leadership in the modern age cannot operate in a moral vacuum. International law today makes it harder than in the past for leaders to get away with genocide, corruption and abuse of power. Countries
also organise embargoes and apply diplomatic pressure. These are the hard power elements. In addition, however, there is also the power of international public opinion. As mentioned earlier, the fates of countries today are intertwined as never before. The attitudes of the citizens of other countries therefore also matter as never before. When countries are perceived to behave in an immoral or unjust manner, global opinion will be marshalled against them. The fact is that
international opinion, influenced by a 24-hour-7-day-a-week media, is a prime shaper of international politics, economics and business.
Leaders today are held up by the public to a much higher standard than in the past, when there may have been no choice but to accept them. They have to have a high degree of personal integrity if they are deemed to be suitable to carry out public responsibilities. If they do
not, there will be the nagging fear that these personal compromises will carry over and affect the conduct of public duties and responsibilities.
Common leadership challenges and weaknesses
Leaders must exemplify the values they want their followers to have. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world". It is difficult, if not impossible, to persuade people to be idealistic and highly motivated when leaders are
self-serving and interested only in retaining power and control. Indeed, when a world leader extols the virtues of democracy, human rights and respect for the law, and then proceeds to act in a manner that is contrary to them, he or she makes an utter mockery of them.
Only when leaders show themselves to be driven by higher order goals can their followers feel fully assured that they are not somehow being deceived and manipulated into serving illegitimate or self-serving causes. Otherwise conflicting values and clash of interests will give
rise to widespread civil apathy or, even worse, open disobedience.
Walking-the-talk is therefore more than just a nice maxim. It is integral to what good leadership is about and what being a leader means. Tun Dr Ismail lived out the mottos "leadership-by-example" and "clean, efficient and trustworthy" long before these phrases gained currency. He demonstrated uncompromising integrity in all his dealings. Such is the measure of the man that we still speak of his leadership qualities and achievements 35 years after his passing.
Another common challenge for leaders is in the area of listening. Listening establishes a number of things simultaneously. It says that the leader values people. Leaders who are not people-oriented will generally find it very hard to lead from the top, front or middle. By showing themselves to be open to feedback, leaders also establish a basis for trust. Leaders who listen are less likely to pursue illegitimate goals or actions. By having their ideas and perspectives
considered, followers feel that they have a stake in the decisions made by their leaders. Finally, consultation is essential because without it, leaders cannot make informed and objective decisions.
Instead, they fall victim to the dreaded groupthink.
Listening, of course, is never easy. There are not only the views of electorates to consider, but also those of independent analysts, non-governmental organisations, media, financial markets and the blogosphere. On just about any issue of importance there will be differences of opinions due to dissimilar interests and values.
Diversity, however, is a fact of life and engaging diversity is one of the leader's main tasks. There is, of course, a limit to how much leaders can discourse and take into account. At the end of the day, they will have to make and be held accountable for decisions that they think is right. Their lives, however, would be easier if those who are affected by their decisions believe that they have been heard.
A third common challenge for leaders is to deliberately surround themselves with the best and most capable people, ones who can bring different talents and insights to bear and who may not necessarily be the most compliant. True leaders know, however, that they do not have all the answers and they must seek out those who are more competent and capable and delegate duties and responsibilities to them. If they do not, bad and poorly executed decisions can result, and this may end up eroding popular support for them. In order to be effective, they must have their eyes firmly fixed on achieving results.
Naturally, there are downsides to choosing highly capable and motivated people for one's inner circle. For one thing, they may not see eye-to-eye on many issues. It can take time a great deal of time and effort to forge a consensus. Occasionally, agreement may just not be possible. For another, second-tier leaders quite often end up challenging the leader. This makes many first-tier leaders wary about those they appoint to positions of responsibility. They may be tempted
to offer important positions to loyalists who are unsuited. Leaders, however, have to be more confident about their positions. They have to remember that they have a duty towards those who support them and that they should be uncompromising in discharging their responsibilities.
Implications for Malaysia
The general observations I have made about the imperatives and challenges of leadership in the 21st century are, I believe, relevant to Malaysia. One of this country's enduring strengths has been its almost obsessive focus on effective leadership, that is, one which has to deliver the goods to the people. This has been one source of legitimacy for leaders apart from personal popularity. The leadership process has also, to a degree, been open and inclusive and resulted in
Malaysia emerging as a shining model of development. Other countries may have had as much, if not more, than Malaysia but they were able to accomplish very much less.
As a result of its successes in human development, Malaysian society has changed. I believe that this has also made it necessary for the type of leadership to also undergo a transition from the transactional to the transformational. The Malaysian development ethos today is no
longer framed in purely materialistic terms. Malaysians, especially the younger generation, are empowered and energised. Their demands are for more moral, open, representative, equable and equitable forms of leadership. They want leaders who can courageously cross sectarian
boundaries and who depend on their intellectual and moral integrity and gravitas to attract and retain support, not just on political power and patronage.
Leaders today need to be masters of soft power because hard power, though still required to maintain law and order, is not well adapted in dealing with today's complex and interdependent world. As with any change, there will be tensions. Progress may advance and, at times, retreat, in line with changing circumstances. The pressures for transformational leadership, however, will be incessant and unremitting.
Such leaders will emerge in the future but it is necessary to remember that they have been around also in the past. Tun Dr. Ismail was one in the first wave of leaders who demonstrated an integrity that was beyond question. He passionately believed that Malaysia was a country that could accommodate the hopes and dreams of all its peoples. He envisaged a Malaysia for all without colour lines, without ethnic borders and without any one group feeling a sense of inferiority. He was Malay and a nationalist but he firmly opposed racism of any kind. Instead, he celebrated diversity.
Nor did he have the inflated self-importance that so many, on reaching his position, might have had. On being conferred an honorary doctorate of laws by Universiti Sains Malaysia on 9 June 1973, he said:
"…Saya berdiri di hadapan saudara-saudara bukan sebagai seorang pemimpin negara, bukan sebagai seorang politik, bukan sebagai seorang tokoh dalam masyarakat, tetapi hanya sebagai seorang hamba Allah di tengah-tengah orang yang berilmu, sebagai seorang manusia yang telah
lewat umur, tetapi telah banyak menjalani hidup yang penuh dengan kisah-kisah suka dan dukanya."
Such was the humility of the man. He passed away just 55 days later.
In the person of Tun Dr. Ismail, we are offered a glimpse of a gallant leader who exemplified everything that he advocated. He showed us that it is possible to hold steadfastly to one's beliefs and yet not deprive others of theirs. History shows that many have been given the chance to lead but only a few have excelled at it. This is because leaders often lose their values once they become besotted with power. Let us hope and pray that there will be many more giants like Tun Dr Ismail on whose shoulders we can stand to continue to undertake Malaysia's transformation into a modern democratic society.
Thank you.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Aku DAN Minyak
This is what i talked about during my 3rd Toastmaster Speech in MCOBA building on Tuesday. Something very close to my heart.
---
To celebrate our anniversary, I asked my boyfriend to take me out to some place expensive. We drove around, and he made a quick stop in SHELL (mind me) and turn to me and said. “Sayang, this is the most expensive place I know”.
(Bam..) Well, of course he was just kidding around but this onviously is the impact of RM 1.92 vs RM 2.70
Oil price has made a shocking increase from the usual USD 30 to a startling USD 130 within this last 5 years. In it’s heavily consequence of subsidizing the masses, the government made a bold decision last month to increase the petrol from RM 1.92 to RM 2.70. Some says that the reaction by the government shows apathy to the suffering of its people.
Let me try to educate you how the RM 2.70 came about?
Fuel price in Malaysia is controlled by the government using a formula under the automatic pricing mechanism introduced in 1974.
The calculation is made based on the actual cost of petrol or diesel, the operating costs, margin for dealers, margin for retail oil companies and the balancing number of duty or subsidy.
This is how it is calculated:
Product Cost : RM2.7637
Marketing Cost : RM0.0692 (fixed)
Distribution Cost : RM0.0262 (fixed)
Dealers' Commission : RM0.0950 (fixed)
Companies' profit : RM0.05 (fixed)
Duty or subsidy : (RM0.30)
Total Pump Price = RM2.7041
So you see, no retail oil company or dealer makes money from the hike of fuel prices. Oil companies pay for the product at market prices, but have to sell low, so the government reimburses the difference, hence subsidy. So, let me try to spell this out clearly to you, we (PETRONAS) have NOTHING to do with the fuel hike.
In fact, we do not even earn as high in the increasing oil price scenario. Exxon Mobil who preached about being the top of the Big Four Company in world earns USD 40 Bil in 2007, just USD 1 Bil higher than the year before due to the increase in price in producing 1 barrel of oil, as any other Oil & Gas majors in the world including PETRONAS.
Friends, We realize the fact that as PETRONAS was set up in 1974 with the seed capital of RM 10 Million by the government, we are obliged to generate income and value back to its shareholder, which is the government. Hence, after 34 years of hard earned work by the people who are loyal to serving the nation, we can boast on our 2007 Year End Financial Statement of RM 570 Billion in accumulated profit in which last year, we proudly sit on No 121 in terms of revenue of the Fortune 500.
Some critics have the misconception that we had it easy just because we are an Oil & Gas company, but do you know that not all National Oil Company (NOC) stand as tall as us? There come about a perverse fact that PETRONAS Carigali, the arms of the Exploration & Production for PETRONAS is duly given the right to explore and produce the blocks in Malaysia just because we are a linked to a government entity. This statement is very misleading as much as it is not true.
As an operator in this country, PETRONAS Carigali has the same rightful ownership to the entire Oil & Gas field in Malaysia as other operators such as Shell, Newfield or even ConocoPhillips in its quest to bid for the national interest. In fact, most blocks offshore Sabah & Sarawak are operated by the other operators like the famous deepwater Kikeh by Murphy Oil or even the Shell’s MLNG. However, I do have to admit that having an Oil & Gas reserve on our very own backyard does have its perks on gaining the capability advantage.
PETRONAS is perhaps a National Oil Entity, for now. 20 years down the road, it might transform itself into an International Oil Company, where in the depleting Oil & Gas scenario in Malaysia at present, we will see the company aggressively venturing out to the International arena. Then it would be a question of whether the 65% of profit going back to the government is justifiable. It would be the sort of birthright that we dare not question.
I admire my bosses who have spent 20 or even 30 odd years serving the company, and indirectly the nation. These are the loyalist who could have resigned and work elsewhere and easily earning triple or quadruple the salary they are enjoying now.
Statistic which was released sometime in late 2007 made a comparison between the earnings of Oil & Gas technical expertise in different part of the world. No surprise there that the earnings of the locals in Asia Pacific are the lowest, in which the expatriate working here are earning 4 times higher than the same locals who has the same years of experience. You would see this scenario everywhere, regardless of which nationals they are from.
This, ladies and gentleman, is the sole reason why PETRONAS staffs migrate to other companies, especially in Middle East. Two years ago, the whole section of technician in MLNG of about 40 staff resigned and works in Middle East, and a lot of other pursuit by other individual soon followed. A colleague of mine who has worked for 6 years was offered a USD 10K salary plus benefit to migrate and work in the Middle East. At this critical point where there are lack of expert in the Oil & Gas field and the eagerness of other companies racing to offer better compensation, some of my collegue who merely work for 2 years even migrated to other service providers and consultant offices which are offering … a lot more.
Nowadays, the 30 something thousand of PETRONAS staff are mostly juniors. In my division of about 1,200 staff, 50% of them are junior staff with experience of less than 5 years. Can you imagine the struggle that PETRONAS has to accomplish in trying to excite the staff to continue being loyal to the national’s agenda?
So, it is not that PETRONAS boast about being a loyalist by being underpaid and serving the nation undividedly, but we are. Take our bonus away, take our other benefit, scrutinize our every movement and decision, and you take away those loyal ‘government’ servant who wants nothing more than loyally serving the nation.
So please hear us out. If you can’t support us, join us and then you see. Thank you.
---
To celebrate our anniversary, I asked my boyfriend to take me out to some place expensive. We drove around, and he made a quick stop in SHELL (mind me) and turn to me and said. “Sayang, this is the most expensive place I know”.
(Bam..) Well, of course he was just kidding around but this onviously is the impact of RM 1.92 vs RM 2.70
Oil price has made a shocking increase from the usual USD 30 to a startling USD 130 within this last 5 years. In it’s heavily consequence of subsidizing the masses, the government made a bold decision last month to increase the petrol from RM 1.92 to RM 2.70. Some says that the reaction by the government shows apathy to the suffering of its people.
Let me try to educate you how the RM 2.70 came about?
Fuel price in Malaysia is controlled by the government using a formula under the automatic pricing mechanism introduced in 1974.
The calculation is made based on the actual cost of petrol or diesel, the operating costs, margin for dealers, margin for retail oil companies and the balancing number of duty or subsidy.
This is how it is calculated:
Product Cost : RM2.7637
Marketing Cost : RM0.0692 (fixed)
Distribution Cost : RM0.0262 (fixed)
Dealers' Commission : RM0.0950 (fixed)
Companies' profit : RM0.05 (fixed)
Duty or subsidy : (RM0.30)
Total Pump Price = RM2.7041
So you see, no retail oil company or dealer makes money from the hike of fuel prices. Oil companies pay for the product at market prices, but have to sell low, so the government reimburses the difference, hence subsidy. So, let me try to spell this out clearly to you, we (PETRONAS) have NOTHING to do with the fuel hike.
In fact, we do not even earn as high in the increasing oil price scenario. Exxon Mobil who preached about being the top of the Big Four Company in world earns USD 40 Bil in 2007, just USD 1 Bil higher than the year before due to the increase in price in producing 1 barrel of oil, as any other Oil & Gas majors in the world including PETRONAS.
Friends, We realize the fact that as PETRONAS was set up in 1974 with the seed capital of RM 10 Million by the government, we are obliged to generate income and value back to its shareholder, which is the government. Hence, after 34 years of hard earned work by the people who are loyal to serving the nation, we can boast on our 2007 Year End Financial Statement of RM 570 Billion in accumulated profit in which last year, we proudly sit on No 121 in terms of revenue of the Fortune 500.
Some critics have the misconception that we had it easy just because we are an Oil & Gas company, but do you know that not all National Oil Company (NOC) stand as tall as us? There come about a perverse fact that PETRONAS Carigali, the arms of the Exploration & Production for PETRONAS is duly given the right to explore and produce the blocks in Malaysia just because we are a linked to a government entity. This statement is very misleading as much as it is not true.
As an operator in this country, PETRONAS Carigali has the same rightful ownership to the entire Oil & Gas field in Malaysia as other operators such as Shell, Newfield or even ConocoPhillips in its quest to bid for the national interest. In fact, most blocks offshore Sabah & Sarawak are operated by the other operators like the famous deepwater Kikeh by Murphy Oil or even the Shell’s MLNG. However, I do have to admit that having an Oil & Gas reserve on our very own backyard does have its perks on gaining the capability advantage.
PETRONAS is perhaps a National Oil Entity, for now. 20 years down the road, it might transform itself into an International Oil Company, where in the depleting Oil & Gas scenario in Malaysia at present, we will see the company aggressively venturing out to the International arena. Then it would be a question of whether the 65% of profit going back to the government is justifiable. It would be the sort of birthright that we dare not question.
I admire my bosses who have spent 20 or even 30 odd years serving the company, and indirectly the nation. These are the loyalist who could have resigned and work elsewhere and easily earning triple or quadruple the salary they are enjoying now.
Statistic which was released sometime in late 2007 made a comparison between the earnings of Oil & Gas technical expertise in different part of the world. No surprise there that the earnings of the locals in Asia Pacific are the lowest, in which the expatriate working here are earning 4 times higher than the same locals who has the same years of experience. You would see this scenario everywhere, regardless of which nationals they are from.
This, ladies and gentleman, is the sole reason why PETRONAS staffs migrate to other companies, especially in Middle East. Two years ago, the whole section of technician in MLNG of about 40 staff resigned and works in Middle East, and a lot of other pursuit by other individual soon followed. A colleague of mine who has worked for 6 years was offered a USD 10K salary plus benefit to migrate and work in the Middle East. At this critical point where there are lack of expert in the Oil & Gas field and the eagerness of other companies racing to offer better compensation, some of my collegue who merely work for 2 years even migrated to other service providers and consultant offices which are offering … a lot more.
Nowadays, the 30 something thousand of PETRONAS staff are mostly juniors. In my division of about 1,200 staff, 50% of them are junior staff with experience of less than 5 years. Can you imagine the struggle that PETRONAS has to accomplish in trying to excite the staff to continue being loyal to the national’s agenda?
So, it is not that PETRONAS boast about being a loyalist by being underpaid and serving the nation undividedly, but we are. Take our bonus away, take our other benefit, scrutinize our every movement and decision, and you take away those loyal ‘government’ servant who wants nothing more than loyally serving the nation.
So please hear us out. If you can’t support us, join us and then you see. Thank you.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Saham Dah Jatuh, But Tak Kisah. I Am In Love
It’s been a while, so I need to be completely honest with all of you.
I don’t know why suddenly people start to be checking me out, or been honestly telling me that they had a crush on me before, or knew of another person who has been having a crush on me. Gosh, I cannot comprehend this reality, not when I am taken… now. Haha…
As you can see, I am in love and it only has been a month.
When he asked me, “Can I bercinta with you”, I felt uneasy at first. The fact that I had to release my Single status when I am comfortable going out ‘checking’ other available ‘chap’ was indeed a pull not to. I have been single for 4 years now, and I need to make sure that I am falling for THE right person.
But you know your way, sayang. I had the bouquet of flowers on my left hand, and the box of chocolate on the other. I was trapped. I couldn’t say no and rush off the car. Haha.. Kidding.
I felt so much love, and like I said to you, “I felt so disayangi”. Thanks sayang for coming into my life.
It has only been a month.
But sayang,
I love you more than yesterday, but less than tomorrow.
Truly Yours
SS
I don’t know why suddenly people start to be checking me out, or been honestly telling me that they had a crush on me before, or knew of another person who has been having a crush on me. Gosh, I cannot comprehend this reality, not when I am taken… now. Haha…
As you can see, I am in love and it only has been a month.
When he asked me, “Can I bercinta with you”, I felt uneasy at first. The fact that I had to release my Single status when I am comfortable going out ‘checking’ other available ‘chap’ was indeed a pull not to. I have been single for 4 years now, and I need to make sure that I am falling for THE right person.
But you know your way, sayang. I had the bouquet of flowers on my left hand, and the box of chocolate on the other. I was trapped. I couldn’t say no and rush off the car. Haha.. Kidding.
I felt so much love, and like I said to you, “I felt so disayangi”. Thanks sayang for coming into my life.
It has only been a month.
But sayang,
I love you more than yesterday, but less than tomorrow.
Truly Yours
SS
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Lagi-lagi PETRONAS
This is what happen when politician tries to dictate what PETRONAS do and plan to invest. Obviously their long hours of reading does not include effort to gain Economic background advantage. Whatever la...
------
FROM THE STAR:
Petronas's setting up of medical centre based on return of investmentBERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, WED:
The involvement of Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) in the healthcare sector with the setting up of the Price Court Medical Centre (PCMC) is based on the commercial return of investment, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Tan Sri Amirsham Abdul Aziz said today.
He said the aim of setting up PCMC was to provide Malaysians with health services of international standard.It was part of the corporate social responsibility initiative by Petronas and in line with its corporate mission to contribute to the well-being of the people and nation, Amirsham said.“The setting up of PCMC also helped to add to the government’s efforts in providing medical services under the health tourism programme,” he said in a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat.He was replying to a question from Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) on the costs of building and managing the five-star PCMC owned by Petronas and the rationale for the national oil company’s involvement in the sector.
Amirsham said among the services offered by PCMC were those by specialists in critical areas like cancer, heart and lung, women and children, urology, neprology and men’s health, plastic surgery, cosmotology, dermatology and burns.According to him, PCMC is the only private hospital in Malaysia equipped with the hyperbaric chamber facilities to treat burn victims and expedite their recovery.Asked if Petronas proposed to set up a fund to help poor people in getting treatment at the medical centre, he said there was no such proposal at present but people could still use PCMC for specific treatment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)