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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.
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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.