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.
Monday, August 11, 2008
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.
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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...
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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.
Aku Terima Nikahnya .. Dia
Sedutan dari speech toastmaster ku… Haha…
“I do”
“Till Death Do Us Part”
“Aku Terima Nikahnya”
Marriage is wonderful. Being married means that you have to fall in love over and over again, but ALWAYS with the same person. However, people would always have the common question of: How would you know whether the person I am married to is the right one?
I for once, is not married and this is the type of question that I would be asking those who have. How would you know that you have falled for that RIGHT one?
Love does not just happen to you. Trust me, you can never just suddenly stumble upon those lasting love because it does not truly exist. And talking from a person who has been single for 4 years, there is NO such thing as Love at First Sight that will last! The secret however, is very simple. THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.
Love in marriage is indeed a "decision".. . Not just a feeling. Don’t rush in just because you want to jump in the bandwagon and regrettably end up getting a divorce. I was in Mahkamah Syariah last week, and trust me, it was no fun seeing those who have before solemnly swear to spend the rest of their life together then decided to stand before a judge and tell tales of each other’s unpleasant behavior to the judge. And at the point that the husband decide to recite the talaq, your whole love life suddenly flashes right in front of your eyes. Then you’d be telling yourself that you probably did not find THAT right person. Is that right? So, what happen to love at first sight, or that guy is THE right one (probably at that point in time)
Remember this always (I quote) "God determines who walks into your life ,It is up to you to decide who you walk away, who you allow to stay, and who you refuse to let go. May we find happiness in our love life, and those we cherish the most.
“I do”
“Till Death Do Us Part”
“Aku Terima Nikahnya”
Marriage is wonderful. Being married means that you have to fall in love over and over again, but ALWAYS with the same person. However, people would always have the common question of: How would you know whether the person I am married to is the right one?
I for once, is not married and this is the type of question that I would be asking those who have. How would you know that you have falled for that RIGHT one?
Love does not just happen to you. Trust me, you can never just suddenly stumble upon those lasting love because it does not truly exist. And talking from a person who has been single for 4 years, there is NO such thing as Love at First Sight that will last! The secret however, is very simple. THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.
Love in marriage is indeed a "decision".. . Not just a feeling. Don’t rush in just because you want to jump in the bandwagon and regrettably end up getting a divorce. I was in Mahkamah Syariah last week, and trust me, it was no fun seeing those who have before solemnly swear to spend the rest of their life together then decided to stand before a judge and tell tales of each other’s unpleasant behavior to the judge. And at the point that the husband decide to recite the talaq, your whole love life suddenly flashes right in front of your eyes. Then you’d be telling yourself that you probably did not find THAT right person. Is that right? So, what happen to love at first sight, or that guy is THE right one (probably at that point in time)
Remember this always (I quote) "God determines who walks into your life ,It is up to you to decide who you walk away, who you allow to stay, and who you refuse to let go. May we find happiness in our love life, and those we cherish the most.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Apa Hak Mereka?
This is what I read from some random blog:
… Our national wealth must be accounted for in a transparent manner. We need to know how much is earned by Petronas and we know in detail how this acquired wealth is being managed and spent. We need to know how much those in the ranks of hierarchy are being paid and how they are rewarded. What kinds of bonuses do they receive? How much is their gratuity when they retire?
And then Khir Toyo recent comment on his famous blog:
"Janganlah terlalu dipentingkan keuntungan beratus juta syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (Government Link Company - GLC) sehingga rakyat di bawah menderita. Apa penting diumumkan keuntungan besar syarikat ini tetapi rakyat tidak merasai apa-apa?" katanya.
Selain itu Khir juga menyarankan Petronas dan semua GLC negara mengumumkan keuntungan kepada kabinet sebelum kabinet memutuskan jumlah bonus yang perlu di berikan kepada mereka.
In the wake of the RM0.78 petrol increase, everyone now talks about the infamous role that PETRONAS plays in managing the price increase and the effort to solemnly share the burden of the rest of the population. I fret everytime I read a post about PETRONAS. How dare they talk like they own us (or probably the do. Gosh, what a realisation).
Malaysian are very oblivious about the world scenario. They are comparing PETRONAS to other governmental body which does not come close to generating even some minor revenue of the country, and they expect that we (PETRONAS staff hereafter) would want to share our well-deserved hard-earned value of bonus with the rest of the government bodies.
Look at this. It is bad enough that we do not get the market pay that we deserve, now we are being denied our only solace.
They (the community in large hereafter) often talk about globalisation and moving PETRONAS towards Global Championship, but how could we when we are being treated like a second class workers in a first class cash generating world? How do we compete with the likes of Shell, Exxonmobil, Total or even NOCs like Petrobras and CNPC when we are getting ridiculously un-competitive pay and benefit?
I’ve heard talks from unhappy friends who were seriously considering joining their other peers in Middle East, as they were not happy with the recent rumours of a 2-month bonus. (As the writer now listen to background noise of “Oi bersyukurlah”, “Ek ele.. 2 bulan pun nak komplen”, “Macam2 aa orang PETRONAS ni”).
We deserve so much more boys & girls. Please do not compare us conglomerate with your own (unless it is another Oil & Gas company), as we are pretty much aware of our net worth. I am still proud to be serving the nation, but with all this money tension all around, I may just drop my national pride and walk away.
… Our national wealth must be accounted for in a transparent manner. We need to know how much is earned by Petronas and we know in detail how this acquired wealth is being managed and spent. We need to know how much those in the ranks of hierarchy are being paid and how they are rewarded. What kinds of bonuses do they receive? How much is their gratuity when they retire?
And then Khir Toyo recent comment on his famous blog:
"Janganlah terlalu dipentingkan keuntungan beratus juta syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (Government Link Company - GLC) sehingga rakyat di bawah menderita. Apa penting diumumkan keuntungan besar syarikat ini tetapi rakyat tidak merasai apa-apa?" katanya.
Selain itu Khir juga menyarankan Petronas dan semua GLC negara mengumumkan keuntungan kepada kabinet sebelum kabinet memutuskan jumlah bonus yang perlu di berikan kepada mereka.
In the wake of the RM0.78 petrol increase, everyone now talks about the infamous role that PETRONAS plays in managing the price increase and the effort to solemnly share the burden of the rest of the population. I fret everytime I read a post about PETRONAS. How dare they talk like they own us (or probably the do. Gosh, what a realisation).
Malaysian are very oblivious about the world scenario. They are comparing PETRONAS to other governmental body which does not come close to generating even some minor revenue of the country, and they expect that we (PETRONAS staff hereafter) would want to share our well-deserved hard-earned value of bonus with the rest of the government bodies.
Look at this. It is bad enough that we do not get the market pay that we deserve, now we are being denied our only solace.
They (the community in large hereafter) often talk about globalisation and moving PETRONAS towards Global Championship, but how could we when we are being treated like a second class workers in a first class cash generating world? How do we compete with the likes of Shell, Exxonmobil, Total or even NOCs like Petrobras and CNPC when we are getting ridiculously un-competitive pay and benefit?
I’ve heard talks from unhappy friends who were seriously considering joining their other peers in Middle East, as they were not happy with the recent rumours of a 2-month bonus. (As the writer now listen to background noise of “Oi bersyukurlah”, “Ek ele.. 2 bulan pun nak komplen”, “Macam2 aa orang PETRONAS ni”).
We deserve so much more boys & girls. Please do not compare us conglomerate with your own (unless it is another Oil & Gas company), as we are pretty much aware of our net worth. I am still proud to be serving the nation, but with all this money tension all around, I may just drop my national pride and walk away.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
DDYPC Toastmasters Meeting - Pecah Ais
I had my first taste of an ice breaking speech + appointed Toastmaster of The Evening in the DDYPC session just now. Woo.. double wham.
They say i have the spirit and enthusiasm, but i don't think that i did very well. Anyway, wanted to post this speech that i had managed to draft this morning at 1. Gosh, at least it was not that bad.
It's my first ice breaker entitled 'Bang'. Read on. Haha....
--
Dear fellow toastmaster,
I had the pleasure of receiving the invitation by our esteemed guest, Grace Tan from the Friendship Toastmaster to attend their session in Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club last Tuesday. Hang on there, this is not a promotional gazette of the wonderful session that I had, and how Mr Daniel here so-called volunteered me to take up one of the table topic session, titled “If I am A Woman Who Decided to Take Up A Sex Operation, What Skills Do I Require to Become A Man”.
Anyway, we were given a 10 minutes toilet break (and for some ladies to do some mass texting to their many boyfriends). It was shocking for me to see 14 missed calls from my brother, and a text from him that read something like, “Oit. Why don’t you pick up the phone. Abah accident” I had the shock of my life there and then. I quickly rush home, and I was thankful that both my parent did not sustain any major injuries, as the car came close to plunging to a 10m drain.
A series of event always lead to another. A month before, my brother just had an accident involving the motorcycle that he rode with another 1 tonne lorry. The motorcycle ran into the back of the lorry as it made a sudden emergency break right after the Jalan Kuching roundabout. Both his leg were broken and it took 5 hours and 2 doctors to operate on his rig leg only. Right now, he is undergoing physiotherapy to fully recover.
The run of bad luck in terms of driving did not actually start from my parent. I have to admit as this is an ice breaker speech about myself, I am actually the star of the whole show today. I am the most accidental-prone person in my family.
It seems that I always have a run with bad luck in terms of driving. I am not sure whether the saying that men are just a better off driver than women are annoyingly the simple truth that I dare not challenge or I am jinx. Ooowww….
My first accident happen almost 2 years ago, when I drove into the back of a brand new white Myvi. I need to make an obvious confession about myself. I am a workaholic. At one time when I was still working in Carigali’s Strategic Planning, I have worked non-stop for 3 whole months preparing for a board presentation. I worked on both weekends, and tend to go back at about 10 pm every single day. On the last day before the presentation, I decided to take some time off and hang out with friends in Shah Alam. The next day when the team was supposed to present the finding to Tan Sri and I was very eager to see the end of the project, I had my very first accident.
The first accident is always the scariest part. You don’t know what to do, or how to react. Luckily I posses my secret power of having Puss in Boots sympathy look, and the other lady was not quick to splash out on me. I was obviously angry at myself and at how stupid my driving was. It was supposed to be THE day, but turns out to be an unlucky day for me.
However, things tend to work out for the best in the end, as I was awarded a hefty Outstanding Recognition for my Performance Appraisal in that year. Somehow I thought, woo… perhaps I could run into an accident before each Performance Appraisal ends then all is justified,
My second most memorable accident happen approximately a year after. I was driving from Port Dickson after finishing the school program for the students whom I teach under the BAKTI program. The accident occurred after the Sungai Besi toll, just right in front of Mines Hotel.
It was a great Toyota impact. I didn’t manage to stop in time when the Harrier in front of me made a sudden emergency brake. My impact on Harrier butt causes its impact to the Wish in front. My car was badly damaged that I had to push off the door as it was stuck, and I felt lucky that I wore my seatbelt at all times. There goes my insurance claim again.
Fellow toastmasters,
I am going to stop now as I do not want to embarrass myself further. I could continue on the story and tell you about my other small accidents like the scratch you see now on my front bumper while trying to park, or the time when I got lost in Puchong and tried to make a u-turn and ran into another car at the other side of the road.
I think I have now managed to let you all know that through all these practice and experiences, I have now become a much better driver than before. Oh, did I mention to you that I’ve just gotten my full license on the 18 May 2008. And yeah, these incidents all happen within these past 2 years.
Perhaps I was too bold in terms of driving, perhaps I wanted that rapid learning experience and boast saying that yeah, I’ve done that, I’ve experienced that, I’ve made it alive! But all these accident happens either when I was tired, not thinking straight or even trying to bend some law.
Sometimes you would think that toastmasters club is set up to help people who wants to sharpen his or her communication skill, but what about those who wants to sharpen their driving skills? Let me tell you a secret. Learn from the expert … practice makes perfect. I am available for consult anytime, anywhere .. MOC…. Minimal of Charge. Thank you toastmasters.
They say i have the spirit and enthusiasm, but i don't think that i did very well. Anyway, wanted to post this speech that i had managed to draft this morning at 1. Gosh, at least it was not that bad.
It's my first ice breaker entitled 'Bang'. Read on. Haha....
--
Dear fellow toastmaster,
I had the pleasure of receiving the invitation by our esteemed guest, Grace Tan from the Friendship Toastmaster to attend their session in Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club last Tuesday. Hang on there, this is not a promotional gazette of the wonderful session that I had, and how Mr Daniel here so-called volunteered me to take up one of the table topic session, titled “If I am A Woman Who Decided to Take Up A Sex Operation, What Skills Do I Require to Become A Man”.
Anyway, we were given a 10 minutes toilet break (and for some ladies to do some mass texting to their many boyfriends). It was shocking for me to see 14 missed calls from my brother, and a text from him that read something like, “Oit. Why don’t you pick up the phone. Abah accident” I had the shock of my life there and then. I quickly rush home, and I was thankful that both my parent did not sustain any major injuries, as the car came close to plunging to a 10m drain.
A series of event always lead to another. A month before, my brother just had an accident involving the motorcycle that he rode with another 1 tonne lorry. The motorcycle ran into the back of the lorry as it made a sudden emergency break right after the Jalan Kuching roundabout. Both his leg were broken and it took 5 hours and 2 doctors to operate on his rig leg only. Right now, he is undergoing physiotherapy to fully recover.
The run of bad luck in terms of driving did not actually start from my parent. I have to admit as this is an ice breaker speech about myself, I am actually the star of the whole show today. I am the most accidental-prone person in my family.
It seems that I always have a run with bad luck in terms of driving. I am not sure whether the saying that men are just a better off driver than women are annoyingly the simple truth that I dare not challenge or I am jinx. Ooowww….
My first accident happen almost 2 years ago, when I drove into the back of a brand new white Myvi. I need to make an obvious confession about myself. I am a workaholic. At one time when I was still working in Carigali’s Strategic Planning, I have worked non-stop for 3 whole months preparing for a board presentation. I worked on both weekends, and tend to go back at about 10 pm every single day. On the last day before the presentation, I decided to take some time off and hang out with friends in Shah Alam. The next day when the team was supposed to present the finding to Tan Sri and I was very eager to see the end of the project, I had my very first accident.
The first accident is always the scariest part. You don’t know what to do, or how to react. Luckily I posses my secret power of having Puss in Boots sympathy look, and the other lady was not quick to splash out on me. I was obviously angry at myself and at how stupid my driving was. It was supposed to be THE day, but turns out to be an unlucky day for me.
However, things tend to work out for the best in the end, as I was awarded a hefty Outstanding Recognition for my Performance Appraisal in that year. Somehow I thought, woo… perhaps I could run into an accident before each Performance Appraisal ends then all is justified,
My second most memorable accident happen approximately a year after. I was driving from Port Dickson after finishing the school program for the students whom I teach under the BAKTI program. The accident occurred after the Sungai Besi toll, just right in front of Mines Hotel.
It was a great Toyota impact. I didn’t manage to stop in time when the Harrier in front of me made a sudden emergency brake. My impact on Harrier butt causes its impact to the Wish in front. My car was badly damaged that I had to push off the door as it was stuck, and I felt lucky that I wore my seatbelt at all times. There goes my insurance claim again.
Fellow toastmasters,
I am going to stop now as I do not want to embarrass myself further. I could continue on the story and tell you about my other small accidents like the scratch you see now on my front bumper while trying to park, or the time when I got lost in Puchong and tried to make a u-turn and ran into another car at the other side of the road.
I think I have now managed to let you all know that through all these practice and experiences, I have now become a much better driver than before. Oh, did I mention to you that I’ve just gotten my full license on the 18 May 2008. And yeah, these incidents all happen within these past 2 years.
Perhaps I was too bold in terms of driving, perhaps I wanted that rapid learning experience and boast saying that yeah, I’ve done that, I’ve experienced that, I’ve made it alive! But all these accident happens either when I was tired, not thinking straight or even trying to bend some law.
Sometimes you would think that toastmasters club is set up to help people who wants to sharpen his or her communication skill, but what about those who wants to sharpen their driving skills? Let me tell you a secret. Learn from the expert … practice makes perfect. I am available for consult anytime, anywhere .. MOC…. Minimal of Charge. Thank you toastmasters.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Ternyata
Song by: Estrella titled Ternyata
To that special someone who has stole my heart. Thank you.
Ku lihat dia
Pandangan pertama
Ternyata indah
Senyuman liriknya
Ku ingin dia
Saat pertama
Berjumpa dengannya
Membuat ku gelisah
Waktu berlalu
Hari demi hari
Hatiku dambakannya
Untuk bercinta lagi
Ku lihat dia
Pandangan pertama
Berjumpa dengannya
Membuat ku gelisah
Waktu berlalu
Hari demi hari
Hatiku dambakannya
Untuk bercinta lagi
To that special someone who has stole my heart. Thank you.
Ku lihat dia
Pandangan pertama
Ternyata indah
Senyuman liriknya
Ku ingin dia
Saat pertama
Berjumpa dengannya
Membuat ku gelisah
Waktu berlalu
Hari demi hari
Hatiku dambakannya
Untuk bercinta lagi
Ku lihat dia
Pandangan pertama
Berjumpa dengannya
Membuat ku gelisah
Waktu berlalu
Hari demi hari
Hatiku dambakannya
Untuk bercinta lagi
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