FRIDAYS ARE FOR REMEMBERING MY PARENTS

This week I intend to write some snippets on a remarkable lady by the name of Hajjah Hafsah binti Haji Abdul Hamid who is my mother.

She did not complete her school education and completing only at Standard Four level. My grandfather was a very conservative man and exposing his daughters was unthinkable as was the Malay society in Tanjong Malim then in the 1930s as far as daughters were concerned. Thus he did not allowed my mother to complete her education nor to allow her to work. For his sons it was a different story. They were allowed to be educated and sent to the Victoria Institutions (VI), an English school, in Kuala Lumpur.

A number of my mother's friends who completed their schooling, worked as teachers with some of them later to become Head Mistresses of primary schools.

My mother was a very serious person who did not like to be taken for fools readily. A very opposite to my father who tended to be more mellowed and gregarious as he grew old especially when all his ten children were working and settling down with their own families.

She was the Matriarch of the family and she liked things in moderation. She carried her duty as a wife and mother very seriously. Until her old days she would prohibit her children to be over happy or laughed too much as she believed such indulgence was not good morally and spiritually. Moderation was her hall mark. It was not uncommon for her to reprimand her children even though they were over half a century old and having grandchidren of their own if she felt they were over indulgence with themselves or their own children.

She was very caring. I remember at one time when I was in Standard Six in the year 1961. while studying at the Government English School, Sabak Bernam. We who stayed at the hostel were not allowed by our Hostel Warden, Mr Yugaraj, to go back home during the Hari Raya Haji festivities because our Secondary School Entrance Examinations were just around the corner.

Both my parents came to the Asrama Khir Johari at Sabak Bernam to visit me immediately after they had performed their Aidil Adha prayers. Their coming really caught me by surprise though I was very happy by their presence. According to my father, my mother insisted on seeing me. She brought along ketupats and rendangs and other delicacies which she knew I liked.

I was a late developer. Thus when I passed the Standard Six Examinations in overall Grade B , Mr Yugaraj could not believed it as others that he perceived to be better than me failed or got poorer grades.

During the school holidays I enjoyed going back to join my family at Parit Baru. The Head Master's house was very spacious and still stands till today even though lately it is not occupied. There were lots of memories of my childhood in that house as my father served at Parit Baru for four years from 1959 until his optional retirement in 1963. I was in Sabak from Standard Four until Form Three in 1964 when I sat for my Lower Certificate of Education(LCE) Examinations.

My mother was a very good cook and among my favourite was her gulai ladang. It was a beef gulai lemak with portions of serai (lemon grass). At that time there was no electricity at Parit Baru. So we were always waiting for the weekly Pasar Khamis when fresh beefs and rib bones would be available. So come Thursdays we will get to eat fresh tenderloins in our gulai ladang and also rib bones in our soups.

As for other occasions, my father regularly went to Teluk Anson as it was then called (now Teluk Intan). Every month he had to cash the teachers' salary cheques at the bank there . Also from time to time he had to buy stationaries for the school and whatnot. On these trips he would also take the opportunity to buy items and products not available at Parit Baru such as the cold storage branded butter and many types of biscuits which we all liked. As there was no refrigeration we have to consume the butter quickly before they melt down.

Sometimes prior to openings of the school year or festivities like Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji, my father would bring my mother and all of us to Teluk Anson to buy new uniforms or shirts and trousers for us and cloth materials for my mother and younger sister. We would go by boat to Hutan Melintang and from there by bus to Teluk Anson. My father liked to bring us for lunch at the Eusoffia Restaurant which he felt was the best restaurant at Teluk Anson .

Another delicious nasi kandar shop where we used to eat was at the town's old bus terminal. It had since been demolished and moved to another place. I was in Teluk Intan last year and tried the food at shop's new location. Somehow it was not as delicious as it was at its old location in the 1960s.

BISIK-BISIK OLEH AWANG SELAMAT DI UTUSAN MALAYSIA

Belum pun 'kering' isu ancaman Hindraf, ada pula permintaan daripada Gabungan NGO
India yang mahukan jabatan hal ehwal bukan Islam.

Pada Awang, permintaan tersebut tidak kena pada masanya. Gabungan NGO India sepatutnya terlebih dahulu menunjukkan komitmen besar menentang pelampau daripada kalangan kaum itu.

Jika masyarakat Melayu termasuk UMNO sanggup mengambil risiko dalam memerangi ekstrimisme dan pelampau Islam selama ini demi keharmonian semua, NGO India juga harus berbuat demikian.

Selain itu, apa yang diminta itu tidak wajar. Ia seakan mahu hak yang sama dengan agama Islam- agama resmi sebagaimana termaktub dalam Perlembagaan.

Awang harap penjelasan Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Najib Tun Razak dalam hal tersebut diamati dengan semangat yang betul. Tanpa jabatan khas sekalipun, orang bukan Islam terus mendapat pembelaan menerusi banyak mekanisme yang ada.

Antara buktinya kebebasan beragama, kemudahan banyak rumah ibadat dan sambutan perayaan semua agama secara besar-besaran.

Atas nama tanah air tercinta, janganlah kita terlalu banyak meminta. Fikirkanlah sama untuk memberi.

Awang - Pertahan kontrak sosial

AWANG SELAMAT

WHAT IS ALJAZEERA'S AGENDA FOR MALAYSIA?

When I saw the biased news coverage on the recent demonstrations in Malaysia by the news channel Aljazeera it really brings dismay and anger to me. In fact I did sent an email to Aljazzra's online editor giving a piece my mind for its biased coverage on Malaysia.

I put AljazeeraOnline in this blog's link to a list of Websites and the Local and International newspapers so that you readers can have easy access to them and read and compare how they treat a particular news that occurs anywhere in the world at any one time.

I am a firm believer that knowledge and information is power. This had been brainwashed into me by my father as part of my upbringing. We are Mandailing people and the Mandailings are famous for emphasizing knowledge as part of their social values. In fact I wanted to quote the hadist of the Holy Prophet Muhammad s.a.w who said "Who is more honourable and in high esteem? A knowledgeable man or an ignorant man?" as a description for this webblog.

Logically why on earth does a TV Channel owned and based in Qatar , an Islamic country and and a member of the Organization of Islamic Countries(OIC), slanted the news when it comes to Malaysia?

This is the more disrespectful when Malaysia is the current Chairman of OIC.

But there more than what meet the eyes. If we compare ,for example, how Aljazeera treats two equally important Islamic countries, Iran and Malaysia, then we can really see how shabbily the latter is treated.

My business school taught me that in life we must know the truth and after knowing the truth then we can slanted the truth the way that we want it to. Thats the name of the game.

If we watch Aljazeera, it will treat Iran one way and Malaysia another.

For Iran, as far I am concerned and correct me if I am wrong, Aljazeera tends to be more respectful and give fair coverage. Why? Because Iran is a regional power in the Persian Gulf and Qatar being a small state not only can it not afford to antagonize Iran but fears it. The power that be behind Aljazeera knows about this.So as far as Iran is concern there is no mention of democracy or human rights or civil society for that matter.

For Malaysia we have been taken for granted as far as the Gulf states are concerned. Remember how we were played out during the bidding to be the host for the 2006 Asian Games which went Dubai's way through buying of the delegates. And how Tan Sri Imran, President of the Malaysian Olympic Council could not concealed his disappointment.

The same happened when Malaysia was asked to submit their candidate a few years ago for the post of the Secretary General of OIC only to be humiliated during the voting. The candidate from Turkey became the new SG of the OIC.

How come we as the Chairman of OIC and yet shown so little respect? Actually Malaysia and Indonesia even though thought of as successful and moderate countries in the Muslim world, both these countries are not considered as heavyweights in the Muslim world.

The team in Aljazeera that covers this part of the world are not Muslim Arabs but Europeans, mainly English who are given the widest leeway to talk about democracy and all the ideal human rights within the civil society which even their countries of origin do not practice fully.

If only Aljazeera emphasized about the same matters when they cover stories on Iran and Qatar it will make my day.

SUNDAYS ARE FOR MY CHILDREN

We always spent our Sundays with the children, Azmaton, Abdul Rahim, Raihana, Muhammad Asri Nasution, Norjannah Nasution and Muhammad Firdaus Nasution.

I remember when I was working with Bank Bumiputra in 70s and the 80s Kelab Kakitangan Bank Bumiputra(Kelab Putra) organized a Family Day one afternoon in 1983 when Azmaton was eight years old, Abdul Rahim seven, Raihana four and Muhd Asri Nasution three years old. The family day was held at Dewan Jalan Ampang, the building that housed the first Parliament when Malaya became independent in 1957.

Aside from the usual food and games for the children there was also entertainment. The main show time was songs by the popular lawyer singer named Sudirman who had won the Bintang RTM back in 1976.

All the children were all very happy and excited and danced with the songs sung by Sudirman. Among the songs that he sang were Orang kampong, Basikal tua, Chow kit road and others. The show that he gave that afternoon was very entertaining to all children and adults present.

I already felt in my heart at that time that Sudirman would make it big one day. This was before the concert that he gave at Albert Hall in London. And also the various international awards and honours that he subsequently won over the years.

At that time he was still was still a practising law and married to Puan Kamariah Jamaluddin.

That family day organized by Kelab Putra in 1983 left a lasting impression to my then four children.
A big thank you to the organizers.

FRIDAYS ARE FOR REMEMBERING MY PARENTS

Every Friday is my off day. I normally spent the day in prayers and also remembering my emak and ayah.

Today is Friday. Its time for me and my wife Azizah to ziarah my Mak and Ayah's kubur at Bukit Kiara. Very centrally located as we are all in Klang Valley except for my younger sister Datin Latifah Hanum and my younger brother Kamarul Zaman. Latifah resides with her husband and family in Alor Setar while Kamarul Zaman is at Kampong Baru 'A', Hulu Bernam, Tanjong Malim near to our ancestral home. There are ten of us who are alive. Three girls and seven boys. If I include the still born and miscarriages there will be a total of 16 of us in the family.

This week I will be writing about my Ayah. My ayah Hj Muhammad Taib bin Haji Sidek was very proud man, principled and hardworking man. He was a product of Sultan Idris Training College(SITC). He was also a good organizer. I remember when he was the Head Master of the National Primary School at Parit Baru, Sabak Bernam in the early 60s he used to go to the then Selangor State Education Office at Jalan Swettenham(now renamed Jalan Dato Onn) to follow-up on certain administrative matters like teachers' salaries, budgetting, supplies of textbooks and etc. Sometimes the teachers at Parit Baru would get their salaries much earlier than the other schools in the district.

As transportation from Parit Baru to Kuala Lumpur was bad those days my father used to rent and ride pillion on the high powered Triumph motorbikes. Every now and then he would be going to KL to settle and solve the school's administrative or other matters that arises from time to time which affected his school.

I remembered on one occasion he brought us all to Ipoh. He had got the arrears of his allowances for teaching the Kelas Tambahan untuk Orang Tua(Extra Classes for the Adult). He brought us all to Ipoh during that year's Merdeka Celebrations. My father made reservation for two double rooms at a Chinaman Hotel in Ipoh. One for my parents and our three sisters. The other one for the seven boys. It was a very interesting experience for me especially as it was the first time that I ever stayed at a hotel.

There will a lot of stories that I would be sharing with you about my simple but ambitious and determined Ayah and Emak in the weeks to come.

Please recite Al Fatihah for their souls. Thank you.

OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

When I joined Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Bhd the Head of the Establishment Division was a Senior General Manager (SGM) by the name of Syed Zainol Khodki Shahabudin. There was two departments under his Division. One was Human Resources Department and the other being the Properties and Security Department. Tuan Syed hails from Kedah just like my wife. The late Tunku Abdul Rahman, our beloved first Prime Minister, was his uncle as Tunku's wife, the late Sharifah Rodziah Syed Alwi Barakbah was his auntie.

I do not have much exposure working with Tuan Syed (as we normally refer to him then) as I reported to and worked under Encik (now Dato) Nik Abdul Aziz Mohd Kamil who was then the Assistant General Manager(AGM) of the Human Resources Department. I was then attached to the Research and Development Unit of the Department.

Subsequently I joined the International Operations Department under the Bank's International Banking Division headed then by the Senior General Manager Dr Rais Saniman. My immediate boss was Puan Mariam Dato Eusoff. Puan Mariam's father Dato Eusoff was the famed Datuk Panglima Kinta or Lord of Kinta. There is a book on him written a few years ago by Puan Mariam's elder sister Datin Ragayah Dato Eusoff.

Recently I happened to bump into Tuan Syed in Shah Alam. He looks just as he was in the eighties. His hair hardly shows any whiteness whereas in my case there are a lot of grey hairs. He looks contented and at peace with himself. I supposed being brought up in the households of Kedah's royal families showed in one's character.

While in the Bank he used to talk about character and principles. Before joining Bank Bumi he was with the central bank Bank Negara Malaysia(BNM) serving under the late Tun Ismail Ali, the great and legendary Governor of BNM.

Coming back to my recent encounter with Tuan Syed, he pulled me aside and said "Raduan, in life there are always two choices when we make any decision. Either the decision ends up as an asset or it becomes a liability"

There are no two way about this. What we decide will either ends up as an asset bringing income to us or it it will be a liability that we have to bear and shoulder for the rest of our life. Thus we have to be careful and wise and think about the implications when we are making decisions.

Such a wise statement from a very humble but highly respected man which I would like to share with you, my readers.

LEADERS AND THE MORAL HIGH GROUND

Ever since when I did my MBA at the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines in the 1982/83 session a paper that I liked and which continue to fascinate me till today is on the Sources and Uses of Power.

In any organization or company there will be an organization chart which shows its formal organization set-up. The organization chart forms part of the company's current strategies in meeting its strategic targets, namely, in terms of profitability, its market share, productivity and etc.

But there is also an equally important one, that is, the informal set up of the company where the dynamics of human behavior in the organization occurs. This involves the politicking between the various personalities in the company trying to acquire power and influence. This may be through establishing relationship between certain senior powerful management members who are not necessarily reporting to one another but they have close relationships and also establishing relationship with peer groups or lower ranking staff who are not necessarily reporting to them but more as their mentees.

The old boys networks in these organizations are ready made instruments for these purposes. For others it could be their racial background for example among the Chinese executives, they always tend to go together for their lunches. Others share the same states of origin like those from Kelantan, Kedah, Johore etc etc. These networkings provide free flows of information through the various levels. As we know , knowledge is power. That is the fulcrum of these networkings.

But these informal leaders just as the formal leaders with their powers and influence come also with responsibilities and obligations.

They are accountable for their actions and conduct. They must be seen over time to be making good decisions. Their reputations are also dependent on their decision making skills and character. Any mistakes made by them will not only destroy their reputation but will also undermine their effectiveness.

Reputation is everything in life. As executives they should know what Napoleon said about leadership namely that "there are no bad soldiers only bad officers".

An officer's integrity and conduct thus forms an important aspect of his reputation. An officer should behaves impeccably and be above board all the time and in all circumstances. There should be no hanky panky. If all executives act in the best interest of the organizations that they worked in , naturally these organizations will show good profitability and growth.

Thus an executive whatever his position in the organization whether high or low will need to have high integrity and good conduct. Only with these characteristics can talks or acts from the high moral ground to strengthen and maintain his position as a powerful and influential figure in his organization.

There is no two way about it. As they say "you cannot have the cake and eat it".

SYED HAMID: WE'LL HANDLED OUR CITIZENS OUR OWN WAY

The above news item appeared in the Star on Saturday , 1st December 2007 recently.

The Malaysian government will deal with its citizens according to its laws and no other country should interfere with how Kuala Lumpur handles its domestic affairs.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said all Malaysian citizens, no matter their countri origin, had to abide by the law.

"If they break any law, its our right to deal with them according to Malaysian law" he told the Star when asked to comment on a report in which Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee expressed New Delhi's concerns over the treatment of Indians in Malaysia.

Indian Prime Minister echoed similar sentiments. When asked by reporters in the Indian capital, he said " Whenever Indians abroad or people of Indian origin living abroad are adversely affected, that naturally is a source of concern to us"

Syed Hamid said if any foreign country starts to question ethnicity in the country, Malaysia would eventually face a breakup

"I hope there is no misunderstanding of what is happening here. If they are talking about Indian citizens, we would understand the concern, but what happened here involves Malaysian citizens"

DATUK SERI HARUN IDRIS DALAM KENANGAN

ALLAHYARHAM DATUK SERI HARUN BIN IDRIS LAHIR PADA 22HB DISEMBER 1925. KALAU BELIAU MASIH HIDUP UMURNYA HARI INI IALAH 82 TAHUN

MENYEBUT TENTANG NAMA DATUK SERI HARUN RAMAILAH RAKYAT SELURUH MALAYSIA AMNYA DAN ORANG MELAYU KHASNYA YANG MASIH INGAT JASA BELIAU YANG BANYAK KEPADA AGAMA, BANGSA DAN NEGARA.

BELIAULAH YANG MENGAMBIL DAYA INISIATIF MENYEDIAKAN TAPAK UNTUK UNVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA (UKM) DI BANGI SELUAS 1,100 HEKTAR ATAU LEBIH KURANG 2,600 EKAR SEBAGAI TAPAK INDUK UNIVERSITI TERSEBUT. PIHAK UKM HARUS PEKA HAL INI DAN MEMBERIKAN PENGHURMATAN YANG SESUAI KEPADA SEORANG PEMIMPIN MELAYU YANG BANYAK BERJASA DALAM MEREALITIKAN KONSEP UNIVERSITI TERSEBUT.

ORANG MELAYU DAN RAKYAT SELANGOR TENTUNYA MENGENANG JASA BELIAU SEMASA BELIAU MENJADI MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR YANG PALING LAMA DALAM SEJARAH SELANGOR IAITU SELAMA DUA BELAS TAHUN. BELIAU MENJADI MB DARI 1964 SEHINGGA 1976. MB SELANGOR YANG KEDUA LAMANYA BERKHIDMAT IALAH TAN SRI MUHAMMAD BIN HAJI MUHAMMAD TAIB IATU DARI 1986 SEHINGGA 1997 SELAMA SEBELAS TAHUN.

SAYA SENDIRI TELAH DIBANTU OLEH ALLAHYARHAM BILA SAYA INGIN, SELEPAS BERKHIDMAT DI KEMENTERIAN PERTAHANAN (KEMENTAH) SELAMA TIGA TAHUN, MELANJUTKAN PELAJARAN SAYA KE UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA UNTUK MENGIKUTI IJAZAH SAINS SOSIAL DALAM BIDANG SAINS POLITIK.

SAYA MASIH INGAT LAGI BELIAU TELAH MELULUSKAN BIASISWA KEPADA SAYA BILA SAYA DAN AYAH SAYA PERGI BERJUMPA DENGAN NYA DI PEJABAT SETIAUSAHA KERAJAAN NEGERI(SUK) DI BANGUNAN SULTAN ABDUL SAMAD DI KUALA LUMPUR. MASA ITU BANGUNAN SULTAN SULTAN SALLEHUDDIN ABDUL AZIZ SHAH(SSAS) DI SHAH ALAM MASIH BELUM DIBINA LAGI.

DATUK SERI HARUN MERUPAKAN SEORANG NASIONALIS YANG TULEN TAPI SEBAGAI SEORANG LULUSAN UNDANG-UNDANG, IA SENANTIASA BERGERAK DALAM LENGKUNGAN UNDANG-UNDANG .

WALAUPUN PADA MULANYA BELIAU DI TUDUH MEMULAKAN INSIDEN 13 MEI 1969 TAPI FAKTA-FAKTA SEJARAH KEMUDIANNYA MEMBERSIHKAN NAMA BELIAU.

MENGIKUT TUN HANIF OMAR, PENGARAH CAWANGAN KHAS POLIS MALAYSIA PADA MASA ITU, DAN KEMUDIANNYA DILANTIK SEBAGAI KETUA POLIS NEGARA, BELIAU TELAH DI TUGASKAN OLEH TUN ABDUL RAZAK DAN TUN DR ISMAIL BERSAMA TUN TAN TAN SIEW SIN DAN TUN SAMBANTHAN UNTUK MENYISAT MENGENAI BERITA ANGIN YANG MENGATAKAN BAHWA DATUK SERI HARUN LAH YANG BERTANGGUNGJAWAB BERLAKUNYA PERISTIWA 13 MEI 1969.

TUN DR ISMAIL SECARA PERIBADI TELAH MENUDUH DATUK SERI HARUN YANG MERANCANG PEMBUNUHAN RAMAI ORANG CINA DAN INDIA DAN SEDANG MASA ITU BERFIKIR UNTUK MENANGKAPNYA.

PAGI TERSEBUT, MENGIKUT TUN HANIF LAGI, DATUK SERI HARUN TELAH MENERIMA SATU PANGGILAN TALIPON DARI PEMIMPIN GERAKAN SELANGOR, DR TAN CHEE KOON YANG MEMBERI TAHUNYA BAHAWA GERAKAN AKAN MENYOKONG PENUBUHAN KERAJAAN BARU NEGERI SELANGOR DIBAWAH KEPIMPINAN DATO SERI HARUN SEBAGAI MENTERI BESAR .

JADI DENGAN SOKONGAN YANG DIBERI OLEH PARTI GERAKAN, PERSOALANNYA APAKAH DATUK SERI HARUN AKAN MEMBUAT SEBARANG KACAU BILAU. SEBAGAI MENTERI BESAR, PRIORIT BELIAU IALAH MENUBUHKAN KERAJAAN BARU UNTUK NEGERI SELANGOR SELEPAS PILIHANRAYA UMUM 1969.

JADI FAKTA SEJARAH ADALAH JELAS BAHWA TERCETUSNYA PERISTIWA 13 MEI BUKANLAH DIDALANGI OLEH SESIAPA. IA ADALAH REAKSI ORANG MELAYU KEPADA PROVOKASI PADA 12 MEI 1969 OLEH PENYOKONG-PENYOKONG PARTI PEMBANGKANG SEPERTI DAP, GERAKAN DAN BARISAN SOSIALIS BILA MEREKA MENANG SAMA BANYAK DENGAN PERIKATAN DI SELANGOR PADA PILIHANRAYA UMUM YANG DIADAKAN PADA 11 MEI 1969.

PERLAKUAN PENYOKONG-PENYOKONG PEMBANGKANG ITU BEGITU JIJIK DAN MENJELIKKAN ORANG MELAYU. IA MENIMBULKAN KEMARAHAN YANG AMAT SANGAT DI SUBCONCIOUSE SETIAP ORANG MELAYU KHAS DAN MASYARAKAT MELAYU AMNYA. SEPATUTNYA SEBAGAI SEORANG MELAYU TUN DR ISMAIL MESTILAH PEKA HAL INI WALAUPUN KITA TAHU IBU BELIAU ADALAH SEORANG CINA MUAALAF.

PERASAAN YANG MEMBARA INI MEMERLUKAN SEDIKIT SAJA ASBAB UNTUK MENJADIKANNYA MELETUP BESAR DAN LUAS. BAK KATA ORANG INGGERIS "THE LAST STRAW THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL'S BACK". DALAM HAL INI ASJABNYA IALAH TERSIBAR DENGAN MELUASNYA BERITA YANG PERARAKAN PENYOKONG PERIKATAN/UMNO TELAH DISERANG OLEH KAUM CINA DI SETAPAK.

PENYOKONG PERIKATAN DAN UMNO YANG MULANYA BERKUMPUL DI HADAPAN RUMAH RESMI MB HANYALAH SEBAGAI SIMBOL REAKSI TIDAK PUAS HATI UNTUK MENUNJUKKAN KEMARAHAN ORANG MELAYU KEATAS PERLAKUAN PARTI PEMBANGKANG PADA HARI SEBELUMNYA (12 MEI) .

SETELAH TERSIBARNYA DENGAN MELUAS BERITA ORANG MELAYU DISERANG DI SETAPAK, KUMPULAN MAKNUSIA MELAYU ITU MULA BERGERAK DENGAN SENDIRINYA DAN TANPA APA-APA PIMPINAN DISEBABKAN PERAAN KEMARAHAN YANG AMAT SANGAT DI KALANGAN ORANG MELAYU. APA YANG BERLAKU KEMUDIAN ADALAH SEJARAH YANG PENTING DALAM NEGARA KITA YANG MEMBAWA KEPADA BANYAK IMPLIKASI DAN PERTUKARAN APPROACH.

DATO SERI HARUN TELAH BANYAK MENABURKAN JASA KEPADA NEGERI DAN RAKYAT SELANGOR DAN POLITIK NASIONAL DALAM PERANANNYA SEBAGAI KETUA PEMUDA UMNO MALAYSIA.

NAMUM BEGITU NEGERI SELANGOR DAN NEGARA MALAYSIA BELUM ATAU MASIAH TIDAK MENUNJUKKAN DAN MEMBERIKAN APA-APA PERINGATAN YANG SETIMPAL DENGAN JASA-JASANYA. SEDANGKAN PEMIMPIN YANG BOLEH DIPERTIKAIKAN JASA MEREKA DIBERIKAN PENGHORMATAN YANG TINGGI.

ALLAHYARHAM SEPATUTNYA DISEMADIKAN DI TANAH PERKUBURAN PAHLAWAN DI MESJID NEGARA BERSAMA-SAMA RAKAN SEPERJUANGANNYA SEPERTI ALLAHYARHAM TAN SRI SYED JAAFAR ALBAR, DAN LAIN-LAIN PEMIMPIN.

KEDUANYA KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR HARUSLAH MENDIRIKAN SEBUAH MEMORIAL MEPERINGATI JASA-JASA BELIAU KEPADA SELANGOR DAN KEPADA AGAMA, BANGSA DAN NEGARA.

ALFATIHAH!













































































































































































SEBAGAI KETUA PEMUDA UMNO DARI AWAL 1970AN SEHINGGA 1976 BELIAU JUGA TELAH BANYAK BERJASA DAN MENABUR BAKTI KEPADA PERJUANGAN UMNO DAN ORANG MELAYU PADA PERINGKAT NASIONAL.

ADA DUA PERKARA YANG BERLAKU PADA DIRI DATO HARUN PADA AKHIR HAYATNYA YANG MEMBUAT SAYA DAN RAMAI ORANG MELAYU RASA TERKILAN.

PERTAMA ADANYA TUDUHAN OLEH SEORANG BEKAS PEMIMPIN WANITA UMNO YANG KEMUDIANNYA MASUK SEMANGAT 46 YANG TELAH SECARA TERBUKA MENUDUH DAN MENYALAHKAN DATO HARUN SEBAI ORANG YANG MEMULAKAN PERISTIWA BERDARAH 13HB MEI 1969. DAKWAAN INI ADALAH TIDAK BENAR SAMA SEKALI DAN TIDAK DISOKONG OLEH APA-APA FAKTA SEJARAH.

MEMANG RAMAI ORANG MELAYU TELAH BERKUMPUL DI DEPAN RUMAH MENTERI BESAR SELANGOR DI JALAN RAJA MUDA PADA 13HB MEI 1969. TETAPI INI ADALAH SEBAGAI REAKSI ORANG mELAYU YANG MERASA TERCABAR OLEH PERARAKAN YANG SOMBONG DAN KURANG AJAR OLEH PENYOKONG PARTI PEMBANGKANG CINA DAN INDIA YANG BERLAKU PADA SEBELUMNYA IAITU 12HB MEI 1969. DALAM PERARAKAN PEMBANGKANG BANYAK KATA-KATA KESAT AND TIDAK SENONOH YANG TELAH DILUAHKAN.

SEBENARNYA DATO SERI HARUN TELAH DAPAT MENUBUHKAN KERAJAAN PADA PAGI TERSEBUT YB DR TAN CHEE KON DARI PARTI GERAKAN TELAH MENALIPON BELIAU DAN MEMBERITAHU GERAKAN AKAN MENYOKONG PENUH UNTUK PARTI PERIKATAN MENUBOHKAN KERAJAAN BARU DI SELANGOR. TENTUNYA DATO SERI HARUN MERASA GUMBIRA DAN TIDAK LAGI DALAM KEADAAN TERDESAK.

JADI ADALAH LOGIK UNTUK DATO SERI HARUN UNTUK MEMBUAT KACAU BILAU BILA BELIAU TELAH PUN BOLEH MENUBUHKAN KERAJAAN BARU UNTUK MENTADBIRKAN NEGERI SELANGOR DARULEHSN? SUDAH TENTU TIDAK. IANYA TIDAK MASUK AKAL.

13HB MEI SEBENARNYA BERLAKU BILA SAMPAI BERITA KE KAMOUNG BARU. SATU PERARAKAN ORANG MELAYU TELAH DISERANG PENYOKONG PARTI PEMBANGKANG CINA SEMASA MEREKA MELALUI PEKAN SETAPAK. BILA BERITA INI TERSIBAR ORANG MELAYU YANG BERKUMPUL DI KAMPUNG PUN MENGAMUK TANPA PENGETAHUAN DAN SEBARANG ARAHAN DATO SERI HARUN.

JADI APA YANG DIKATAKAN OLEH BEKAS PEMIMPIN WANITA DAN JUGA TELAH KELUAR DARI SEMANGAT 46 ADALAH SATU FITNAH BESAR DAN AMAT MEMBERI KESAN KEPADA

AKIBATNYA DATO HARUN TELAH DISERANG ANGIN AKMAR (STROKE) LALU DI MASUKKAN KE PUSAT PERUBATAN PANTAI. TIDAK LEPAS ITU BELIAU TELAH MENGGAL DUNIA PADA19HB OKTOBER 2003

PERKARA KEDUA YANG SAYA DAN RAMAI ORANG MELAYU RASA TERKILAN IALAH

ADAKAH ORANG MELAYU BERSEDIA UNTUK MENGHADAPI CABARAN PEMBANGUNAN?

Semasa berbual dengan seorang kawan, seorang jurukur bahan (quantity surveyor) sambil makan roti canai dan teh tarik halia kurang manis, di restoran Al Taqwa, Sri Gombak baru-baru ini, beliau telah melemparkan soalan diatas kepada saya.

Dia tahu saya pernah jadi Yang Dipertua , Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Selangor selama lapan tahun, juga pernah sandang Naib Presiden Dewan Melayu Pusat dan ahli EXCO Dewan Perniagaan dan Industri Malaysia ( National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia) (NACCIM).

Bila diajukan soalan tersebut bukannya mudah untuk saya menjawapnya. Ia memerlukan beberapa artikal kerana banyak aspek yang perlu dilihat dan dibincangkan. Ini akan saya lakukan insyaAllah.

Dalam artikal pertama ini saya ingin menyentuh mengenai keadaan survival golongan profesyenal Melayu.

Pada umumnya bolehlah dikatakan yang program kerajaan untuk menambahkan golongan profesyenal Melayu ditahun-tahun paska Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) telah pun menunjukkan hasilnya. Biasiswa dan bantuan pendidikan yang diberikan oleh Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) dan Agensi-agensi lain kerajaan telah menambah jumlah golongan profesyenal Melayu berbanding dengan keadaan sebelum DEB. Jumlah penduduk Melayu dan Bumiputra Sabah dan Sarawak lebih kurang 55 peratus pada ketika itu tapi jumlah profesyenal kita amat sedikit malah lebih kecil jumlahnya berbanding kaum India yang merupakan hanya lapan peratus sahaja dari penduduk Malaysia ketika itu.

Contoh pertambahan golongan profesyenal jelas bila kita lihat kumpulan pengurusan yang mentadbirkan Khazanah Malaysia dan anak-anak syarikatnya hari ini dan juga pengurusan Kumpulan PNB, Maybank, Tabung Haji, MAS semuanya adalah terdiri dari pelajar-pelajar yang yang dihantar menuntut di universiti terkemuka United Kingdom (UK) di bawah program British Top Universities (BTU) seperti di Oxford dan Cambridge dan juga universiti terkemuka American Top Universities (ATU) seperti Universiti-universiti Ivy League seperti Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Boston, Cornell, MIT dan lain-lain.

Ramai dari golongan profesyenal seperti doktor, akauntan, jurutera, arkitek, jurukur Melayu samaada yang dilatih di luar negara atau dalam negara ini sendiri yang telah meceburi bidang perniagaan setelah tamat kontrak mereka dengan kerajaan. Doktor buka klinik, peguam buka syarikat guaman dan profesyenal lain seperti jurutera, jurukur tanah, jurukur bahan , arkitek perancang dan sebagainya akan membuka syarikat konsultansi dalam lapangan profesyenal mereka masing-masing. Ada juga ahli profesyenal ini yang menjadi kontraktor. Di Selangor misal ramai arkitek lanskap yang menjadi kontraktor lanskap. Begitu juga banyak jurutera awam jadi kontraktor. Tidak kurang juga ahli Dewan Selangor yang bidang mereka ialah arkitek perunding sekarang ini menceburi bidang pengurusan konstruksyen.

Walaubagaimana pun konsultan dan kontraktor ini selalunya bergantung kepada kerja-kerja kerajaan atau agensi kerajaan dan syarikat kepunyaan kerajaan. Ini menyempitkan kawasan peluang mereka.

Pada pandangan saya orang Cina selalunya pergi ke klinik Melayu jika mereka merasa ubatnya sesuai untuk mereka. Dari segi ini klinik Melayu lebih berpeluang untuk berjaya dan maju jika mereka memberikan perkhidmatan yang baik.

Dalam bidang farmasi pula kita lihat kurangnya kedai farmasi Melayu. Ahli farmasi Melayu kebanyakannya bekerja dalam perkhidmatan awam atau sebagai ahli farmasi di kedai farmasi Cina. Saya pernah tanya seorang ahli farmasi Melayu mengapa dia tidak buka kedainya sendiri. Jawapannya ialah untuk membuka kedai farmasi ini memerlukan modal yang besar.

Syarikat guaman pula kalau mahu hidup di sektor swasta perlu ada rakan kongsi Cina. Walaupun tiada surat perkeliling atau arahan mengenai perkara ini tapi itulah realitinya. Orang Cina seperti kita sedia maklum licik dengan teknik bisik-membisik diantara mereka. Bukan macam Melayu yang suka heboh-heboh bak kata perpatah " bertelor sebiji riuh sekampung". Kita mesti pelajari teknik orang Cina yang begitu subtle dan halus ini.

Syarikat yang tidak ada rakan kongsi Cina tidak akan dapat menembusi klien di sektor swasta yang rata dimonopli olih syarikat Cina.

Begitu juga dengan konsultan Melayu lain. Mesti ada rakan kongsi Cina untuk survive dan maju di sektor bukan kerajaan. Bagi mereka yang tidak realistik, perniagaan mereka tentunya akan jadi lesu longlai!! Demikianlah kuatnya kempen bisik-bisik ini. Mungkin orang Melayu pun mesti pandai berbisik-bisik sebagai strategi diantara mereka sesama mereka.

Ada ramai juga syarikat Melayu yang mengambil rakan kongsi dan mereka amat berjaya. Contohnya firma guaman yang terbesar di Malaysia dipunyai oleh seorang peguam Melayu yang ada rakan kongsi Cina dan India. Begitu juga pekerjanya juga dari semua kaum.

Jadi pada umumnya golongan profesyenal Melayu dengan pendidikan dan latihan mereka adalah bersedia untuk menghadapi cabaran pembangunan yang dibawa oleh kerajaan.

Soalannya bagaimana pula keadaan golongan-golongan Melayu yang tidak berkelulusan profesyenal menghadapi dalam cabaran pembangunan? Jawapannya akan dikupas diartikal yang akan datang.

RESTORING TRUST IN THE JUDICIARY

The above is the title of the editorial column of the New Straits Times (NST) on 20th November 2007.

Since the 1988 judicial crisis a lot of waters have passed under the bridge. A lot that we ordinary Malaysians should have learned from. But history have always teach us that we have never learn from history.

There had been much sufferings during the tumultuous years of the regional Economic Crisis of 1996/97 through the action of George Soros and others . A lot of Bumiputras had seen their precious savings disappeared in front of their own eyes into the thin air just like that. Especially those who had invested in shares.

When the tsunami-like economic and financial crisis started with the the collapse of the Thai Baht in early 1997 it had contagious effects on the regional economies and the index of stock exchanges of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia dropped very badly. A lot of Malaysian corporate figures of all races suffered. The Malay corporate figures especially the new kids on the block who have no overseas businesses to back them up suffered badly. Some of them got cheated left and right. But they have no recourse to the courts as their decisions are not consistent and no finality.

With the Lingam video clip, the findings of the three man panel recommending to the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry and the subsequent announcement by Pak Lah that the government will set up the Royal Commission to look into the matter , all these will augur well for the business community and foreign investments.

It is my prayers that the Royal Commission, that will be set up, will discharge its duties well in the interest of the ordinary Malaysians. As the legal dictum goes " Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done".

Hence I totally agree with the above NST editorial which is entitled "Restoring Trust In The Judiciary".

SULTAN PAHANG YAKIN SERI PADUKA DIFITNAH

Demikianlah tajuk berita di muka depan Mingguan Malaysia pada hari Ahad 18hb November 2007.

Dengan kenyataan Sutan Pahang tersebut , jelaslah bahwa Institusi Raja tidak mahu mereka ditarik ke kancah politik oleh parti-parti pembangkang, website-website seperti malaysiakini dan malaysia today dan blog-blog tertentu yang jelas pendirian anti kerajaan mereka.

Tembelang sudah pecah. Umum dan rakyat sudah mengetahui perkara yang sebenarnya.

Jadi diharap pihak-pihak tersebut janganlah lagi cuba memerangkap Institusi Raja Berperlembagaan kedalam mainan politik mereka.

Rakyat juga tidak akan membenarkan sebarang perbuatan untuk mengkabui mata mereka.

Jelas Memorandum dan Perhimpunan haram Bersih adalah alat yang digunakan oleh pihak pembangkang dan penyokong mereka untuk mengkabui mata rakyat.

Bak kata sebuah perumpamaan Inggeris, "You can cheat some of the people some of the time but you cannot cheat all the people all the time".

PENJELASAN YANG DIPERTUAN AGONG DAN ISTANA NEGARA MENGENAI PEHIMPUNAN HARAM ANJURAN BERSIH

Dengan penjelasan Yang Dipertuan Agong (yang mewakili Raja-Raja Melayu) dan Istana Negara jelaslah apa yang diwarwarkan oleh sebilangan website dan bloggers bahwa Perhimpunan haram pada 10hb November tempoh hari adalah dengan restu Baginda ternyata tidak benar sama sekali.

Mereka ini telah memberikan gambaran seolah-olah perhimpunan tersebut diadakan dengan restu Tuanku Agong dan Istana Negara. Sebab itu mereka memakai baju kuning (warna Raja-Raja Melayu).

Dengan penjelasan tersebut siapa yang telah menipu rakyat? Istana Negara kah atau parti-parti pembangkang seperti DAP, PAS dan PKR yang berkata benar?

Sudah barang tentu saya lebih mempercayai Tuanku Agong dan Istana Negara dari mereka-mereka ini.

Apa implikasinya penjelasan Tuanku Agong dan Istana Negara? Jelas ia menunjukkan bahwa part-parti pembangkang DAP, PAS dan PKR yang mendalangi perhimpunan haram itu telah tersilap langkah permainan catur politik mereka. Mereka telah cuba memerangkap Institusi Raja Berperlembagaan ke dalam kancah politik untuk jadi senjata mereka demi untuk kepentingan politik mereka.

Ternyata dengan pejelasan tersebut apa yang mereka sifatkan sebagai senjata telah menikam balik diri mereka sendiri.

Apa jadi sekarang? Warna kuning (warna Raja Melayu) yang mereka pilih tentunya untuk memberi gambaran bahwa Institusi Raja adalah bersama-sama mereka. Bila Tuanku Agong menjelaskan yang Baginda tidak pernah sesekali memberikan restu kepada perhimpunan haram itu , tentunya penganjur perhimpuan haram tersebut dan parti pembangkang yang dibelakangnya jadi terkapai-kapai dan tenggelam punca.

Tentunya mereka merasa amat malu kerana tembelang mereka telah pecah . Mereka berdiri telanjang dihadapan rakyat dengan tidak ada seutas benang pun yang menutup apa-apa bahagian badan mereka.

Jelas kepada rakyat Malaysia , jenis maknusia apa mereka ini. Sanggup menipu untuk undi dan kuasa.

Patutkah kita menggadaikan masa depan kita kepada puak opportunis dan hipokrit ini? Jawapnya tentu tidak sama sekali. Dan mereka harus ditolak dan dibenamkan jauh-jauh kedalam tanah. Mereka adalah jenis maknusia yang amat bahaya.

Ada satu pertanyaan yang ramai orang sedang bertanya sekarang. Apakah puak opprtunis ini akan meneruskan tindakan mereka memakai baju atau apa-apa yang berwarna kuning (warna Raja) sedangkan Agong tidak memberi sebarang restu ? Kita tengok sajalah.

Kalau ia diteruskan juga tentunya ia menjadi bahan ketawa rakyat!!

IS DEMONSTRATIONS THE EFFECTIVE WAY TO BRING CHANGES?

This is a question posed to me by a friend recently and i began to ponder seriously on this question.

My take is that there are two sides to the coin.

Lets take two countries i.e Indonesia and Philippines as examples. I frequently go to Indonesia whether on business or for vacation. There I observed you can easily assembled thousands of ready made"demonstrators" to demonstrate on whatever issues that irked you and the favourite spot is at the roundabout in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel. As an organizer what you need is to give your "demonstrators" t shirts of what ever colour that you choose and packets of food for them to eat. With that they will carry the banners that you have prepared. They will also shout out aloud whatever the slogans and battle cries that you want them to shout.

At the end of the day you get whatever the message that you want to highlight to the authorities and the "demonstrators" get their free t shirts and lunch for the day. Tomorrow they will be available for another "demonstration" with another organizer who have other issues. He will have to provide them again with free t shirts and free lunches. Thats the game.

Likewise in the Philippines the same thing happens more or less along the same concept. Get the poor peoples in the slums who are always ever ready and available to take part in "demonstrations". What they need are the t shirts and the free lunches.

Even in India such things happens.

The common denominator of these countries are that almost 70% of their populations are poor either unemployed or underemployed. Only 30% forms the upper and middle class of their societies. And these counties have large populations.

In Malaysia our middle class is very strong. We can see that most of the urban middle class voters are very anti establishment and they are not afraid to show it. Hence we can see the Chineses-majority areas in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur voted in the DAP year in and year out. Nothing surprising. The reasons are best known to the voters themselves.

So why the recent demonstrations? My take on this is that it is to galvanize the Malay voters. But here I beg to disagree with the modus operandi of the event. To my view the majority of Malays still believe that only UMNO and Barisan Nasional can give them the protection and security in the complexity of our multiracial and multicultural Malaysian society. The issues in the judiciary and other issues have more impact on urban voters while rural voters- the base of UMNO, think these issues as secondary.

Of more importance to them are the opportunities in the various corridor developments launched by the PM. These are looked upon positively and great anticipation by the rural Malay heartland. Hence the people are still with the government.

It is not that I totally do not believe in a multiracial party like the PKR. Butwhile political parties like DAP claimed they are multiracial, they tend to harp on issues affecting the Chinese. And DAP is a Chinese-based and Chinese- dominated party. Likewise also Gerakan and PPP. They are only multiracial in name but are Chinese-based and Indian based respectively . Thus to me a so called multiracial party like the PKR will over time become either a Malay based or Chinese based party.

We also have remember that the number of participants in demonstrations can be very misleading. A good example is Turkey. When the ruling AK Party nominated the then Foreign Minister Mr Abdullah Gul for the presidency there way a huge demonstrations in the millions by the secularists in Istanbul against his nomination as they perceived him to be an Islamist and trying to change the secular set-up of Turkey. But when there was deadlock and a general election was held, the AK Party won a huge majority of the seats in Parliament. Subsequently today we have President Abdullah Gul of Turkey.

I suppose I will have to tell my friend that having demonstrations in a free and independent country like Malaysia is not the effective way to bring changes. The numbers can be misleading as seen in the case of Turkey.

There are regular general elections within every five years when the government of the day will have to seek a fresh mandate to rule the country. This would be the right time to bring any changes, if ever the people want them.

PRINSIP SI BALA

Saya mengenali pemandu India ini secara kebetulan. Namanya Bala. Saya kurang pasti nama penuhnya. Balakrishnan ke atau Balanaidu?. Yang penting saya tahu namanya ialah Bala. Dan kerjanya ialah sebagai pemandu kepada isteri seorang ahli politik.

Semasa saya mula mengenalinya umurnya adalah diawal tigapuluhan. Ia mepunyai tiga orang anak. Setelah berbual lama dengan Bala ini, satu masa saya telah bertanya mengenai perkara wang simpanan. Saya tanya beliau berapa simpananya. Saya menyangkakan ia akan menjawap duit simpanannya lebih-lebih dua atau tiga ribu ringgit sahaja. Tapi jawapannya amat memeranjatkan saya. Beliau berkata simpanannya adalah sebanyak dua belas ribu ringgit.

Saya tanya beliau berapa lama sudah ia kerja dengan majikannya dan berapa gajinya? Jawapnya lebih kurang lapan tahun dan gajinya lebih kurang lapan ratus. Tapi dari masa kesemasa ia dapat bonus semasa sambutan Deepavali. Keinginan saya melonjak-lonjak ingin tahu apa kah rahsia si Bala ini. Perlahan-perlahan saya tanya bagaimana ia boleh menyimpan jumlah sebanyak itu.

Beliau berkata beliau mula menimpan sejak dari dia bujang dan sehinggalah ia berkahwin. Si Bala menambah kalau kita hendak menyimpan duit mestilah semasa anak-anak kita masih kecil sebab masa itu perbelajaan keluarga adalah kecil.

Katanya bila anak-anak kita makin besar perbelanjaan akan tetap makin bertambah. Bila anak-anak mula bersekolah rendah kemudian sekolah menengah dan seterus ke kolej atau universiti tentunya perbebelanjaan keluarga akan bertambah dan tidak akan berkurangan. Bila anak-anak sudah besar amat susah untuk menyimpan. Tambahan pula ia hanya seorang pemandu.

Demikianlah rahsia di sebalik wang simpanan yang banyak bagi seorang pemandu bernama Bala.

Saya ingin mengaitkan perkara ini dengan hujjah beberapa perwakilan di Majlis Perhimpunan UMNO yang ke 58 baru-baru ini. Diantara banyak perkara yang dibangkitkan ialah sifat suka pembaziran dan kurangnya sifat menyimpan untuk masa hadapan anak-anak dikalangan orang kita.

Cara berbelanja orang kita adalah macam tidak ada hari esok. Bak kata orang Kedah mereka berbelanja sakan. Sedangkan sifat menyimpan adalah penting terutamanya bila anak-anak kita masih kecil Adakah si Bala akan berbelanja sakan? Tentunya tidak. Sebab itu wang simpanannya banyak.

Kita dapati ramai dikalangan orang melayu yang suka makan di kedai-kedai. Dekat rumah saya di Gombak selalu saya nampak keluarga yang ibu bapanya masih muda dengan anak-anak kecil mereka kedapatan makan dikedai tom yam. Si Bala tentunya tidak akan berbuat demikian. Kerana makan diluar tentunya lebih mahal dari makan dirumah. Dan kalau selalu makan diluar tentunya keluarga tersebut tidak akan dapat menyimpan semasa anak-anak mereka masih kecil. Ini adalah berlawanan dengan prinsip si Bala. Tentunya bila anak-anak mereka mula bersekolah nanti mereka akan menghadapi masaalah kewangan. Tambahan pula mereka berkemungkinan besar tiada atau ada sedikit saja wang simpanan.

Begitu juga kedapatan rumah setengah orang kita yang nampaknya agak usang. Tapi penghuninya tidak mahu ketinggalan. Mahu juga Astro walaupun mereka mungkin harus mempunyai keutamaan yang lain yang lebih penting. Seperti makanan-makanan yang lebih berzat untuk membina otak anak-anak mereka yang masih kecil itu. Barang-barang kemas dan sofa yang cantik itu bukanlah keutamaan. Si Bala tidak akan berbuat demikian.

Baru-baru ini saya kebetulan terjumpa dengan si Bala. Rambutnya sudah puteh. Dari air mukanya ia menampakkan seorang yang puashati dan gembira dengan hidupnya. Dua dari tiga orang anaknya sedang belajar di peringkat kolej. Dia memberi tahu saya bila ia behenti kerja dahulu ia menggunakan duit simpanannya itu untuk membayar flat kos rendah. Ia kemudiannya bekerja dengan majikan lain. Ia memberitahu saya bahwa beberapa tahun yang lalu ia telah selesai membayar flat kos rendah tersebut.

Saya ingin bertanya disini adakah dikalangan anda suami isteri yang sama-sama graduan dan mempunya anak kecil katakanlah tiga orang (sama seperti Bala) dapat mengalahkan si Bala , seorang pemandu, yang mempunyai wang simpanan dua belas ribu ringgit? Jika jawapannya ya, baguslah. Anda akan selamat. Jika jawapannya tidak, masih belum terlambat.

IKUTLAH PRINSIP SI BALA!!!

A QUESTION OF ATTITUDES AND INTENTIONS

Survival, progress and prosperity of a community depends on its attitudes and intentions. Communication and other skills come later. What is of utmost importance is how a race perceives its future. How it assesses its strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities that exist within the environment. Also the intentions of the community are decisive for its survival. On these matters I would like to share some thoughts.

My father always taught his children, this Mandailing song of which he only remembers the following verse:

ulang marjolo-jolo
ulang marpudi-pudi
rap-rap sudina

I cannot speak and write Mandailing(though it seems they have their own alpabets) but according to my father its meaning goes something like this:
don’t you go too far ahead (of the group)
don’t you allow anyone to be left behind
together we all move forward in a row (towards progress and prosperity)

I have yet to check whether the verse is proper Mandailing . But the point is , it showed the attitude of this sub-tribe of Batak peoples the importance of togetherness, comradeship and a sense of belong in a clan.

This has been indoctrinated into my life since early childhood. We are together. We belong to a group. Nobody should be left behind. Everybody must move forward together. This has been the mantra to our family, so to say.

As for intentions they are what we think unconsciously and subsequently reflected in our actions. A simple example is that we have to be at an important meeting or conference scheduled for example at 10.00 am at Putrajaya. If our intention is to be at the meeting venue on time we have to go early depending on the distance between Putrajaya and our office or house.. If it is a two hours drive away from our office or house then we have to leave at the latest by 8.00am in order to be there at 10.00am. But if we leave our office or house at say 8.30 or 9.00am then definitely we intent to arrive late for the meeting. Thus everything depends on our intentions. If we are early we intend to be early and if we are late we also intend it to be so.

Thus if we apply this two concepts to the Malay community we need to understand their attitude and intentions.

In term of the Malay's attitudes , Pak Lah, our beloved and sincere Prime Minister discussed the issue recently in a special interview with the Malay weekly “ Mingguan Malaysia” .

From my perception the Malays are positive with regard education. All Malays from the farmers and fishermen from the rural areas, teachers, clerks to the elites in the urban areas, all realise that education is very important to the well being and social mobility of their children’s future.

Thus we can see now that it is very competitive, every year, among Malay students to enter both the prestigious boarding schools, the Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBPs) and also the Maktab Rendah Sains MARA (MRSMs) . The number of students who are eligible outnumbers the places available at these schools. This scenario is very heartening and augurs well for future growth of Malay professionals and educated groups.

Likewise the number of Malay students scoring good results at the SPM levels is something to be proud of also. The number of students with good results far outnumbers the places available at the public universities. My eldest three children went to boarding schools. Two went to Sekolah Tuanku Jaafar, Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan while the third one went to MRSM Air Tawar, Perlis. Two are now qualified accountants, one specializing in auditing while the other one in taxation. The third one (the MRSM product) qualified as a doctor at the young age of 23 years old.

The attitude of the Malays that worries Pak Lah is with regards to their involvement in the nation’s trade and industry. How come after about thirty five years of New Economic Policy ( NEP) and post NEP affirmative action policies, we have yet to see the existence of a reasonable and credible sized Bumiputra Commercial and Industrial Community (BCIC)? A reasonably strong and powerful Malay Business Community that we can be proud of.

To me the issue has to do with the intentions of these Bumi businessmen. Do the Malay entrepreneurs who were given contracts, permits, and land over the years and subsequently subcontract or sell them to others, really intend to become real contractors or entrepreneurs , or in their mind, they just wanted to make fast moneys the easy way without any real efforts just because they are bumiputras and have special privileges.

Likewise the Malays who hold seventy percent shareholders of car companies that were given half of the total APs last year, as publishised in the papers recently, do they really owned the shares or are they just fronting for others just because the government rules stipulate that in order to be recognised as a Bumiputra owned company the Bumiputra shareholders must hold seventy shares of these companies?

In both the instances above the Malays involved must asked themselves what are their real intentions. This is because we can clearly see from the result that the Malays businessmen have no intentions of becoming genuine businessmen. Their real intentions are really to make fast and easy moneys with the least efforts just because they know or are close to certain ministers or certain top civil servants.

The same with the politicians who are involved in money politics we can easily see their intentions, namely throwing moneys around to buy votes in order to maintain their political positions. Thus they will do whatever it takes to hold on to power. Once they achieved this they will not hesitate to be involved in corrupt practices. Thus the firmness of our Prime Minister and the President of UMNO in eradicating money politics in the party is laudable and praiseworthy. It should be fully supported by all Malaysians especially the Malays who are politically dominant in this country. They have much to lose if this scourge is not eradicated.

The Malay businessmen and politicians have to do their own soul searching on the matter and correct their attitudes and intentions. All the time, utmost in their minds should be the question of the survival and the future prosperity of their community.

With regards to the Malay businessmen, their Business NGOs should also play a role. They cannot all the time just rely and sometimes put all the blame on the Government only. They must contribute by monitoring their members and putting pressures on those errant businessmen. They should avoid the easy way of putting these monitoring responsibilities solely to government agencies. By playing these key roles effectively, these Malay Business NGOs will also gain credibility vis-à-vis the Government.

This will definitely assist in ensuring that the strategic long term interest of the present and future prosperity of the Malay community is not jeopardised but on the other hand is well guarded and protected