Thank you all for your comments. My apologies for not writing earlier. I have been busy with work and things happen which are all part of life but because work takes so much of my time and energies, I am left with no time to do all the things I want to do! And I put the blame entirely on exploitative employers!
Have you noticed how hard we Malaysians work? Especially we Klang Valley folks. I think we must be the most hardworking people in the world -- and the most boring! We work, work, work and work to earn a living and don't do much of anything else! Leisure is a luxury. When we do find some time, we shop until we drop! We have hobbies but have little time to take them up seriously. We want to read but are always rushing from one place to another and are too unsettled to sit quietly in our favourite places with a book. Infact, I suspect, many don't even read the papers!
When we go out with friends, it is not to socialize but to destress -- thanks to the long and hard hours we put into our work! What have we turned into? Like the KitKat ad, we have become working machines, and become so good at it, that most of the time we are on auto pilot and don't even notice it! Until we crash. And then it is too late. And there's no point in blaming anyone because the damage would have been done.
But, really, someone must take the blame for robbing us of a better quality of life. And that "someone" is no other than THE EMPLOYER!
Employers who squeeze you of the last breath of energy "to make you work for your pay" should be sent back to the Dark Ages! They give baby carrots as bait and make you work your pants off for them! And, we have no choice but to literally kill ourselves to earn a living because that's what work will do to us. But, does the employer care? Of course, not! He has his agenda and everything must fit into that and, if in the process it takes its toll on the workers -- too bad! Take it or leave it!
But, of course, we can't leave it because we need a job! So, we stomach the crap and day by day become lesser of a human being
Why can't our employers be a bit more humane? Create an environment where we work within the standard hours and go home to family, leisure, hobbies, reading -- life. It would recharge us and make us better workers and better people. And, employers will find that easing on the pace of work will eventually result in more productive workers and a better quality of product and services.
If only people are not so driven that it blinds them from seeing the damage they are causing!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Obscene Sin
I have been meaning to write on this for some time but being rushed I missed the facts and procrastinated. But, I now have the facts in hand and want to say something about this issue which I just can't accept.
Have you read recent reports on what CEOs in Malaysia earn? Well, I am sure CEOs in other countries earn perhaps more, but, within the Malaysian context, I think, they earn too much which is disproportionate to what work they do!
Let me give you some figures: The CEO of Genting, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay earned about RM7.2 million per month or RM 86.5 million in 2007. The CEO of Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings (CIMB), Datuk Nazir Razak, had a disclosed earnings of RM9.35 million.
Other highly paid CEOs and top executives in Malaysia include Teh Ah Lek (Public Bank – RM6.2 million), Rozali Ismail (Puncak Niaga – RM5.2 million), Ralph Marshall (Astro – RM3.4 million), Amirsham Abdul Aziz (Maybank – RM2.7 million), Ahamad Zubir Murshid (Sime Darby – RM2 million), Yusli Mohamed (Bursa Malaysia – RM1.97 million) and Lodin Wok Kamaruddin (Bousted Holdings – RM1.85 million). (These facts were taken from the SKORCAREER website.)
Now I know why Malaysia has such a high per capita income! According to the United Nation's Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI), Malaysia's GDP per capita in 2007 was US$ 13,518 (RM 46,495). We are placed in the upper income developing nation category. Now, how many of us earn that much?
I am quite sure that our per capita income is inflated because of what a few CEOs earn! I think it is too great a divide between the haves and the have-nots when CEOs earn this much and yet there are people in this country who take home a salary of less than RM 1000! And, I don't think those in the lower income brackets form a minority. I think they are in the majority.
The top income earners are definitely the exclusive minority but they are the ones who are doing all the spending because the rest of us don't have that kind of money to spend!
It is no wonder that the thriving markets are those which sell high-end goods because only the exclusive few have the funds to buy them. The rest of us can't spend. Do you see the supermarkets full like they used to be in the 1990s? Do you see the pasar malams bustling with surging crowds? Do you see RM 100,000 properties? All the properties you see in the ads are RM1 milllion and above!
What bothers me most is not that CEOs earn such exorbitant salaries. If it were their own businesses where they invested their own money and resources, I think it is fair that they earn whatever dividends they get. But, if you are a GLC which is partly financed by public funds, then, I don't think its CEO should earn that much -- because the peons who work in the same organisation may be getting pittance in comparison!
What is truly obscenely sinful -- ya, sinful -- is when you are the chief of an organisation which is funded by members and you earn an outrageously high salary in comparison to the lowest rung of workers in the same organisation -- without the approval of your members.
That is totally unacceptable! Yet, such organisations exist. They do not have a proper remuneration scheme nor a retirement scheme which implies their staff can work indefinitely at their current salaries!
Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong in the above if that is what the members want. But, in some of these organisations, the members are in the dark. They have no idea how their leaders got to earn that much!
And, what is really bothersome and worrying is that the leaders see nothing wrong in what they earn. I just can't believe that! Whether you are a GLC or a voluntary organisation or a non-government organisation where the finances are coming from a public source, you are accountable to the people who provide you with the funds. They need to know what you are earning and why. Infact, they need to know everything that is being done with the money they are giving. Nothing should be hidden. Everything should be revealed.
Where such high salaries are concerned, I, personally, feel that the leaders should subject themselves to at least a 30% cut in salaries, and their organisations should come up with a proper remuneration package and retirement plan which should be presented to the AGMs for discussion, amendments and approval by the members.
If the members approve, there's nothing anybody else can say. Until then, the integrity of the leaders earning such high salaries will always be suspect.
Have you read recent reports on what CEOs in Malaysia earn? Well, I am sure CEOs in other countries earn perhaps more, but, within the Malaysian context, I think, they earn too much which is disproportionate to what work they do!
Let me give you some figures: The CEO of Genting, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay earned about RM7.2 million per month or RM 86.5 million in 2007. The CEO of Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings (CIMB), Datuk Nazir Razak, had a disclosed earnings of RM9.35 million.
Other highly paid CEOs and top executives in Malaysia include Teh Ah Lek (Public Bank – RM6.2 million), Rozali Ismail (Puncak Niaga – RM5.2 million), Ralph Marshall (Astro – RM3.4 million), Amirsham Abdul Aziz (Maybank – RM2.7 million), Ahamad Zubir Murshid (Sime Darby – RM2 million), Yusli Mohamed (Bursa Malaysia – RM1.97 million) and Lodin Wok Kamaruddin (Bousted Holdings – RM1.85 million). (These facts were taken from the SKORCAREER website.)
Now I know why Malaysia has such a high per capita income! According to the United Nation's Development Programme's Human Development Index (HDI), Malaysia's GDP per capita in 2007 was US$ 13,518 (RM 46,495). We are placed in the upper income developing nation category. Now, how many of us earn that much?
I am quite sure that our per capita income is inflated because of what a few CEOs earn! I think it is too great a divide between the haves and the have-nots when CEOs earn this much and yet there are people in this country who take home a salary of less than RM 1000! And, I don't think those in the lower income brackets form a minority. I think they are in the majority.
The top income earners are definitely the exclusive minority but they are the ones who are doing all the spending because the rest of us don't have that kind of money to spend!
It is no wonder that the thriving markets are those which sell high-end goods because only the exclusive few have the funds to buy them. The rest of us can't spend. Do you see the supermarkets full like they used to be in the 1990s? Do you see the pasar malams bustling with surging crowds? Do you see RM 100,000 properties? All the properties you see in the ads are RM1 milllion and above!
What bothers me most is not that CEOs earn such exorbitant salaries. If it were their own businesses where they invested their own money and resources, I think it is fair that they earn whatever dividends they get. But, if you are a GLC which is partly financed by public funds, then, I don't think its CEO should earn that much -- because the peons who work in the same organisation may be getting pittance in comparison!
What is truly obscenely sinful -- ya, sinful -- is when you are the chief of an organisation which is funded by members and you earn an outrageously high salary in comparison to the lowest rung of workers in the same organisation -- without the approval of your members.
That is totally unacceptable! Yet, such organisations exist. They do not have a proper remuneration scheme nor a retirement scheme which implies their staff can work indefinitely at their current salaries!
Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong in the above if that is what the members want. But, in some of these organisations, the members are in the dark. They have no idea how their leaders got to earn that much!
And, what is really bothersome and worrying is that the leaders see nothing wrong in what they earn. I just can't believe that! Whether you are a GLC or a voluntary organisation or a non-government organisation where the finances are coming from a public source, you are accountable to the people who provide you with the funds. They need to know what you are earning and why. Infact, they need to know everything that is being done with the money they are giving. Nothing should be hidden. Everything should be revealed.
Where such high salaries are concerned, I, personally, feel that the leaders should subject themselves to at least a 30% cut in salaries, and their organisations should come up with a proper remuneration package and retirement plan which should be presented to the AGMs for discussion, amendments and approval by the members.
If the members approve, there's nothing anybody else can say. Until then, the integrity of the leaders earning such high salaries will always be suspect.
Leaders in Crisis
That best sums up what is happening in the MCA! But, I don't think it is a problem specific to the Malaysian Chinese Association, which is a partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional government. It is a problem with nearly all the political organisations, or, maybe, even with all established organisations!
The issue isn't a leadership crisis -- that would imply that leaders are scarce. The issue is that the existing leaders are in a crisis, meaning something is wrong with their leadership or leadership styles or their personalities and their followers want them to take stock. Existing leaders need to take a good look at themselves to see if they are fit to lead or serve, whether they have overstayed their leadership, whether they can see the errors they are making, whether it is time to step down and move on and, more pertinently, whether their followers want them to lead them.
And they need to have the courage to stand down if their time is up -- as it should have been with the MIC, the Malaysian Indian Congress. Because the leaders didn't make way for a new crop of leaders, see what has happened to the MIC -- it has become a dead duck.
In MCA's case, the delegates have sent a clear message: They have rejected the existing status quo. The alternative is plain for all to see: Have fresh elections to elect the leaders the members want.
The MCA political gamers took a huge risk in going for an EGM. They lost and their own political futures are at risk. But, you have to give them credit for going to their members to find out what the latter really wanted. That, indeed, is democracy at work -- even if politically manipulated. A leadership without the support of the people it wants to lead is really a dictatorship.
The issue isn't a leadership crisis -- that would imply that leaders are scarce. The issue is that the existing leaders are in a crisis, meaning something is wrong with their leadership or leadership styles or their personalities and their followers want them to take stock. Existing leaders need to take a good look at themselves to see if they are fit to lead or serve, whether they have overstayed their leadership, whether they can see the errors they are making, whether it is time to step down and move on and, more pertinently, whether their followers want them to lead them.
And they need to have the courage to stand down if their time is up -- as it should have been with the MIC, the Malaysian Indian Congress. Because the leaders didn't make way for a new crop of leaders, see what has happened to the MIC -- it has become a dead duck.
In MCA's case, the delegates have sent a clear message: They have rejected the existing status quo. The alternative is plain for all to see: Have fresh elections to elect the leaders the members want.
The MCA political gamers took a huge risk in going for an EGM. They lost and their own political futures are at risk. But, you have to give them credit for going to their members to find out what the latter really wanted. That, indeed, is democracy at work -- even if politically manipulated. A leadership without the support of the people it wants to lead is really a dictatorship.
Byteful!
Next Monday, the new semester begins and I will be back to the grind -- with the hectic schedule and all! So, it is going to be difficult to update on a weekly basis, but I will try to post something fortnightly. I hope that won't disappoint you who visit this blog. Meanwhile, today, I am going to give you my insights in small doses!
I can't get my updated editor post to appear so I have to write my "doses" as individual posts -- short, but they'll be sweet!
I can't get my updated editor post to appear so I have to write my "doses" as individual posts -- short, but they'll be sweet!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
The Spectre Over A. Kugan Rises Again
No one made any hooha about it but it is, indeed,odd that only one policeman -- and that an Indian -- is being charged for A. Kugan's death under police custody. It is common knowledge that when a suspect is taken under police custory, more than one policeman attend to him to "get" information. But in A. Kugan's case, only one policeman is being disciplined. Now, why is that?
It looks a bit fishy. Something is not right here. How many policemen were involved in the "handling" of A. Kugan? It might have been that only one man actuallly "handled" him but who gave the approval? And, did any of his superiors urge him to increase the severity of the "handling"? These are questions that need to be answered to show that more than one policeman must be held responsible for A. Kugan's death under custody.
But, why is such information not forthcoming? Without these answers, it would appear that the sole Indian policeman has been set up to take the fall for his colleagues and superiors who do not have his courage.
The public has the right to know the true circumstances that lead to A. Kugan's death and the policemen who actually "handled" him and the policemen who approved the "handling" and who may have approved the increase of the severity of the "handling" must all be held responsible and charged.
If they are not, questions will always remain in the public's mind as to the sincerity and willingness of the authorities to ensure justice for the oppressed. As long as such questions remain unanswered, unstinting support for the BN government will remain questionable.
From the way the BN has been handling Indian issues, my prediction is that the BN government will never ever get the block Indian vote -- not until it is seen as ensuring justice to the oppressed, Indians included.
It looks a bit fishy. Something is not right here. How many policemen were involved in the "handling" of A. Kugan? It might have been that only one man actuallly "handled" him but who gave the approval? And, did any of his superiors urge him to increase the severity of the "handling"? These are questions that need to be answered to show that more than one policeman must be held responsible for A. Kugan's death under custody.
But, why is such information not forthcoming? Without these answers, it would appear that the sole Indian policeman has been set up to take the fall for his colleagues and superiors who do not have his courage.
The public has the right to know the true circumstances that lead to A. Kugan's death and the policemen who actually "handled" him and the policemen who approved the "handling" and who may have approved the increase of the severity of the "handling" must all be held responsible and charged.
If they are not, questions will always remain in the public's mind as to the sincerity and willingness of the authorities to ensure justice for the oppressed. As long as such questions remain unanswered, unstinting support for the BN government will remain questionable.
From the way the BN has been handling Indian issues, my prediction is that the BN government will never ever get the block Indian vote -- not until it is seen as ensuring justice to the oppressed, Indians included.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Speak and hold your Ground!
Bernard and Day Dreamer, I like both your comments. They show that you are both thinking about your place in this country. That is really encouraging to know.
You know, despite all that is happening around us, there is great good in this country. We live a decent life here, albeit with a lot of sacrifices and stomaching of inequalities. And the prospect of a future society built out of multi-culturalism is extremely attractive -- if we lay the foundations for it now.
That is why I feel the solution to these problems is not to pack up and leave for better pastures. Yes, migration is an option, but, I think, it should only be a choice after we have given our all to make this country our home.
What we should do is to fight for our rights to make Malaysia a better place to live for all. By "fight", I don't mean take up arms or take to the streets in anarchic protests. I mean we should make our politicians work for us. We should first and foremost express ourselves and make ourselves be heard whether in the classroom, the media or the electoral process.
For example, when a lecturer introduces a topic like "1Malaysia" and asks for opinions, students should speak up like Joshua Phua. But, learn to speak your mind logically and without intent to hurt or offend. Speak up and say your piece but say it intelligently, clearly - backed with good points - confidently, and respectfully -- always respectfully because it is important to let the other person know that although your views may differ from his or hers, you will still respect him or her as a person.
On any issue, if you feel strongly about it, let it be known -- in the newspapers, to your elected representatives but let them be known.
Then, participate in the electoral process. If our leaders are not adequately representing us, throw them out and give new ones the chance to lead.
Change can happen only when a majority of the people are willing to make a stand for what they believe in and hold their ground -- as it happened in the March 8 election.
If we want a stake in this country, we must also be willing to give and take. Integrating as a society would mean that some of the things we want need to be given up for the greater good. As an example, we may need to give up on vernacular education and pool those resources to raise the standard of national schools so that all Malaysians -- not just some -- get a sound education.
We must be willing to do such things, then, I think we would have earned the right to be truly Malaysian.
I hope more people will express their thoughts on this subject.
You know, despite all that is happening around us, there is great good in this country. We live a decent life here, albeit with a lot of sacrifices and stomaching of inequalities. And the prospect of a future society built out of multi-culturalism is extremely attractive -- if we lay the foundations for it now.
That is why I feel the solution to these problems is not to pack up and leave for better pastures. Yes, migration is an option, but, I think, it should only be a choice after we have given our all to make this country our home.
What we should do is to fight for our rights to make Malaysia a better place to live for all. By "fight", I don't mean take up arms or take to the streets in anarchic protests. I mean we should make our politicians work for us. We should first and foremost express ourselves and make ourselves be heard whether in the classroom, the media or the electoral process.
For example, when a lecturer introduces a topic like "1Malaysia" and asks for opinions, students should speak up like Joshua Phua. But, learn to speak your mind logically and without intent to hurt or offend. Speak up and say your piece but say it intelligently, clearly - backed with good points - confidently, and respectfully -- always respectfully because it is important to let the other person know that although your views may differ from his or hers, you will still respect him or her as a person.
On any issue, if you feel strongly about it, let it be known -- in the newspapers, to your elected representatives but let them be known.
Then, participate in the electoral process. If our leaders are not adequately representing us, throw them out and give new ones the chance to lead.
Change can happen only when a majority of the people are willing to make a stand for what they believe in and hold their ground -- as it happened in the March 8 election.
If we want a stake in this country, we must also be willing to give and take. Integrating as a society would mean that some of the things we want need to be given up for the greater good. As an example, we may need to give up on vernacular education and pool those resources to raise the standard of national schools so that all Malaysians -- not just some -- get a sound education.
We must be willing to do such things, then, I think we would have earned the right to be truly Malaysian.
I hope more people will express their thoughts on this subject.
Friday, September 4, 2009
1Malaysia Rings Hollow
I have been hearing the phrase 1Malaysia bandied about for quite a while, and, frankly, to me, it rings hollow. It does not reflect reality; in fact it exposes everything that is wanting in Malaysian unity. The most basic definition we can give to 1Malaysia is racial integration, but, tell me, how on earth are we to achieve it when every institution in the country is associated by race and by that very characteristic diametricallly opposed to the concept of racial integration?
The Police is Malay-dominated, the armed forces is Malay-dominated, the judiciary is Malay-dominated, civil government is Malay-dominated, the petrol industry is Malay-dominated, the commercial sector is Chinese-dominated. The plantation sector used to be over-run by Indians but now it is taken over by foreigners.
Education, the one place where integration can take place, is also run by divide and rule. Public education veers in favour of Malay priorities; private education is led by the Chinese who pour millions of Ringgit Malaysia into their extremely well-supported and developed Chinese schools and additional millions in ancillary services to give their children the competitive edge in nearly every aspect of life. In addition, private colleges and university colleges are nearly all owned by the Chinese and run for the ultimate purpose of profit.
Divide and rule -- that has been BN polictics since Merdeka. For a semblance of peace, and to stay in power to spearhead Malay interests, UMNO carved out the nation, apportioning a few areas to its BN partners and entrenched the rule of divide and conquer into the fabric of Malaysian life.
No where is this more obvious than in the media. The New Straits Times is owned by UMNO, the STAR is owned by the MCA and now nearly all the Malay papers are also owned by UMNO or companies linked to it. The leading Chinese newspaper, Sin Chew Jit Poh, is MCA-owned. Nearly all the broadcast stations are owned by UMNO or companies linked to it. All present the government line because if they didn't they will lose the licence to operate.
Against this scenario, what place does 1Malaysia have? It is just a PR gimmick, at best, a slim hope that Malaysians will strive for oneness against the surging tide of partisan politics. But, seriously, when the country is racked by divisive rule and institutions identified by race, where do we start to integrate? People -- without being told -- have always tried to integrate where possible. But, when at every turn you come up against race-based politics that has smeared every aspect of Malaysian life, how do you integrate?
UMNO's rule has brought this nation to the current state of volatile and unmoored politics -- a politics that every thinking individual regards with utter contempt. Yet, changes have been resisted, and superficial where they were implemented.
I think we must forget 1Malaysia and Vision 2020 and all those PR pieces at supposedly unifying the people. Instead, we should put our heads together and come up with well thought of and executed policies that will eventually -- hopefully in the near future -- lead to integration and a win-win situation for all.
I, personally, feel there are only two things to do to get on the track of real integration. Firstly, make it illegal for political parties to own companies. Secondly, revamp the entire education system so that Bahasa Malaysia is the medium of education for all. But at the same time, set in place very strong English learning and pupils own languages programmes from the kindergarten level. If the latter programmes are well implemented, our children will become bi- and tri-lingual and, I believe, will be able to compete with each other irrespective of race. And, they will learn to grow and live together.
If only we have the will to do what is good and right........ !
The Police is Malay-dominated, the armed forces is Malay-dominated, the judiciary is Malay-dominated, civil government is Malay-dominated, the petrol industry is Malay-dominated, the commercial sector is Chinese-dominated. The plantation sector used to be over-run by Indians but now it is taken over by foreigners.
Education, the one place where integration can take place, is also run by divide and rule. Public education veers in favour of Malay priorities; private education is led by the Chinese who pour millions of Ringgit Malaysia into their extremely well-supported and developed Chinese schools and additional millions in ancillary services to give their children the competitive edge in nearly every aspect of life. In addition, private colleges and university colleges are nearly all owned by the Chinese and run for the ultimate purpose of profit.
Divide and rule -- that has been BN polictics since Merdeka. For a semblance of peace, and to stay in power to spearhead Malay interests, UMNO carved out the nation, apportioning a few areas to its BN partners and entrenched the rule of divide and conquer into the fabric of Malaysian life.
No where is this more obvious than in the media. The New Straits Times is owned by UMNO, the STAR is owned by the MCA and now nearly all the Malay papers are also owned by UMNO or companies linked to it. The leading Chinese newspaper, Sin Chew Jit Poh, is MCA-owned. Nearly all the broadcast stations are owned by UMNO or companies linked to it. All present the government line because if they didn't they will lose the licence to operate.
Against this scenario, what place does 1Malaysia have? It is just a PR gimmick, at best, a slim hope that Malaysians will strive for oneness against the surging tide of partisan politics. But, seriously, when the country is racked by divisive rule and institutions identified by race, where do we start to integrate? People -- without being told -- have always tried to integrate where possible. But, when at every turn you come up against race-based politics that has smeared every aspect of Malaysian life, how do you integrate?
UMNO's rule has brought this nation to the current state of volatile and unmoored politics -- a politics that every thinking individual regards with utter contempt. Yet, changes have been resisted, and superficial where they were implemented.
I think we must forget 1Malaysia and Vision 2020 and all those PR pieces at supposedly unifying the people. Instead, we should put our heads together and come up with well thought of and executed policies that will eventually -- hopefully in the near future -- lead to integration and a win-win situation for all.
I, personally, feel there are only two things to do to get on the track of real integration. Firstly, make it illegal for political parties to own companies. Secondly, revamp the entire education system so that Bahasa Malaysia is the medium of education for all. But at the same time, set in place very strong English learning and pupils own languages programmes from the kindergarten level. If the latter programmes are well implemented, our children will become bi- and tri-lingual and, I believe, will be able to compete with each other irrespective of race. And, they will learn to grow and live together.
If only we have the will to do what is good and right........ !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
