"A good cause can become bad if we fight for it with means that are indiscriminately murderous. A bad cause can become good if enough people fight for it in a spirit of comradeship and self-sacrifice. In the end it is how you fight, as much as why you fight, that makes your cause good or bad." - Dyson, Freeman
Got a message of a friend of mine @ Nina ;
"This reminds me of a saying: It's not so much of the size of the dog in the fight, but more of the size of the fight in the dog'. When you fight fair and diligently, you will win."
I am helping a friend of mine, Dan Wilson who will be participating in " Walk The Wall 2010 Hong Kong ", organized by International China Concern, a registered charity providing full time care for hundreds of children and adult with disabilities. He is in the midst of raising about USD 500 as part of his pledge to contribute and donate to the organization for the benefits of unique children and adult alike.
I am to work together with him for one main reason, because it is for good cause and WHY not ? I am inviting all of you my reader, to join Dan and myself to make a difference in their life. You can participate in many ways ;
1. Participate in the walk yourself [ if you happened to be around Hong Kong or China] ;
2. Share about the program with the rest of your friends and circle of influence;
3. Sponsor my friend Dan Wilson, by clicking the button below;
Every single penny and dollar of our contribution will directly go the organization , International China Concern. Find out more about the organization and the program here ;
Read more about the organizer @ Walk The Wall Do not worry about how much , even a $ 1 a person will make long way for the organization. Just remember the power of 1 ! If 1 person pledges to contribute $1 , imagine how much if 1 million person pledges to do the same ? Collectively, it will be USD 1 Million !
It is the special person like each and every one of you who make it happens, and together we make it happens ! Hope to see you, joining me and together we make it happens !It is all now yours !
DISCLAIMER: Notice :Opinions, stories , thoughts expressed are blogger's own and do not necessarily represent the views of the institution or the organizations by which the blogger is employed or any specific person who so ever, either dead or alive.
“In 2009, Indonesia overtook Malaysia on an income per capital basis. In 1968, Malaysia’s income per capital was double that of Singapore. Today, Singapore’s is four times higher,” iCapital said.
In terms of Malaysia’s budget deficit trend, its assessment is that the country appears to be following in Greece’s footsteps.
Indonesia has in fact lowered the government debt, even with the eruption of the global financial crisis. As of 2010, Indonesia’s targeted budget deficit is 2.2% of GDP.
The Malaysian Government has committed to reduce its deficit to 5.3% of GDP this year. It aims to reduce this figure to under 3% by 2015.
Reading this article has lifted my eye-brow, what have gone wrong ?
1. The investors are shying away from the country;
2. The economic growth has been stagnant for quite a while;
3. The stock market index barely reached 2,500 points;
4. The education level of the workforce at minimum level, SPM ;
5. Stucked in the middle-income group for a very long time;
What have gone wrong ? asked myself ? How could we do it better ?
Below are few of my random thoughts about why we are no longer the darling of investors as compared to our neighbours. Why even in weather forecast report for all cities all over the world, in most of news channels CNN, BBC, DW, France24 alike, "Kuala Lumpur" is not even mentioned ?
1. Start accepting the facts
This is the real challenge, we Malaysians simply too "arrogant" to accept the facts. Like it or not, we are in the state of denials. We always point fingers to others. We told the people that the reports are inaccurate and bias, they are jealous of Malaysia's progress, they are assessing only on certain aspects and bla bla. We denies those facts and figures, if the latter are not in our favour. My view has always been, be more listeners and accept the facts, that we could have done it better. What areas we are lagging and what are the lessons learned ? What are nexts ? We, Malaysians shall start asking ourselves, what Toyota describes as " Five (5) WHY s ". But first, learned to starte accepting the facts !
2. No Actions Talk Only [NATO]
Look around us ! We are becoming NATO society . Datuk Seri Idris Jala was blasted when he made a statement that Malaysia could become another Greece, if the trends continues. Look at the report, and Datuk Seri Idris Jala was indeed correct to point it out. He was chided and blasted from all corners ! If I were them, I shall take what Datuk mentioned as precaution and warning, and shall work hard and find ways for it not to happen. I still remember, when Datuk Seri headed Malaysia Airlines. He was tasked to transform the airlines, and what he received at the very beginning was a "very emotional and irrational" remarks from the chosen few. Unfortunately.Less talk and more actions and result, please.
3. History repeats itself
Yes, it was then RM 1= SGD 1. I remembered very well, I can even but a "chickidies" with SGD coins at "Kedai Runcit" in remote village in Tanjung Karang. Yes, gone those days, but one thing for sure, we can repeat the history. What were the causes and factors those glory days, that can't be repeated ? My view, those days leaders worked for the nation and the country. The made lots of sacrifices , both professionally and personally when the most satisfying moment was to see the country and the people make progress everyday.
4. Mindset change and behaviour
This is the most critical factors, that all quarters people at all levels from CEO of the Fortune 500 companies to a cleaners, gardeners, school children shall have the right mindset and behaviour of a great nation. Sounds to vague and so big, when it is not actually and doable. This can be achieved through education system that nuture the young minds to have the right mindsets and behaviour. The parents shall play the roles too, when their kids are still young. Emphasise on the need to have good educations, and eventually be good citizens of the nation.
5. Learn from others
Learn how countries in the USA and Europe , even Singapore become great nations and we shall look back at Turkey, when it was a great nation and super power before ? In Europe, healthy competitions among the countries help the continent to prosper. How London became the largest financial hub in Europe ? How German become a country well known for its engineering ? How Paris become the most visited city in the world ? How Netherland position itself who have great ports management ? How those countries, despite competing each other become so good ? I could see the trends in our part of the world, when Singapore [ Financial Hub], Indonesia [ largest domestic economy], Thailand [ Tourism] and Vietnam [ Industry ] and Malaysia ? [ mix of bit here and there ]. We have our glory days, and Malaysia shall position and brand herself to compete with the rest of our neighbours. May be we shall be the "Great Modern Ottoman Empire"
We shall emulate the best practices and yet, we move forward our ways and our mould.
Malaysia is a great country, and we shall leverage on our diversity to match the tagline, Malaysia Truly Asia. We shall work harder to put Malaysia on the map again [ at least during the weather forecast, for a start] . I read in the news few measures and initiatives by the government to bring Malaysia to the next level, and unfortunately I could sense some laggings in the implementation stage. Let us people from all quarters, including the opposition to work together to bring Malaysia and make a frog leap, to stand in the eyes of the world.
As for my contribution, as individual ?? I am learning from the best, and I shall return back to Malaysia to share my knowledge and experiences with the future generations of Malaysians, to make Malaysians individuals, with the right mindset and behaviour with the right capability and capacity. At least, that is my plan.
DISCLAIMER: Notice :Opinions, stories , thoughts expressed are blogger's own and do not necessarily represent the views of the institution or the organizations by which the blogger is employed or any specific person who so ever, either dead or alive.
KOTA BARU: Kelantan paved the way to become the first state to introduce the gold dinar and silver dirham currency.
Speaking when launching the Syariah currency Thursday, Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the state would strive to expand the use of the gold dinar and silver dirham in all transactions, including paying civil servants' remuneration.
However, there were still many technicalities that had to be addressed by the state government, he told reporters after launching the dinar gold and silver dirham here.Islamic Gold Dinar
Read more @ The Star Online
The Kelantan state government has been toying with the idea of implementing the use of gold dinar for long time, and I still remember our Prime Minister then, Tun Mahathir Mohamad threw the idea for the world to revisit the use gold as the trading transaction to replace the existing paper notes, as it used to be. While many sceptical with the idea, if it was successfully implemented then, why not now? I do realize it is easier said than done, but I am sure there must be a solution to it and way out. Political gimmick ? I reserve my comment, but I lauded the Kelantan state government for such brave action, to go against the crowd in implementing it. They do recognize that there will be hiccups during the implementation, but worth trying.
I would imagine, that now the salary of the government servant will be tied to the market value of the gold. For instance, if the price of gold today, RM 100 per gram, so for someone who earn RM 1,000 will get around 10 grams of of gold. Depending, on when he will sell the gold, he will either incur loss/gain, depending on the market value or transact value for the day or given time, and any balances in the account will be tied to the gold market value. It is like the saving account = gold dinar account which are currently being offered by Kuwait Finance House, Malaysia. That is what I understand with this whole concept of gold dinar transaction. One thing for sure, gold is one of the stable commodity in the market with the price tend not to fluctuate that much. I would like and am interested to know how this eventually work, and educating and creating awareness to the affected party would be and shall be next in the agenda of Kelantan state government. In any case, there shall not be any party who are victimized with the new system, and shall be fair and equitable and just for the public , i.e. the RAKYAT and it shall be done in the interest of public.
Anyone has idea and would love to share on this ? I would love to hear from the readers.
DISCLAIMER: Notice :Opinions, stories , thoughts expressed are blogger's own and do not necessarily represent the views of the institution or the organizations by which the blogger is employed or any specific person who so ever, either dead or alive.
CIMA wants to give students and professionals around the world every opportunity to succeed in their career.
We’ve lowered our entry price from £150 to £60. All new students will now have their first subscription fee waived, saving £90 upon registration.
Whether you aspire to climb the management ladder, want a career that crosses international boundaries, or simply want more career options, the CIMA qualification is now more accessible to you.
I remember very well back in 2003/04 [ if not mistaken] for CIMA to revisit the fees for students, as I felt it was simply too high relative to other professional qualification like ACCA. My argument, that the latter shall not be the case, as CIMA should operate more effectively and efficiently, and an increase in fees every year might send wrong signal that CIMA might not manage effectively. I did check with my other friends, who chose ACCA over CIMA, and one of the consideration was the fee and cost. 1GBP to RM 6-7 then, making CIMA qualification beyond the reach for ordinary Joe who just started his career.As such, CIMA is regarded as " exclusive qualification for selected few ".
It was then, that organizations back in Malaysia, preferred ACCA and other qualifications, over CIMA. CIMA was regarded as not really relevant in the accounting fraternity and industry in Malaysia. However, that was changed in later year as CIMA aggresively promoting it as the most relevant qualification in the business world, and its qualification transcends beyond accounting fraternity. Employer in UK prefer CIMA members, but in Malaysia, still the acceptances and perception among the Malaysians Inc like PETRONAS is/was still low, even though PETRONAS was recognized as one of the CIMA training provider. It is kind of catch 22 situation in Malaysia. However, one thing did not quite change was the fees. Then what made CIMA change its mind in Year 2010. However, the picture is different with SHELL and other multinational organizations.
It will be bit shallow, if I say decision to have CIMA over other professional qualification is solely based on the cost factor alone. However, it does count as one of the important factor to consider. To a Malaysian, why shall I choose CIMA when it is more expensive to complete at the same time, not the qualifications preferred by Malaysia Inc. and big 4 audit firms ? I think it is a fair choice and reasonable consideration.
It will also not quite right to consider Malaysian market only, but the fact that Malaysia is consider as one of the key and focus country, may in one way or another influence the rest in the regions to follow. While CIMA is regarded as " professional qualifications accepted worldwide" still the reality is that it is not easy for CIMA members in Malaysia to work in other countries and cross border mobilization is very much case to case basis, unless you are working in a multinational organization like SHELL, TESCO and HP.
At least now, there are changes happening and interesting development in CIMA that will make it more relevant qualification of choice. The introduction of Islamic Finance course, lower cost to register as CIMA student, collaboration with local accounting bodies and local institutions in Malaysia show that CIMA is indeed moving into the right direction. More could be done, perhaps the introduction of business controls to be part of one of the strategic level papers [ risk, governance , statutory audit, self-assessment, internal audit ] may make CIMA appeals to the mass not only the commercial organization, but also specific industry like advisory and audit firms.
DISCLAIMER: Notice :Opinions, stories , thoughts expressed are blogger's own and do not necessarily represent the views of the institution or the organizations by which the blogger is employed or any specific person who so ever, either dead or alive.
The 10th Malaysia Plan was unveiled by the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak with a whopping RM 230 billion was estimated to be spent for the the next 5 years. The PM called all Malaysians to be united in making sure all the plans will be implemented, and he deems Malaysians as a football team, to win the world cup in 2015. The announcement was received by all the people with mix reactions from Malaysians, depending on "who you are", and soon after the announcement the discussions were and are aired on all the mainstream medias.
If you are to asked me, personally I do welcome the plan to make Malaysia a better country, at par if not better than its counterparts Singapore, Hong Kong , USA and Europeans alike. I received the ideas and plan with an open heart and mind, and more than happy to make it happens. Failure is not an option, that is how I view the plan. If it fails, the Vision 2020 will not be materialized at all.
What are the ingredients for success, in my points of view ? Is very much go to basic and below are some of the elements and ingredients;
1. Believe [ Buy-in ]
This is the most challenging part. It does not have to get the buying in from all Malaysians [ as it is only natural for some quarters to be resistance to change. While is may look, sound and feel great on paper, so long it is on paper people will not buy in the ideas. One way of getting the buying in is to show the results quick and fast. People have been tired hearing what they call as " empty promises" or NATO [ No Action Talks Only] syndroms. People would like to see the RESULT NOW be it small or big. People have to feel that it is working to its advantage and can feel the differences in the next 5 years. Any subsequent plans will be very much to sell in the next rounds, till the Year 2020
2. Behave as Owner [Ownership]
The success of failure of any initiatives are actually depending on the people. As such, once element # 1 is there, people from all walk of life will talk and sing the same language, and own the initiative within its areas of responsibilities and influences. People have to own it, and responsibility and accountability will naturally come with it !
3. Mindset change
This is very critical and important elements in any changes and progress that any government or/and organization needs to introduce.There shall be shift of the thinking, from third class to first class mentality and thinking. I would I measure the success and actually mindset change is happening ? I will go to the very basic and it all starts from home as charity begins at home right ? I would say there is actually shift in mindset if the following happens ;
1. The public toilet are clean and well taken care off;
2. People do not simply throw rubbish out of the car while driving;
3. People will not simply throw rubbish or garbage everywhere and care for the surroundings;
4. People follow the rules while driving on the road without any police's or authority present;
5. People will allow people to cross the zebra crossing ;
6. Reading as a way of life and you can see people reading or at least holding a book everywhere;
7. Punctual and always on time;
4. Ikhlas and for General/Public Interest.
Whatever the initiatives and implementation shall be for the sake of the people and the country, and not for any hidden agendas. All the initiatives under NKRA [ National Key Results Areas] shall show result and the momentums have to be maintained at all times. It shall not be a seasonal thingy. There shall be continuity even if there is government or personal changes. The public or country interest shall be over and above the personal agendas and interests. No doubt one will have personal agendas, but the people/public and country agenda shall prevail and above the rest.
5. Making the impossible happens and reaching out
This thinking shall be inculcated among the younger generations, since they are young and in primary school. Our education system have to make a giant leap to make sure it happens. Perhaps, education system shall make Mandarin, Tamil, Hindi, Arabic as compulsory and French and Spanish as alternative foreign languages for all school children.
6. Divine Intervention
Whatever it is, as per the Rukunegara " Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan ", we require divine interventions after all the efforts and initiatives by all the people.
What say you ? Care to share ?
DISCLAIMER: Notice :Opinions, stories , thoughts expressed are blogger's own and do not necessarily represent the views of the institution or the organizations by which the blogger is employed or any specific person who so ever, either dead or alive.
