Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Posted: 29 Oct 2011 05:28 PM PDT

Everyone has it within himself to choose the path he wants to take, if not chart it.

The ones that complain are those who, even if given the opportunity to run a company or lead a country, are most likely to run it into the ground. They believe that other people are responsible for their problems, instead of looking for solutions within themselves.

By DZOF AZMI, The Star

AS part of my day job, I have to talk to people from industry about the problems they face in getting skilled staff. Everybody is finding it hard to find talents, but not all companies approach the problem the same way.

One group, in essence, says: "Good people are hard to hire because …"

A second says: "Good people are hard to find, but …"

Spot the difference? Which group do you think I find more engaging to talk to?

Remember the proverb about teaching a man to fish instead of just giving him a fish? I understand that good fish is scarce, but those who are already trying to find better ways to fish are going to be better off.

Yes, the world in general is big, and chaotic, and out of any individual person's control. But the world within your reach is very much in your control and you have the potential to mould it however you wish.

Malaysians are no exception. Take petrol subsidies for example.

Many complain when prices go up, even at the token price of five sen a litre. They argue that because Malaysia produces oil, the government should give some of it free to the citizens. It does not matter that oil has significant value and is scarce, and that subsidies encourage wastage.

Or look at the relationship between the races. I hear politicians politicising and the rakyat can only watch from the sidelines, even as those on the soapboxes widen the divides. Who can blame them for saying that 1Malaysia is just lip service?

It is true that there are many things outside our individual spheres of influence, but the challenge we must take up is to find the path that skims as closely as possible to the edge. Only then can we hope to push the boundaries a bit further.

"The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own," said Albert Ellis, the psychologist who developed Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT). "You realise that you control your own destiny."

(REBT is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy which emphasises, among other things, that how you view your problems can change how you are affected by them.)

This is a point of view I came across relatively late in my life, and I think my teenage years would have been far smoother if I had realised it earlier. Think of the time you waste and the stress you get from worrying about problems that are out of your control. Because you think you can't do anything about them, you don't.

Now imagine instead if you realise that there are things you can do to make things better within your local scope.

Think of it as owning a problem. People who change the world are those who take responsibility for the things that others imagine are out of reach.

If the price of petrol goes up, why don't more people talk about reducing their use of it? Car-pooling would effectively reduce the use of petrol significantly. But even little things like sending your vehicle for regular maintenance or making sure your tyres are pumped to the correct pressure can make a difference.

Or, instead of sitting within fragmented communities which suspiciously complain that others don't understand, why not help them see you in a better light?

In Britain, many mosques frequently hold open days during which people of all faiths are encouraged to visit and learn about what it means to be a Muslim. This very simple act is enough to make people want to change themselves.

And even while there are those who cynically condemn 1Malaysia as an unsubstantial slogan, can we at least agree that squabbling among ourselves gives our competitors the opportunity to outstrip us, and that the right thing to do instead is to see ourselves as a one country, moving in a one direction, charting our own way in the world?

I do know it is unrealistic to expect everybody in Malaysia to view our problems in this way. But I am sorely tempted to jump on the bandwagon that aims to move us forward and sever ties with those who want to be left behind.

Let us help those who want to help themselves, and I say do not worry about the naysayers and pessimists, because meaningful change only needs the contribution of a committed few.Are you one of them?

Malaysia is a country whose public policies are those that reward inclusion. We promise free education and universal health coverage and we subsidise a number of important goods. I think it is right that we do this, because I believe it's important for the government to create opportunity where none had existed before and to help those who otherwise cannot help themselves.

So I do support the initiatives in the 2012 budget to help companies attract more talent by giving tax incentives to those that look to hire Malaysians from abroad, and to give young Malaysians internship opportunities.

And I hope these incentives are well enough promoted so that all companies will understand the opportunities before them. As for those who still want to be given fish, I suggest that they go on a diet.

> Logic is the antithesis of emotion but mathematician-turned-scriptwriter Dzof Azmi's theory is that people need both to make of life's vagaries and contradictions.

Kepada Prof Aziz Bari, saya doakan saudara selalu

Posted: 29 Oct 2011 05:18 PM PDT

Kepada Prof Aziz Bari saya hanya memohon supaya bersabar dan melalui dugaan ini dengan penuh keimanan. Walaupun beliau seorang professor yang hebat tidak salah jika saya yang tidak mempunyai kepandaian seperti beliau untuk memberikan nasihat dan sokongan moral kepada beliau.

Aspan Alias, The Malaysian Insider

Prof Aziz Bari telah menerima surat dengan berisi peluru pada pukul 11.45 pagi semalam dan ini merupakan satu lagi usaha untuk menekan masyarakat yang berfikir. Nampaknya sekarang hanya satu sahaja cara untuk kita hidup aman di negara ini; iaitu dengan mendiamkan diri sahaja dan tidak memberikan tentangan tentang pandangan kuning masyarakat kita khususnya mereka yang bersama pihak berkuasa.

Jika ada telinga hanya dengar sahaja dan jika ada mata hanya tengok sahaja. Jangan bercakap benda yang benar. Tugas kita hanya menganggok seperti burung balam sahaja walaupun yang kita dengar itu adalah perkara bodoh dan sumbang untuk negara. Jika kita telah bersekolah tinggi jangan gunakan ilmu itu kerana yang penting kita di minta mengikut sahaja apa yang dilakukan oleh pihak yang sedang berkuasa.

Yang boleh menyentuh Raja-Raja Melayu hanyalah Umno. Orang lain nak bercakap benar dan tidak pun menderhaka kepada raja akan diambil tindakan seperti Aziz Bari. Dulu Umno kata kita tidak perlu Raja kerana raja-raja ini hanya memeningkan kepala rakyat kononnya. Kita boleh baca semua kenyataan pemimpin Umno semasa krisis perlembagaan 1993 dahulu. Saya dah sebut isu ini puluhan kali dan tidak bercadang untuk mengulanginya lagi.

Apabila terdesak Umno menggunakan raja-raja Melayu untuk berlindung dari pengaruh pembangkang yang kian hari kian bertambah. Umno cuba memisahkan pembangkang dengan raja-raja sedangkan DAP, PAS dan yang lain tidak pernah membuat tekanan terhadap raja-raja. Sekarang Umno sudah menjadi parti yang pengecut; terpaksa berlindung macam kucing di celah ketiak raja-raja Melayu yang pernah mereka hina dahulu.

Apabila kerajaan Selangor ingin meminda perlembagaan negeri untuk memberi kuasa kepada Tuanku Sultan dalam memilih Setiusaha Kerajaan Negeri Umno pula yang menyanggah dan tidak mahu memberikan kuasa itu kepada Sultan Selangor seperti yang di peruntukan kepada Sultan Selangor sebelum krisis perlembagaan 1993 dahulu.

Sekarang pula bila ada seorang professor undang-undang dan pakar dalam isu perlembagaan Umno marah-marah pula dan menggantung tugas professor itu. Hari ini professor itu menerima pula surat berisi peluru yang datangnya dari orang yang tidak gemar dengan tindakan professor itu.

Saya tidak menuduh Umno yang menghantar peluru itu kerana nanti kena saman pula kita. Tetapi yang jelas ianya datang dari pihak yang bermain politik kotor yang tidak bersetuju dengan pandangan yang berbeza. Pihak berkuasa amat takut dengan pengaruh Aziz Bari yang kian bercambah di kalangan rakyat yang sudah pandai berfikir.

Yang menentang pandangan Aziz Bari ini hanyalah mereka yang bermain politik dan tidak tahu pun tentang undang-undang jauh sekali untuk memberikan tafsiran undang-undang dari sudut moral demokrasi yang kita kononnya anuti itu. Dengan isu ini kita telah nampak yang Umno sudah terdesak dan terasak ke dinding. Maka Umno terpaksa menjadi "aggressive" dan melakukan tindakan provokatif pula.

READ MORE HERE

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Ahad, 30 Oktober 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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