Community spirit and the detriment of its excessiveness

1. TNB prides itself in its HR benefits - "the best in the country", "from womb to tomb".. and such like. The country prides itself in protecting the nation from colonial influence (though results vary hugely from the boasts), protecting the malays rights and priviledges, safeguarding malay interests and such like. We are a community-based nation, where we do things for the sake of everybody else, and the guys who can think and fend for themselves are the ones who are running the country. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

 

2. And so here we are again. The HR powerpoint says, we shall take care of your talent development, we will guide your careers. These relics of the ancients continue to think, just like their Pharaonic predecessors who thought they could control the rise and ebb of the Nile, that they can dam enthusiasm of the people and release the talents to the competitive forces as and when necessary. Hogwash! Rubbish! Nonsense! There is nothing that can suppress the human spirit. Postponing it with the transactional equivalent of the promise of development is the main reason that BN has remained in pwoer for the last 50 years and more.

 

3. The human spirit needs to be released, guided and nurtured. Let them understand where the flow takes them. The role of those in authority is to create best-practise benchmarks that the spirits could choose to endeavour itself within. And the best is that which follows the guidance of the Quran and what has been demonstrated by His Messenger. The world's best practices are deemed as such when the spirits choose their vocations based on what and where their passion takes them towards. Guidance is that of the signposts placed there by those responsible. Let people decide. let them feel their emotions, and their inner voices callings be heard. That's where the strengths will be.

 

4. The extent of the need for the PMS is to decide how much remuneration we can take home as a result of the year's work. And that is enough. The talent development and "strategic" consolidation on a centralised level, forget it. The bitter on-off centralised decentralised power struggle between corporate and divisional HR in TNB before was living proof that centralisation doesnt work.

 

 

Knowing thyself

1.       This is a question that I avoid trying to find the answer to, knowing that I may not like the answer. But again, the confusing thing about it is that there is no reason to dislike, but using the answer ad infinitum to find the actions, tasks, efforts and initiatives necessary to achieve significant legacies and success. This objective being defined and guided by need to achieve the highest values of mardhatillah

2.       The most difficult thing to do is to overcome the inner compunction to avoid, to let it be, not to kacau stuff. On that score, I am reminded of Hasrizal’s (Saiful Islam) article on the goose that lay the golden egg. Isnt this similar to the goose committing suicide? Isnt this death before its time? Isnt this the cowards way of retreating at the mere mention of an impending doom sometime in the future.

3.       How difficult it is to fill the heart with courage when the mere mention of risk scurries the body away from meeting its fiend. Strengthening the heart is of utmost importance. The greater the deed, the greater does its strength need to be.

4.       And within this context is where the beauty of qiyam lies. The vulnerability of the helpless slave prostrating in front of his rightful Lord, untainted by all other false Lords and devils feigning authority. The stripping away of this weakness helps to fill the heart with courage and strength. Emotions will trump intellect in the larger dimensions of war and competition. Witness the various ayaah, the various historical relics and evidences, and yes, the various football results where the little trumps the large when character comes to the fore.

5.       Ya Allah, please help me develop this strength of heart and character to be your slave with Your Glorious Mercy. Allow me to taste the sweetness of fighting for your cause, in the name of a war that You approve, the Jihadul Akbar that Your Prophet has called for, my Lord.