Tribute to Tun Razak and Tun Ismail and the NEP's future, and by extension our future.

1.       We live in strange times in Malaysia, or perhaps not so strange. There’s such a thick miasma on all the Malay rights and ketuanan issues that it’s difficult to take a principled stand on what things should be, and even more difficult would be to decide on what things must be in the future. It is in this respect I feel the need to pen some thoughts on Tun Razak’s legacy, (after all I take this heavily jammed road named after him everyday!) and that of his purported ‘thinktank’ of a deputy, Tun Ismail (name of a place where I was brought up).

2.       Back in the 60s, Malaysia just had independence, and there was this euphoria. When issues of Malay economic dependence and solutions to overcome it was sought, obviously there would be tension, thought tp the credit of the Alliance then, MCA and MIC were magnanimous enough to recognise that this needed to be settled. 1969 changed things. Racial riots meant that the causalities had to be removed from the public sphere, and the policy implementation were then expedited through the NEP.

3.       NEP had brought about astounding changes. Since early 70s when Razak and Ismail put this into place, within a generation the Malays have improved their standing. Razak’s farsightedness and excellent leadership paved the way for this to happen. For this we are grateful.

4.       Sultan’s participation in all this is less clear. Obviously, they did not impede in NEP’s policy implementation, and were also beneficiaries. As constitutional monarch’s, they, of Malay origin, will always have the final constitutional authority on matters within their jurisdiction, but Razak and Ismail’s government were the architects and the constructors of this wonderful policy instrument.

5.       Fast forward 2010. Is this policy still useful? I saw Halija and Akbar’s figures where if we were to exclude foreign ownership, Malays have already exceeded their 30% target, but obviously it became less than 20 if we were to include it. The issue then becomes, which benchmark / KPI do we use to decide to sustain, modify or discontinue this policy?

6.       Issues then become that of (i) bastardisation of the policy by the privileges lingering only amongst the elite classes, (ii) what happens to the malays in poverty, (iii) quality of malays becoming entrenched in an entitlement mindset, (iv) erosion of the Malay political power, beginning with UMNO and potentially spreading to opposition (at federal level), thereby raising a risk with Islamic leadership, (v) overall national leadership mandate, and which includes revisiting the social contract between the various races with now this being the Malays turn to give up some ‘benefits’ ala MCA-MIC in the early 60s.

7.       From a bystander perspective, the best individual / entity that can articulate these concerns and propose a resolution to this stands the best chance. I’m uneasy with the way PKR lobs this issue very irresponsibly into the public space knowing the emotive volatility of the subject, and I shudder at the thought of a PKR-led government. PAS, a very moderate PAS, should be eased into a leadership position in the PR, and again that opens itself a different can of worms seeing the differing hardline and Erbakan-styled camps within it.

8.       In the meantime, the country continues to stumble along issue-to-issue, and there still remains the miasma that remains unresolved for some time in the near future. Upping sticks seems to be quite attractive in the next 5 years.

 

Malaysian Tech Scene

1.       I was asked an impromptu question on what the tech scene looked like in Malaysia yesterday, asked by no less the poster girl of India’s biotech / molecular biology industry, Dr Villoo. Didn’t really have time to prepare the answer, and FZ answered it nonetheless. If I was to give my own assessment it would be this:

·         We have never had the tech development and innovation culture, and in that respect were similar to India back in the early 90s

·         Then Bangalore and MSC burst onto the scene, but Bangalore is almost fully wi-fied now, and Cyberjaya is only now looking to move beyond its ghost town image

·         So what went wrong? Did we lack the skills? Apparently, our institutions failed to produce the required manpower. And failed also to take heed of what made Si Valley tick when Asian immigration provided some of the brainpower to generate this.

·         Added to this, MOSTI squandered the opportunity by going for glam policies of sending supermodels into space. (no personal disrespect meant to our astronaut, I’m only referring to misguided policies being initiated by the leadership who failed to acknowledge that we were working on a declining and thinner wallet since 1998 to pursue glam policies)

·         Our ecosystem of tech agencies was falsely pursuing picking winners policies instead of tech transfer to indigenous development. Not such a major mistake to make, Singapore hasn’t been doing that well either when looking at their biotech initiative

·         In essence, we missed the boat, but we’re still in the game

2.       So, where to now? The IT still has some life in it, and is slowly transforming into the creative space but we do need the creative inputs from the same people who had managed to produce Ipin and Upin (or is it the other way around?) We probably do not have the scale to do widespread and need to be very selective in which techs to concentrate on, and produce the necessary ecosystem in the academic and industries to push this through.

3.       RE is a nice platform. Obviously, carbon markets is a nice touch, seeing that we have untapped resources in biomass and EFB. Smart grids are another that could tap the existing database and network capabilities. I think the solar manufacturing thing is good as it sits nicely off our existing E&E ecosystem, but again trying to compete with China is suicidal. A bit lower up or down the value stream and focusing on higher margin areas, research for instance and we could possibly look better. Machining tech probably not our best bet but we could take some components off here and there and use these horizontal capabilities across multiple platforms, including that of orthopaedics.

4.       Biotech is a touch and go thing, same as Agri. Funds are still flowing in, but the scale, patience and trust could be wearing thin already. Are we able to hold on for much longer in these last 2 areas? In addition to Agri, we need to do look at the role of Petronas, apart from feeding the fat cats in investment banks for IPOs and such.

5.       Lots of work, lots of work, lots of trust to be gained, lots of capabilities to be developed. Do we have the right attitudes for knowledge and skill accumulation to push this through? Meritocracy is the main game-changer for me. Without this, tech suffers. Even worse, the country suffers, a slow, painful disease eating away our core at creating our own internal wealth.

 

 

 

Quick thots on the Malaysian RE landscape

1.       There are significant demand drivers eg uncertainty of oil price, effective FiT and RPS incentives that increase usage of RE as a proportion of total energy source portfolio in developed countries. As a result, tech is improving and thin film solutions and next-gen cells and wafers are seeing increased efficiencies while prices are dropping with China’s manufacturing capabilities that competes with US and Germany’s unparalleled leadership.

2.       As a result, Malaysia is joining the bandwagon – very late in the game. Even then, decisions have been painfully slow, NGTC is formed but it appears there is a belated appreciation that a new statutory body is required – so SEDA comes in. This is now separate from EC and I assume it will fall under KETTHA. Which will be the hobbyhorse when we look at the various RE tech options?

3.       If we breakdown the tech source options, then we find that GBI, which is more industry-led and has acceptance from professionals and market potential could be more regional, and then we have the other biomass, biogas, solar PV options which is very dependent on FiT rates being put in. There seems to be some revision to the rates and I’m not sure which has national policy backing now. It’s very undecided –and there is a distinct lack of leadership. K could be right by focusing only on the carbon capture part.

4.       The absence of market creation strategies seems to hinder the whole initiative. There probably needs to be a change management advisory which focuses primarily on the regulators that can help close this huge gap. Suddenly the existing networks seem to be very valuable. Where are the penalties for polluting to complement the incentives? Even a no plastic day seems to be seen as a major breakthrough. This is a strategic focus then.

Reflections & calibration: Naeem, Hira', Al-Juneid and ARMA

Naeem on Tahfiz

1.       Naeem’s first steps on his journey to be hafiz / (huffaz?) of the quran yesterday is something I’d need deep reflection on. The steps I did not take, the opportunity costs of not wanting to extend myself, of averting from additional pressure probably cost me aspects of personality that could have been changed. Is this regret? No, Alhamdulillah, things have turned out as it were, though there are aspects where in a parallel universe I would have found more ease in. I suppose the weakness in this thinking is the fatalism that I’ve subjected myself to that this is the best that I could be – the main point is, were there things that could have been improved? The answer then is of course, just as things could be improved now. But, if we are intent on taking the best opportunities, increasing the preparedness in our lives we need to be ready for these openings.

2.       Naeem going to tahfiz provides a stronger spiritual dimension in his life. It is also preparation for an academic study into spirituality-deeniyah and dunya. It also follows that his parents need to improve as parents of a hafiz. The objectives here are for a pathway into deeniyah studies and a suitable dunya education following the strength and character building part of his self. These would be the main things to watch out for in Hira’.

3.       Therefore watch out and strengthen the little things, as well as the large things which have been in error or in omission. And to Him we beg for forgiveness and ask for an expiation from sins, and the fortitude to stay on His path.

 

Tahfiz model

4.       On the other hand, the tahfiz model as per Al-Junied is as below:

Islamic Studies: Quranic Studies : Hifz / Tilawah with tajwid, At-Tafsir, Ulum Al-Quran,  Al-Akhlak, At-Tauhid, Al-Mantiq

Al-Fiqh :  Usul Al-Fiqh, Al-Qawaid Al-Fiqhiyah, Al-Hadith / Mustalah Al-Hadith, Al-Faraidh

Arabic Studies: Al-Insya’, An-Nahwu,  As-Sarf, Al-Adab Al-Arabi, Al-Balaghah, At-Tarikh Al-Islamic

Academic Education The curriculum for the academic adheres to the syllabus prescribed by the Ministry of Education, Singapore. PSLE at Primary 6 and ‘O’ Level at Sec 4 where the students qualify for Polytechnics / JC in Singapore.

Co-Curricular Activities:   Islamic Calligraphy, Recitation of the Holy Quran (Taranum), Sports, Domestic Science, Nasyid ( An Islamic choir), Astronomy

Community Involvement Programme: Students are directly involved in all special projects and fund raising activities conducted by madrasah or Muslim organizations, Students assisted financially by the welfare department will have to serve 30 hours of CIP

 

5.       I am absolutely convinced that just as Hira’ and Al-Amin chain of schools under Musleh is superior to the government model, and that includes the new Ulul-Albab model being rolled out under Yayasan Terengganu, MRSM and JAIS – which I believe is still experimental and may lack the necessary academic staff aptitude and support (and this I need to ascertain) – I believe given time, the madrasah system in Singapore will be the model to emulate. Talk of meritocracy being a superior model to the ‘assisted support program for underperforming majority’. The Singapore model is quietly transforming themselves from quite good to excellent, shepherded by very capable people and supported by the government. I repeat, the Government of Singapore! Contrast this with unhelpful rhetorics of Al-Amin being a breeding ground of Wahhabis and such.

6.       Ya Allah, grant me the strength to make a contribution to the way things are proceeding here in Malaysia, so that it could be for the betterment of the ummah.

 

BR Consult

7.       Interesting opp. I’d need to put on a very different thinking model here. One, how can I support the business growth objectives so that this ould become a self-sustainable opportunity for me, family and transform the way things are currently. The kiasu-ness needs to kick-in. I should not allow this to work towards a standard op, but study what successful consulting firms are doing. This is a business development problem.

 

 

 

 

Learnings on leadership, need for project tracking

Leadership

1.       It is so much more comfortable to lead than to be led. But power distance studies done by Hofstedes is interesting. There are cultures, and of course made up of individuals who are uncomfortable with wielding power, such as the Swedes. Not so the malays who come from hierarchical feudalistic backgrounds. Leaders are expected to lead. Abdication, syura, discussion – kalau boleh tak payah la…

2.       That’s the funny thing. So here I am needing to decide on where I go. I’m being pressured to lead in the traditional sense, rather than being who I am. Examining my heritage, there is a certain suspicion of power and authority, one I detedted since shildhood that made me slink out from being given the responsibility of headboy in primary school, that made me silently back away from being a prefect. In one sense, this made me lose out on developing innate skills to develop large groups, to stand in front, make my opinions known, seize the moment so to speak, stand my ground but it is who I am. Here when I need to my position wrt the crossroads, I need to derive a certain authority and power to make things happen.

3.       I need to stand firm on what I want, communicate innermost thoughts, understand transmitter motivations and things should flow from there. Again, these are the back-to-basics which needs to be done, executed, action-orientation. Convey the key messages well, and monitor that the key messages get to be translated into action, not just by me individually, but my immediate inner circle. Widening the circle then becomes the next phase of leadership. Gaps should be identified and addressed. Strategy, and action, and back again.

4.       In a nutshell, leadership is about getting right transmission of the key message of where we want to go. Action point: tazkirah, family meeting, blog writeups, lunchmate discussions. My utmost appreciation of Allah’s creation of our lisaan as an instrument of leadership, Alhamdulillah, subhanallah.

 

Project tracking

5.       Some items just never get moved: going wallclimbing, swimming, agriculture, tendering my resignation etc. I need a platform for synthesizing the different knowledge, otherwise the clutter in the noggin just doesn’t facilitate thinking on my feet, and therefore hinders whatever I intend to do. Sunday mornings look the best bet, or rather, very late at night.

 

 

 

 

Review of Gladwell's Books - Tipping Point, Blink

1.       I finished “The tipping Point” and “Blink” over the weekend. He’s got good narrative structures for what is essentially heave collection of research and academic papers in social science, but repackaged them into layman’s terms, interwoven into a storyline which provokes thoughts. Freakonomics was written in a similar vein, and again, there are items which we could dig and raise as gold findings – such as the message that we can offer bettermwnet to the world, but overall there’s a cynical part of me that thinks we do need to sort out the simplification and exaggerations out, and reconnect and understand the context of our situation better before jumping headlong into some of the shared findings and narratives from the books. Although it can be argues that this was the assertion that the Tipping Point was making.

2.       My comments are that there’s only so much we can absorb from what is fundamentally a biased narrative, even if the messaging and the writing is solid and convincing. It is at the end of the day, still the opinions of Gladwell. Note: I bought the books with my money, and I have the right to comment on it the way I like.. J

3.       I remember Aznir’s attempt to list out the mavens, connectors and salesmen in TNB from his position as Chief Skunkworks (sorry, cant remember the name of the Unit / Dept, but that is the role – and the position has very positive connotation in the realm of change management in the US, although Malaysians not familiar to the language may take offence). I remember the fact that he tried to keep the message sticky by having the T7 messages everywhere (even behind toilet doors) except on the toilet seats. But messaging is everything and context failure was evident. In the end, measured from the perspective of the T7 initiative, it was unclear if it achieved its intended success.

4.       The point is that in the context of stickiness, it worked in the initial stages. But it failed in the context of getting thinking and commitment going hand-in-hand to get the transformation going. There was a lack of getting people into the right places, giving support to people capable of getting things going, and in he end it was a missed opportunity. Change management is always a people business to get to the tipping point. In the end, there was just too little to get the stickiness. The tipping point opportunity was lost. It was lost because CMU thought getting enough people scented with the idea of change was enough. It wasn’t because there were still huge efforts required to get change happening on a secondary, tertiary level for the stickiness to endure. Context was absent.

5.       In a way, the above seemed to vindicate Gladwell. But I would think also that this wasn’t the application that it was meant to be. Say we wanted to address the baby dumping issue. Where do we start using Gladwell’s model? It doesn’t appear to be a PR problem alone, and he seemed to address the issue also with the evidence on the needle distribution program, even though he tried to offset the weakness of that example with some side benefits. Again, asking the question as before, how effective is the needle distribution program in combating AIDS?

6.       We all want a simplified model where our version of truth lies victorious, and that model helps us to achieve our objectives. I guess that the dakwah approach, of studying our relationship to God and society, organizing our society according to the tenets as ordained by the Almighty, gives a more powerful model for change and stickiness to grow. How did Islam grow within such a short period of time after the first revelations? Growth of the empire after the Prophet’s Death? Growth of Islam in Europe and US? It is a combination of funding, power of communication, and above all strength of the message. I’m prevaricating, and again I suppose this vindicates Gladwell. It’s just that as a matter of preference, I don’t like simplifying models of huge issues, like Freakonomics and Tipping Point. I also fell asleep more that a few times while trying to finish the latter.

7.       I like Blink. It makes no recommendations. It was just a roundtrip of what our intuitions tell us and the need to be careful, to cultivate the right positive thoughts about people and first impressions. Above all, be careful of what others think of you is perhaps the message I take the most.

8.       Good writer. Blink better than Tipping Point. Having said that, I’ll come back to reexamine some of the things in there at some point in the future hopefully.

 

 

Continuing turmoil in PKR; Back to basics; Concerns on the future; Bravery and courage to stand up for truth

Continuing turmoil in PKR;

1.       DSAI was labeled a dinosaur by Dr Asri recently. How can we be definitive and decisive about such a divisive figure in Malaysian history. And I say this as a compliment, not as a source of deriding and spin the likes that Utusan is fond of.

2.       DSAI has many strong point – his convictions, principles and courage are exemplary. His ability to convince and articulation of thoughts on issues of values and morality is legendary. Mass mobilisation in 74, 98 nad thereafter are examples of these abilities. The negatives however would be to see how he synergises, builds and leaves a legacy of success once he is gone, a true test of leadership. Dependence on DSAI is now such that people see without him, PR would spiral back into chaos. And that is a huge problem, an acide test of leadership not a sign of it. I shall hold the similarities with Hitler and comments made by Dr Rozhan on the dangers of charismatic leaders, but again this is a warning sign.

3.       If we want Malaysia to stand on truth, the realities of the community, on principles of diversity and success – then old-timers such as LKS, Karpal must go. DSAI should begin to plot how Malaysia should stand as a democratic nation found on ideals of liberty, plurality and respectful religiosity (– not secularism) – you know, stuff that DSAI has lectured the world over, and find concrete action steps to do this, not on rhetorics and speeches alone. The PKR elections is a clear demonstration of a botched execution for all to see – no denial should be done, but clear up this mess and stop blaming others. DSAI should be magnanimous enough to do this, and more from within the party should do this. There should be an avenue for PKR young turks to rise within the party, ingrained with the principles and ready to take decisive action.

 

Back to basics

4.       The need to go back to basics on qiyam, tilawah, reflections on tafseer, jamaah and superegoratory prayers, fatherhood and role modeling, ma’thurat; NJ is on the verge of being terminated yet still active in delivering aid and support to flood-stricken areas in Kedah, JL is talking about the creation of a Hidayah Centre TC in KK with a cadre of muslim preachers, the need to setup hospital visits, plans are afoot for a high-impact program on inter-faith dialogue on science, society and etc, the selling of ibn Kathir’s tafseer, and these were good timely reminders.

5.       Missing solat Isya’ and Fajr are examples of hypocrisy – so extra effort should be made to pray this at the surau.

6.       Personal strength should be based on these simple acts, and these should be my jihad.

 

Concerns on the future

7.       These are clearly concerns I need to take heed of, and if I can surmise them:

• Strengthen basic ‘amal
• Think through positions, seek alternative views and promulgate your own
• Think through best ways to effect change, be brave and have bold BHAG ideas – be a mover and shaker
• Strengthen networks

 

Bravery and courage to stand up for truth

8.       At the end of the day, once I set my position, think through what are the best ways to effect those changes with lasting stickiness. No small amount of bravery is required, and again this comes from the strengthening of the core through back to basics amal.