Posts

Time to get to work for Minister of Social Welfare

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  Dato' Sri Nancy Shukri Minister of Women, Family and Community Development of Malaysia There are a number of cases where people deserving social welfare are not getting the support from the Department of Social Welfare. In recent years, I have come across a number of cases where applications for their entitlements under the government schemes for social welfare expecially for retirees, are not getting the help from the Department of Social Welfare.  I wish the whole department is overhauled, and only the good ones are given the promotion so that the department can perform its duty conscientously to help the B40 community. Only then can its minister just go to her posh office and enjoy Earl Gray served in the posh porcelain jug, and no one would bother to disturb her. She can then happily adopt the three blinded monkeys - not hear, see or be told of what the staff at JKM are doing for the underprivileged people.  I am not referring to everyone at JKM. As I have always sa...

Rafizi’s Political Noise: A Distraction Malaysia Doesn’t Need

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  Where is the hype? Rafizi arrived at the MACC office dressed in a full suit. The Unnecessary Rumblings Surrounding Rafizi I thought this title may attact readers more, but I decided to use the other topic in view of my desire to see this country coming back together again, and nothing else.  Someone sent me a message that made me fumed. It accuses the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of exercising selective investigations.  To me, this kind of messages is baseless. And the way how former Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli's former aide James Chai had staged it over a few weeks, showed that both Rafizi and Chai are very determined to create a drama out of something that is normal for MACC or the police to conduct its investigation when a report is lodged.  Often, the authorities are accused of sidestepping the investigation; the truth is the evidences provided are not strong enough that can be produced in court, or at the very least, convincing the officers ...

ETS yourself to Segamat

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Why drive when you can ETS your way to Segamat? I am a frequent traveller on KTM’s electric train service (ETS) from Kuala Lumpur to Sg Buloh, and not only are the facilities good but as a senior citizen, the fares are discounted by 50%. Per trip, it is only RM26 (gold coaches) to RM33 (platinum coaches).  platinum coaches cost slightly higher Gold coaches cost slightly lower  Platinum coaches would cost a little bit more, but it comes with power points and chargers for your devices. Charger and power pints are provided for each passenger  The seats come with foldable tables similar to the aircrafts where you can put your devices.  Each seat comes with a foldable table  This makes riding on the ETS more relaxing instead of having to put all your attention to drive on the highway to your destination. Besides petrol, the wear-and-tear of car parts and toll, the risks are higher when you are on the long distance drive. Therefore, if you are planning a trip to Segam...

Analysing Rafizi

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  Not many people are aware of how Rafizi Ramli operates politically. Over time, the young man many, including myself, once admired as a potential future Prime Minister of Malaysia has, to me, begun to reveal himself as a disruptive political actor rather than a constructive one.  Instead of functioning as a team player, he appears prone to falling out with his own leadership whenever outcomes do not align with his expectations. I am uncertain whether this behaviour is rooted in personality or political temperament, but when rigid thinking, relentless fixation on specific agendas , and highly volatile responses dominate a leader’s conduct , the consequences can be deeply disruptive to governance and national cohesion, the very thing Rafizi claims to champion, or worse, if he is merely trying to project himself to be one especially when, in a fragile political environment, such traits risk undermining reform efforts rather than strengthening them. From my own professional expe...

Breaking the Old Mindset: A Tale of Two CEOs

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  While it is true that we still encounter civil servants clinging to antiquated mindsets, I want to highlight two CEOs of a statutory body and another a Government-Linked Company (GLC) who are bucking that trend: Tuan Khalid Mohamed of SWCorp and Tuan Narendran Maniam of Indah Water Konsortium (IWK). In fact, my experience with senior government staff has always been positive except for one or two example the chief of the federal territories land and mine department which caused me to embark on a 3- to 4-year campaign to get the Hakmilik Sementara (privileged title) converted to Geran for Taman Kepong house owners. It was in the news the entire period. Soft approach did not work, and house owners were stuck with the privileged title for 40 years! Finally, after the campaign alongside with Dr Tan Seng Giaw, all the house owners were conferred the actual titles of ownership to their own homes. It was after this campaign that I discovered a precious gemstone from the pool of civil st...