Malaysiaku, Negaraku

WE IN West Malaysia have much to learn from our East Malaysian counterparts. One such example is former Works Minister and now Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Similarly, my recent experience with another case involving Sabah highlighted the collaborative spirit often seen in East Malaysian politics.            While attending a seminar in Bintulu, Sarawak, I received a Whatsapp Message from a fellow doctoral student, Pastor Linberg about a Nigerian lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Bintulu, who was facing entry issues in Sabah. We had only met the night before for the first time.           Nigerians and Bangladeshis require special documentation to enter the state, and I was unsure how to help. The only person I could think of contacting was Jennifer Lasimbang, a former state assemblyperson.           Though Jennifer was overseas and unable to assist personally, she quic...

WITH THE recent appointment of Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar as Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN), there is renewed hope for administrative reforms aimed at improving the performance of public servants.            On September 4, 2024, Shamsul implemented a significant reshuffle, changing the chief secretaries of several key ministries that required new leadership.         With the Chief Secretary to the Government leading by example through " Management by Walkabout (MBW A) "  as I discussed in my article on   November 13, 2022 ) , we can expect to see more surprise visits by top officials to monitor staff performance and ensure public service standards are maintained.            The goal is for this proactive approach to become ingrained in the culture of public administration, encouraging accountability and preventing complacency. Let's hope these visits do not become just a sho...

  This is something for us to reflect on: THERE HAVE been countless accusations against our tenth Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim (PMX).           No matter what he does or doesn't do, there’s always criticism. At times, it's hard to tell which Anwar Ibrahim they are even referring to.           I am glad that the controversy over placement of Jakim officers in government agencies which had begun as early as 2016, the real Anwar Ibrahim finally stood up to explain why he wants Jakim to play a bigger role.         Earlier, I had explained this based on my own observations , but for lack of the correct Islamic terminology, I think Professor Tajuddin Rasdi has done a better job at articulating what I also concur as the direction the country is heading to.          In fact, Anwar's explanation here gives a clearer picture of why he intends Jakim to be more proactive to turn Mal...

YBhg Datuk Bandar MBPJ   YAB Datuk Seri,           Ini adalah percubaan untuk memantau kemajuan kerja oleh salah satu majlis bandar raya terbesar di negara ini - Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ). Datuk Bandarnya YBhg Tuan  Zahri Samington.           Cubaan mengadu kepada Ahli Parlimen dan Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) memang gagal mendapat hasil yang positif. Kebanyakannya di Selangor tidak langsung peduli untuk menjawab aduan walaupun bergelar, "Yang Berhormat." Sekurang-kurangnya mereka mengarahkan ahli majlis mereka atau pegawai khas untuk cuba menyelesaikan masalah, itu pun tidak berlaku.          Jikalau Kak Wan dapat berbuat demikian , tidak ada sebab kenapa ahli parlimen dan ADUN tidak dapat berbuat demikian. SISPAA, tapi di mana integritinya?            Lupakan tentang aduan yang dibuat melalui SISPAA, di mana jawapan standard seperti "Penyia...

AT A TIME when a sinkhole appeared on Jalan Masjid India, followed by a second one that led to the disappearance of 48-year-old Indian tourist G. Vijaya Lakshmi from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh on August 23, another sinkhole emerged in front of the Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) treatment plant in Wangsa Permai.           A nearby resident reported noticing a manhole forming in front of the treatment plant but did not investigate further, fearing that the ground surrounding the hole might collapse further.          My initial attempt was to only contact a few key people regarding the matter so as not to create an alarm. Sinkholes can and do happen any time due to pipe laying work. As I recall the incident where my former school principal Mr Yong Chee Seng's car took a nose dive down the bore hole at Jalan Universiti near Sin Chew, the depth of the bore hole for IWK pipe laying work must be at least 30 feet below the road level.  ...