Every once and again, the enormity of the realisation that amongst the billions of planets in this infinite universe, we are the only known planet to have life, and that too so many varieties simply boggles my mind.
I cannot believe that we were put on this amazing planet to be ordinary. How can it be possible that we were given bodies, emotions, opportunity, senses, intelligence, both IQ and EQ, colour, talent, humour, mediums of expression… and all of this just to lead ordinary lives, have ordinary thoughts, or to amble through life with ordinary relationships???
Every day I read your questions, some of them which have such obvious answers and solutions and I feel terrible that amidst all the amazement of being on this planet, of the entire six billion plus people on the planet you found yourself with someone who compromises your daily existence and that you wake up and sleep unhappy. There is just one underlying message in all my columns: Relationships should empower you, not cause you to be bogged down, to be subservient, to suffer, and not realise your potential. You are an utterly special person. This planet is blessed to be one in billions with life, and you are blessed to be one in over six billion on this planet with your own life. Value yourself. Value everything about your life and what you are today. We are not robots, we are humans. We have feelings and it’s simply not okay to compromise every emotion and to spend your life with someone that does not love, value and respect you for you. Love yourself, love your life and love your choices. If you don’t, then it’s time to embark on making a life you will love.
As Umno president Najib Abdul Razak attempts to reform the party away from its conservative ideologies, his biggest stumbling block could well be one of the party’s most influential figures – former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
How often have we come across a leader who is competent but has some “fatal flaws” that derail him or her from achieving greatness? The Greeks call them hamartia. These flaws are the leader’s strengths that have been over used. For example, we all admire leaders who are confident. But when the leader’s confidence crosses a certain limit, it becomes arrogance. That derailer is a performance risk that interferes with a person’s ability to build relationships with others and create good cohesive teams.
Malaysian prime ministers display fascinating quirks and characteristics; Dr Mahathir Mohamad assumes the role of the Pied Piper of Hamelin who leads the children (Malays) to a catastrophic end; Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is like Rip van Winkle who slept when he should have been working to improve the nation; and Najib Abdul Razak appears to act like Nero who fiddled while Rome burned.
We all have a few derailers. These derailers will show up when a person is not actively managing his public image. The common occasions when a derailer shows up could be in situations of high stress or change, multi-tasking, when a person is overworked or any time when the person lets down his guard and relaxes. Think of the times when someone cracks a joke that is completely inappropriate even though he is among friends. That is because a derailer will show up whenever we are not actively managing our public image.
Naib places more emphasis on sound-bites and slogans, than on sound policies. Najib is English educated, and a well travelled man. Some consider him a roué but he comes from a family with an impeccable political pedigree. The reason he failed as PM is simple.
All of us need to manage a few of these eleven derailers. In case of people in leadership roles, these can deeply impact their chances of success.
Pretend the Cabinet ministers are smart.
Do otherwise and you will end up with ulcers the size of the holes in the field of the Bukit Jalil stadium. Not a day goes by without a minister offering a gem.
1. Approval Dependent – Leaders need to carry the organization along when they take decisions. This strength becomes a derailer when they seek and need constant praise or reassurance from others, particularly from people higher in the organization.
2. Argumentative – Being able to argue and check the flaws in the argument is a strength which when overused can be a flaw. It makes the leader suspicious, deeply focused on protecting his own interests, and likely to resist coaching and feedback.
3. Arrogant- Being overly self-assured or confident, resulting in poor listening and/or dismissal of feedback from others.
4. Attention Seeking- A leader could be gregarious, charming, and persuasive. When a person becomes excessively so, it can result in becoming melodramatic and self-promoting.
5. Avoidant- The leaders need to be pleasant and cooperative. When this strength is overused a person tends to be preoccupied with his own agendas, and may prefer to address issues covertly (avoiding more direct solutions), thus being perceived as a procrastinator, manipulative, or stubborn.
6. Eccentric- Being creative and thinking of solutions that are out of the box is strength. When overused it makes the person different from others, perhaps to the point of being unorthodox or even odd.
7. Imperceptive- When a leader is excessively focused they may miss other’s cues. Such imperceptive people are not naturally inclined to read others´ behavior, intent, and motivations.
8. Impulsive- Risk taking when tan to an extreme makes a person impulsive. Such leaders are impatient, unpredictable, and inclined to act before considering the consequences of actions.
9. Perfectionistic - Having an eye for details is strength. Taken to an extreme it is a derailer. It makes a leader become a micro-manager.
10. Risk Averse – There is a lot at stake based on a leader’s decision. They need to be cautious. In an extreme scenario it makes a person indecisive, too deliberate, or reluctant to take unusual or unconventional actions due to overemphasis on the prospect of failure.
11. Volatile – Being passionate when taken to an extreme is a derailer. Volatile leaders have difficulty controlling their emotions, and are perhaps moody and quick to erupt in anger
What practical and useful advice could Najib give the people of a nation which had been independent for barely two decades? Two years before he became an MP, rural villagers were starving, because of falling rubber prices. How would he advise these communities when he was a greenhorn himself?
In the book, ‘Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia’, Abdullah talked about reform. Despite being in agreement with him on the need for change, Najib’s inaction is probably caused by fear.
He is also hampered by his father’s reputation. It is alleged that in previous by-elections, posters of Abdul Razak were displayed, to remind the electorate that Najib is his son. Only an insecure person would trade on his father’s image to prop up his own.
What was GE13 all about, if not change? Before GE13, Najib claimed that he would accomplish all manner of things. Post-GE13, he and some of his cabinet members gave excuses that it would take another five years to tackle these same issues. If Najib felt that he was not up to the task, then he should have left the job of change to Pakatan Rakyat.
Today, Najib may have agreed with Abdullah about change, but claimed that it would take a long time. He hasn’t even started the process of change.
Steps toward change
This writer disagrees with Najib about change taking a few generations. In a previous article, I wrote that ‘Najib could be our Super Hero’, and said that the change which Najib dreams about could be almost instant.
The first 11 steps might be those listed below. I am sure you can think of many more.
First. Detain Mahathir for treason. Remove him and put him in solitary confinement before he faces trial. Najib may be surprised to see how the nation would be solidly behind him.
Second. The chairperson and deputy chairperson of the Election Commission (EC) should also be arrested for treason. It was the collusion of the EC which allowed cheating and bribery at elections.
Third. The attorney-general, the inspector-general of police and the head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) are to be held for crimes against the state.
Not everyone in the civil service is corrupt. Many civil servants confide that they are disgusted by the orders they have to follow. Najib should promote senior staff members who are persons of principle and known to be free of corruption.
The police, the army, the judiciary or other institutions cannot simply be disbanded as this will lead to a state of anarchy, like after the invasion of Iraq. Good people with potential to lead will soon assume control. We have enough laws. They just need to be consistently enforced.
Fourth. Make the police, judiciary and media independent. With a free press, the people may learn the truth. An independent police and the formation of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission will improve the performance of the police. True justice might finally be dispensed.
Fifth. Detain the warlords in Umno-Baru (most are involved in money politics anyway) and immediately remove their sources of income, such as the taxi-permits which are allegedly awarded in bulk, to companies belonging to politicians and their cronies.
Without money, these people will have less opportunity to plot and scheme. Umno-Baru politicians will learn the hard way, the truth of the saying, “No money, no talk”.
Sixth: Work with Bersih and the relevant NGOs which have compiled a dossier of corrupt politicians and BN cronies. They have slogged hard for the evidence. All Najib need do is to investigate, confirm and enforce.
Seventh: Provide a period of amnesty, so illegal immigrants can save themselves from being deported, but return home voluntarily. Most GLCs are run by cronies. The money trail should lead to their agencies which benefit from cheap labour on plantations, and deprive locals of jobs.
Eighth: Reduce the Prime Minister’s Department from 45,000 people to 450. This might focus people’s minds and make them concentrate on their jobs. A special unit should be set up to recover the money, lost because of corruption and illicit outflows. This money can be returned to the treasury.
Ninth: Abolish the NEP and ensure that needy people, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity are helped. Abolish quotas for university places and award scholarships to the best Malaysian students. Why should other nations profit from our brain-drain, whilst we collect the dregs of other countries?
Tenth: Provide a grace period for politicians and their cronies to ‘sing’ about their colleagues’ crimes. The first 20 people could be given immunity from prosecution, unless murder has been committed. Perhaps a reduced sentence in the most severe of criminal acts could be considered.
Eleventh: Replace the mullahs who serve only Mahathir and Umno-Baru, with learned clerics who will foster good community relations and help the nation.
Malaysia is in a perilous state because one man, Mahathir, stands in the way of the prime minister. Mahathir wants to preserve his legacy. He claims ownership of Malaysia. He has succeeded because not even one prime minister has been courageous enough to stand up to him.
Mahathir triumphs because many Umno-Baru politicians are unwilling to admit the severity of the Mahathir problem and are afraid of the dirt that he could reveal about them.
Once Najib has initiated the few steps necessary for change, he should call for fresh elections in a year’s time.
If he knows he has been a good leader, then the electorate will vote for him.
Who knows, the rakyat might be thrilled to be liberated from Mahathir, and be willing to close one eye to his wrongdoings? Perhaps, the new independent judiciary could be lenient with him, if he is found guilty of criminal activities.
Malaysian history would take a different course if Najib were to start the process of change. Elections should not be bought by doling-out wads of cash or giving freebies. Elections should be won when voters respect a party and its convictions.
, Joseph Kurup, the minister in charge of National Unity, stood before a body which represents non-Muslims – about 40% of the population – and declared that the government has zero tolerance for racial bigotry.
He scores an A for daring to attend the anniversary dinner of the Malaysian Consultative Council Of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism And Taoism and an F for insulting his audience with some nice words that had no connection to reality.
The pick of his gems: the government has zero tolerance for racial bigotry. Sure, sure.
Step 2: Do not think logically.
Listen to Home Minister Zahid Hamidi go on about the 2,600 detainees (the number keeps increasing) released from preventive detention, and you might be mistaken into thinking he was talking about the Expendables, Untouchables, Sopranos and the Band Of Brothers all rolled into one warring machine. They seem to be responsible for all serious crime in the country in the past few months.
Now the minister says that below these gangsters are their soldiers, 260,000 of them. Which begs a few questions… Just what have the police been doing all this while, if the underworld was allowed to grow to a size bigger than the army and police put together?
Another question: was rehabilitation part of the Emergency Ordinance (EO) regime or did the police just throw hardened criminals together for a few years with the hope that they would turn into kittens? Because going by the police’s own arguments, it seems the gangsters released when the EO was abolished are as ferocious as ever. Just asking?
Step 3: Just enjoy days like yesterday.
Think about it. The man who once governed this country and a few million illegal immigrants had to justify answering questions in a book on his time in office. Worse yet, he had to field a call from Putrajaya on this book. The good news is that Abdullah Badawi has not been charged with sedition or any other offence, yet.
Apparently, some quarters in Umno are in knots over his involvement in the book titled Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years In Malaysia and would like to believe that the former prime minister has crossed over to the dark side.
In his statement, Abdullah said that he gave an interview to the editors of the book a couple of years ago but did not commission the book.
Abdullah made no apologies for giving the interview or taking part in this academic effort, even after knowing that some of the essays would paint an unflattering picture of his administration.
“Like it or not, agree or not, I hold to the principle of openness that is the pivot of a mature democracy. It is this principle of openness that I practised when I was approached by the writers for an interview,” he said.
Abdullah also assured his supporters that despite his candid views on the need for Umno to reform, he would never abandon the party.
“I have never left Umno,” he said. This was in contrast to his nemesis, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who quit the party in protest against Abdullah’s leadership of the party and country.
The tone of Abdullah’s statement suggests that he is going to defend his right to speak up about his years in office and put the record straight on several loose ends
