As a Selangor resident, I am perplexed by the situation at Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad (KDEB), the investment arm of the Selangor state government, or more precisely, by the status of its president, Datuk Abdul Karim Munisar (DAKM).
As reported by the Sun on November 24th, DAKM is supposed to have ended his tenure in September this year, in accordance with his contract. However, till now, more than two months after his contract has expired, he continues to perform his duties as KDEB president, apparently against the wishes of his employer, the Selangor state government.
It really pains me to see the government of the most industrialised state in the federation having a tremendously difficult time managing a matter which other less developed states and even private corporations can handle with the greatest of ease and as a matter of course. An employee has finished his contracted tenure with you. What on earth can be so difficult about telling him that his services are no longer needed and that he need not show up at the office any more?
The explanation offered by the Selangor Menteri Besar’s (MB) political secretary was an insult to everyone involved and the public.
She said the termination letter written by the MB to DAKM may have been ambiguous to the latter. Is she saying the MB, despite so many years of corporate experience under his belt, is such a poor letter writer that DAKM couldn’t understand the point of his letter? Is she saying that DAKM, the president of KDEB, is such a poor reader that he couldn’t grasp it was a termination letter? Is she saying that DAKM is such a poor manager that having read the letter and not understanding it, he didn’t make an effort to get clarification from his ultimate boss, the MB?
Her attributing to Malay and Eastern culture the ‘difficulty’ in telling DAKM that his services is no longer needed is indeed astonishing and insulting to Malays and all those of Eastern culture. For heaven’s sake, woman! Thousands of private and public sector employees, from the lowliest to the most senior, up and down the country, year in and year out, have had their contracts not renewed for whatever reason. It is not rocket science the method to tell an employee politely yet clearly that his or her services are no longer needed.
All these I find particularly worrying as the state government laudably aspires to uphold ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ and yet it finds it so troublesome to be a ‘Tuan’ to one of its own employees, notwithstanding that the employee in question is very senior. How can it hope to translate ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’ to reality if even the most basic tasks of government it cannot perform?
Moreover, the state has potentially bruising battles ahead with regard to the consolidation of the water concessionaires and other issues related to those concessionaires. How can the rakyat have the confidence that the state can handle those issues competently and with public interests well protected if a straightforward issue such as the termination of service of a contract employee can present immense difficulties to the state government?
The longer this DAKM issue persists, the greater and more prominent will be the embarrassment to the state government. I urge the MB to resolve the matter with the greatest urgency lest the question mark over his competence gets bigger and bigger.
PANDAK TUKAN
Showing posts with label Pandak Tukan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pandak Tukan. Show all posts
25 November 2010
PKR members should thank Zaid - Pandak Tukan
The top echelon of PKR may feel relieved that the Zaid Ibrahim saga has apparently reached its end within the party’s confines. But lest they get too comforted by what had happened, this message has but only one aim: for the party leadership to do some serious soul-searching and the ordinary members to consider things in a clearer perspective.
In the stream of vitriol directed Zaid’s way over the past few weeks, two basic issues became mixed up and indistinguishable one from the other. One issue was of course Zaid himself and the other issue was the party elections.
These two became so inextricably linked that people became muddled up in their thinking. Tragically, those people included the ones at the very top level of the party leadership and management.
Yes, Zaid has a mind of his own. A loose cannon, as some liked to say. But surely that particular trait of his had been on ample display well before he joined the party and into the welcoming arms of Anwar Ibrahim. In fact, Zaid Ibrahim received plaudits from PKR for being Zaid Ibrahim when he was a dissenting voice in his final days in Umno. But when Zaid Ibrahim was just being himself in PKR, all kinds of invective were directed at him. Was the party being hypocritical when it sang praises of Zaid, the sole Umno stalwart with principles or are Anwar and other PKR leaders such poor managers that they didn’t anticipate and therefore had no contingency plans in the likely event that Zaid, the PKR member, will speak his mind about what he had seen and gone through in the party?
Yes, Zaid had ambitions of going up the party hierarchy. What is wrong with that? He was a cabinet minister when he was in Umno. Plus, everyone would have thought the greater democratic space afforded to ordinary members by the direct elections method was precisely to allow those with the ability, talent and desire to rise to the top of the party irrespective of how long they had been active party members. In short, an implicit repudiation of the ‘serve-time-first’ philosophy prevalent within the BN parties. And yet, when Zaid decided to run for the party’s deputy presidency, some accused him of being a Trojan horse, of being impatient and not knowing his place. Is this yet another evidence that Umno/BN attitudes are alive and kicking within the PKR?
The greater issue that should emerge and exercise everyone’s mind when Zaid took matters into his own hands and expressed his grouses in the only way he knew how, that is publicly, was the inept way the party elections were being conducted and the fraud and rigging made possible by such ineptitude.
Sadly, the party leadership and management decided to dismiss and ridicule the messenger instead of seriously looking at his message. The justification for this it seems is that the messenger is a sore loser. Well, that is exactly what the Elections Commission says each time PKR or any other opposition party makes a complaint after having lost an election or by-election.
One would have thought the unfairness of such a rebuff should have taught the party to behave more sensibly towards complaints about its own internal elections. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.
The leadership of PKR does not seem to realise that after behaving the way it has over the issue of the conduct of its own party elections, it has to all intents and purposes forfeited all moral right to criticise the country’s Elections Commission over that body’s shortcomings. To put it more plainly: you can’t complain about how the country’s elections are administered when you can’t even properly conduct and manage your own.
The party membership and the electorate in general ought to be thankful that the Zaid Ibrahim saga happened.
First, if he did not do what he did, none of the faults, flaws and shortcomings of the party elections would have been brought into the open by ordinary members who would have been bullied into silent submission. The fact that Zaid did it his style, rightly or wrongly, the matter could not so easily be swept under the carpet.
Second and perhaps more important, having brought those into the open, it is the faults and shortcomings of the party leadership that became exposed in the manner that they decided to deal with his complaints.
Had they been able to think more clearly and less emotionally, they would have been more adept in steering the party through the uncharted waters of ‘one member, one vote direct elections' infested by individual party members with unabashed political ambitions. As it was, the party’s image has been severely damaged. Whether it is irretrievably so, only the next general elections can tell.
PANDAK TUKAN
In the stream of vitriol directed Zaid’s way over the past few weeks, two basic issues became mixed up and indistinguishable one from the other. One issue was of course Zaid himself and the other issue was the party elections.
These two became so inextricably linked that people became muddled up in their thinking. Tragically, those people included the ones at the very top level of the party leadership and management.
Yes, Zaid has a mind of his own. A loose cannon, as some liked to say. But surely that particular trait of his had been on ample display well before he joined the party and into the welcoming arms of Anwar Ibrahim. In fact, Zaid Ibrahim received plaudits from PKR for being Zaid Ibrahim when he was a dissenting voice in his final days in Umno. But when Zaid Ibrahim was just being himself in PKR, all kinds of invective were directed at him. Was the party being hypocritical when it sang praises of Zaid, the sole Umno stalwart with principles or are Anwar and other PKR leaders such poor managers that they didn’t anticipate and therefore had no contingency plans in the likely event that Zaid, the PKR member, will speak his mind about what he had seen and gone through in the party?
Yes, Zaid had ambitions of going up the party hierarchy. What is wrong with that? He was a cabinet minister when he was in Umno. Plus, everyone would have thought the greater democratic space afforded to ordinary members by the direct elections method was precisely to allow those with the ability, talent and desire to rise to the top of the party irrespective of how long they had been active party members. In short, an implicit repudiation of the ‘serve-time-first’ philosophy prevalent within the BN parties. And yet, when Zaid decided to run for the party’s deputy presidency, some accused him of being a Trojan horse, of being impatient and not knowing his place. Is this yet another evidence that Umno/BN attitudes are alive and kicking within the PKR?
The greater issue that should emerge and exercise everyone’s mind when Zaid took matters into his own hands and expressed his grouses in the only way he knew how, that is publicly, was the inept way the party elections were being conducted and the fraud and rigging made possible by such ineptitude.
Sadly, the party leadership and management decided to dismiss and ridicule the messenger instead of seriously looking at his message. The justification for this it seems is that the messenger is a sore loser. Well, that is exactly what the Elections Commission says each time PKR or any other opposition party makes a complaint after having lost an election or by-election.
One would have thought the unfairness of such a rebuff should have taught the party to behave more sensibly towards complaints about its own internal elections. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case.
The leadership of PKR does not seem to realise that after behaving the way it has over the issue of the conduct of its own party elections, it has to all intents and purposes forfeited all moral right to criticise the country’s Elections Commission over that body’s shortcomings. To put it more plainly: you can’t complain about how the country’s elections are administered when you can’t even properly conduct and manage your own.
The party membership and the electorate in general ought to be thankful that the Zaid Ibrahim saga happened.
First, if he did not do what he did, none of the faults, flaws and shortcomings of the party elections would have been brought into the open by ordinary members who would have been bullied into silent submission. The fact that Zaid did it his style, rightly or wrongly, the matter could not so easily be swept under the carpet.
Second and perhaps more important, having brought those into the open, it is the faults and shortcomings of the party leadership that became exposed in the manner that they decided to deal with his complaints.
Had they been able to think more clearly and less emotionally, they would have been more adept in steering the party through the uncharted waters of ‘one member, one vote direct elections' infested by individual party members with unabashed political ambitions. As it was, the party’s image has been severely damaged. Whether it is irretrievably so, only the next general elections can tell.
PANDAK TUKAN
06 November 2010
Surat terbuka kepada Dr Muhd Nur Manuty - Pandak Tukan
Menjawab kepada Kenyataan Media yang dikeluarkan oleh Dr. Muhammad Nur Manuty, Pengerusi, Biro Pemahaman Dan Pemantapan Agama (BiPPA), PKR bertarikh 4 November 2010:
1. Kritikan terhadap Anwar Ibrahim tidak semestinya ditafsirkan sebagai suatu serangan peribadi semata-mata. Anwar Ibrahim bukan insan maksum yang sepi dari segala kelemahan dan kekhilafan.
Kejujuran Dr. Asri membuat saranan untuk Anwar berundur dari politik hanya boleh dinilai oleh rakyat dan bukan oleh tuan punya badan atau kroni yang berkepentingan. Gesaan Dr. Asri ini timbul dari hilangnya kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kepimpinan Anwar untuk membawa perubahan.
Anwar kini nampak ketara kepada rakyat sebagai sebahagian daripada status quo. Politik Baru mendesak kepada watak baru dan persekitaran baru. Keputusan pilihan raya kecil di Galas dan Batu Sapi sedikit sebanyak mencerminkan sentimen rakyat.
2. Tidak dapat dinafikan Anwar Ibrahim memainkan peranan besar dalam pembentukan Pakatan Rakyat. Tempat beliau dalam sejarah politik Malaysia terjamin. Tetapi untuk mencanangkan bahawa kejayaan Pakatan Rakyat di PRU 12 semata-mata kerana kewibawaan dan keupayaan Anwar adalah satu pendekatan yang amat cetek.
Pakatan Rakyat berjaya di PRU-12 kerana platformnya disambut oleh gelombang rakyat yang dahagakan reformasi. PAS dan DAP disatukan oleh kebencian bersama terhadap BN. Demi political expediency, PAS dan DAP melayan mimpi Anwar untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri.
3. Keberkesanan kepimpinan bukan terletak kepada usia, karisma atau kepetahan berpidato. Politik ceramah sudah ketinggalan zaman. Keberkesanan kepimpinan terletak kepada tindakan politik. Apabila tindakan politik tidak seimbang, yang menonjol hanya retorik janggal. Apabila moral diragui; “karisma, amanah, keberanian, kegigihan dalam perjuangan menegakkan keadilan, kebenaran dan kesejahteraan rakyat, mengenepikan kepentingan peribadi dan keluarga, kesediaan berkorban, memiliki kebijaksanaan (hikmah) dan ketahanan fizikal” menjadi subjektif.
4. Keputusan Anwar Ibrahim untuk menyertai UMNO pada tahun 1982 masih lagi dipersoalkan oleh rakyat hingga ke hari ini. Anwar dilihat sebagai haiwan politik yang hanya ingin memperalatkan UMNO untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri. Dengan memandang ke belakang (hindsight), terbukti Anwar telah mengamalkan politik kotor semasa menjadi pemimpin UMNO. Penglibatan beliau dalam kes Realmild dan usaha beliau untuk menjadikan Biro Tata Negara sebagai jentera politik peribadi memperkukuhkan persepsi rakyat yang Anwar adalah sebahagian daripada status quo.
Hanya setelah dipecat daripada kabinet dan UMNO, Anwar memasyhurkan Deklarasi Permatang Pauh. Rakyat menyahut laungan reformasi bukan semata-mata untuk membela Anwar tetapi rakyat benar-benar dahagakan perubahan.
Sebagai mangsa kerakusan kuasa Mahathir, rakyat menaruh harapan tinggi kepada Anwar untuk berubah dan membawa kepada perubahan. Malangnya, budaya politik ala UMNO telah menebal di jiwa dan jasad Anwar Ibrahim.
5. Dr. Asri telah menjelaskan bahawa saranan untuk berundur dari politik ditujukan kepada semua pemimpin politik yang telah luput tarikhguna.
“Kemiskinan rakyat yang masih berleluasa di Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung, masalah rasuah yang semakin membarah, keruntuhan moral (akhlak) dan pelbagai penyakit sosial yang semakin kronik, penyalahgunaan kuasa yang berwewenang, hutang negara yang semakin bertambah, track rekod kerendahan moral dan akhlak” hanya boleh diselesaikan oleh Politik Baru dengan watak baru dan persekitaran baru; bukan oleh seorang pemimpin yang sedang bergelumang dengan isu-isu moral dan akhlak.
6. Seruan Dr. Asri ialah manifestasi sentimen rakyat yang menuntut perubahan. Jika kritikan Dr. Asri terhadap pemerintah disambut dengan sorak gemuruh, begitu juga, seruan Dr. Asri untuk mencanang lanskap politik baru harus diterima dengan dada yang lapang.
7. Anwar Ibrahim diminta berundur kerana beliau kini dianggap sebagai satu beban dan liabiliti kepada reformasi tulen. Anwar Ibrahim telah menjelma sebagai bagasi lebihan kepada kemaraan gerakan reformasi ke Putrajaya.
PANDAK TUKAN
1. Kritikan terhadap Anwar Ibrahim tidak semestinya ditafsirkan sebagai suatu serangan peribadi semata-mata. Anwar Ibrahim bukan insan maksum yang sepi dari segala kelemahan dan kekhilafan.
Kejujuran Dr. Asri membuat saranan untuk Anwar berundur dari politik hanya boleh dinilai oleh rakyat dan bukan oleh tuan punya badan atau kroni yang berkepentingan. Gesaan Dr. Asri ini timbul dari hilangnya kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kepimpinan Anwar untuk membawa perubahan.
Anwar kini nampak ketara kepada rakyat sebagai sebahagian daripada status quo. Politik Baru mendesak kepada watak baru dan persekitaran baru. Keputusan pilihan raya kecil di Galas dan Batu Sapi sedikit sebanyak mencerminkan sentimen rakyat.
2. Tidak dapat dinafikan Anwar Ibrahim memainkan peranan besar dalam pembentukan Pakatan Rakyat. Tempat beliau dalam sejarah politik Malaysia terjamin. Tetapi untuk mencanangkan bahawa kejayaan Pakatan Rakyat di PRU 12 semata-mata kerana kewibawaan dan keupayaan Anwar adalah satu pendekatan yang amat cetek.
Pakatan Rakyat berjaya di PRU-12 kerana platformnya disambut oleh gelombang rakyat yang dahagakan reformasi. PAS dan DAP disatukan oleh kebencian bersama terhadap BN. Demi political expediency, PAS dan DAP melayan mimpi Anwar untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri.
3. Keberkesanan kepimpinan bukan terletak kepada usia, karisma atau kepetahan berpidato. Politik ceramah sudah ketinggalan zaman. Keberkesanan kepimpinan terletak kepada tindakan politik. Apabila tindakan politik tidak seimbang, yang menonjol hanya retorik janggal. Apabila moral diragui; “karisma, amanah, keberanian, kegigihan dalam perjuangan menegakkan keadilan, kebenaran dan kesejahteraan rakyat, mengenepikan kepentingan peribadi dan keluarga, kesediaan berkorban, memiliki kebijaksanaan (hikmah) dan ketahanan fizikal” menjadi subjektif.
4. Keputusan Anwar Ibrahim untuk menyertai UMNO pada tahun 1982 masih lagi dipersoalkan oleh rakyat hingga ke hari ini. Anwar dilihat sebagai haiwan politik yang hanya ingin memperalatkan UMNO untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri. Dengan memandang ke belakang (hindsight), terbukti Anwar telah mengamalkan politik kotor semasa menjadi pemimpin UMNO. Penglibatan beliau dalam kes Realmild dan usaha beliau untuk menjadikan Biro Tata Negara sebagai jentera politik peribadi memperkukuhkan persepsi rakyat yang Anwar adalah sebahagian daripada status quo.
Hanya setelah dipecat daripada kabinet dan UMNO, Anwar memasyhurkan Deklarasi Permatang Pauh. Rakyat menyahut laungan reformasi bukan semata-mata untuk membela Anwar tetapi rakyat benar-benar dahagakan perubahan.
Sebagai mangsa kerakusan kuasa Mahathir, rakyat menaruh harapan tinggi kepada Anwar untuk berubah dan membawa kepada perubahan. Malangnya, budaya politik ala UMNO telah menebal di jiwa dan jasad Anwar Ibrahim.
5. Dr. Asri telah menjelaskan bahawa saranan untuk berundur dari politik ditujukan kepada semua pemimpin politik yang telah luput tarikhguna.
“Kemiskinan rakyat yang masih berleluasa di Sabah, Sarawak dan Semenanjung, masalah rasuah yang semakin membarah, keruntuhan moral (akhlak) dan pelbagai penyakit sosial yang semakin kronik, penyalahgunaan kuasa yang berwewenang, hutang negara yang semakin bertambah, track rekod kerendahan moral dan akhlak” hanya boleh diselesaikan oleh Politik Baru dengan watak baru dan persekitaran baru; bukan oleh seorang pemimpin yang sedang bergelumang dengan isu-isu moral dan akhlak.
6. Seruan Dr. Asri ialah manifestasi sentimen rakyat yang menuntut perubahan. Jika kritikan Dr. Asri terhadap pemerintah disambut dengan sorak gemuruh, begitu juga, seruan Dr. Asri untuk mencanang lanskap politik baru harus diterima dengan dada yang lapang.
7. Anwar Ibrahim diminta berundur kerana beliau kini dianggap sebagai satu beban dan liabiliti kepada reformasi tulen. Anwar Ibrahim telah menjelma sebagai bagasi lebihan kepada kemaraan gerakan reformasi ke Putrajaya.
PANDAK TUKAN
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