Farewell Tuan Haji Kamalur

34 years is surely a long period, and to faithfully serving a company for that long is certainly very rare nowadays. Our general manager has finally decided to call it a day, after 34 years of loyalty to a company which was involved in a mega merger of GLC some years back. He has gone through all the challenging periods and critical transitions such as the infamous dawn raids and also the more recent mega merger of Guthrie, Golden Hope and Sime Darby.

We just had a simple farewell gathering for him, together with some other staff member who coincidentally also leaving the company for various reasons. The farewell high tea was too simple and hurriedly put up at Banting office, in my opinion. A person who has served a company for 34 years certainly deserves a much better farewell than the one that we just organized this evening.

Does a company really appreciate a loyalty of an employee? Or most of the companies just like one of the local leading oil palm company using people as though they are using ball pen, throwing away the old one and use the new one? Sometimes I just feel that all these employers be it GLC or any other private companies are just the same, saying one thing and doing another.

Just a couple of days ago when I was in Sabah I was told that one of the estate manager who has served various estates in Sabah under the same company asking for a transfer back to Peninsular Malaysia after a 15-year of service abroad. This guy’s home town is in Batu Pahat, Johor and he was hoping that he will get a transfer back to the estate closer to his home town.

He gets a transfer back indeed but the company posted him to far North in Kedah which is about 8 to 9 hours drive from his home town at Johor. All his friends are laughing at him as he is worst off after getting a transfer to West Malaysia. Instead, he just needs slightly more than two hours flight to get back to his home town in Batu Pahat if he remains at Sabah. This guy naturally gets very disappointed as he thought that for his loyalty to a company for about 20 years, he could have been treated better towards the tail end of his employment with the company.

I suppose that is the predicament of an employee, wherever you are.The company gives you two options, take it or leave it. So for all my "fellow employees", you know your options.

Farewell Tuan Haji, I salute your 34-year royalty and hoping that you and your family will live a healthy, fruitful and happy life together after your retirement.

Another accident and 10 killed

Many a time when I drive on the North-South Expressway, I notice that busses are driving at very high speed, overtaking other vehicles on the third lane. Sometimes you can even see the big tankers, huge lorries are doing the same thing also, driving like daredevils. The behaviors of most of the bus and lorry drivers need to be improved in order to for us to have a safer road. A bus can accommodate about 40 to 50 passengers and if something untoward happen many lives will be affected.

It is sad to read about the accident where a double-decker skidded at Ipoh Selatan resulting in 10 passengers killed and many others injured. Could it due to the ruthless driving or other factors is still yet to be ascertained but one thing for sure, if the bus was driven above the speed limit, anything could happen over a split seconds and bus speeding is not uncommon if you ask the regular bus passengers. It is high time for the government to seriously limit the speed of the busses by withdrawing licenses for frequent defaulters especially those companies involved in many accidents involved deaths. Otherwise, how could we safeguard the lives of people using express busses which mainly comprises of lower income group.

Sometimes you have to blame it on the government department involving in issuing licenses or the enforcement units as if everything can be settled by money, then it is pointless for us to have a beautiful set of rules and regulations.

The monster is back

The Nurin case is still unsolved for two years. We don’t really know whether the Police are still pursuing the case or it has already been put aside and the files all closed and dusted. Perhaps most of us have completely forgotten about the poor little girl who was brutally raped, sodomised and killed, not until another similar case reemerged. Post-mortem of a girl’s body which was found dumped at a retention pond two days ago revealed that she could have been sexual assaulted before her death. It then reminds us again of that poor little girl Nurin.

Two years have gone by and I don’t really think that the Police are capable to solve Nurin case, perhaps only God can give a clue if He really wants to. We have millions and millions of foreign workers over here and some of them could be the psychotics who committed the crime and the next moments just take a boat or flight and gone back to their countries and left no traces on the crime. Or the same monster that brutally raped and murdered Nurin has reemerged after a two years of hibernation?

But can the Government seriously look into way and mean to prevent such gruesome incidents from recurring? Can a special task force comprises of crime experts be assembled to specifically looking into the case involving the rape and murder of innocent young girls? Or are we just conveniently bowing to the adversity and inevitable and let the innocent young girls become the prey of these psychotic monsters again and again?

Man of honor

Sometimes you come across some good movies which are very touching, just like reading a good book; it often leads to some soul searching. Man of honor, stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert De Niro is such good example. I have seen this movie many times, not that I like it so much but rather coincidental that many a time when I was staying in hotel during my out-station assignment, HBO was showing this movie. I often finished watching it despite of seeing it for many times.

This movie revolves around two men of honor; their relationship, their ups and downs and triumphs. Carl Brashear played by Cuba Gooding Jr. determined to become the first African American Navy Diver in a time where racism was strife. Leslie Sunday played by Robert De Niro, on the other hand was his embittered trainer who determined to see him fail. However, fate, challenges and circumstances draw these two men together in a tale of turbulence and these equally hardcore stubborn navy officers eventually helped each other to overcome their respective failures.

Carl’s leg was seriously injured as a result of an accident occurred during a diving operation searching for a missing bomb. He was forced into retirement but Carl wanted to return to full diving duty and therefore requested that his injured leg been amputated and fitted with a prosthetic leg. Sunday on the other hand was going through rehabilitation to overcome alcoholism, and volunteered to help training Carl before a hearing with the Chief of Naval Personnel. A month later, Carl appeared before the Naval Personnel to ascertain his possible return. Carl was requested to put on a new diving suit, weighing at 290 pounds and he was requested to take 12 steps inside it on land to prove that he is capable of doing the diving work with the prosthesis. Carl, seeing that his wife and son were in the audience, volunteered to take the 12 steps right then and there. He struggled initially but his steel determination got him through.

The top rank Navy Personnel were moved with Carl’s determination and asked why was he so determined to return to a full diving duty despite of the mishap, to which Carl said; “Forgive me sir, but to me, the Navy isn't a business. It's an organization of people who represent the finest aspects of our nation. We have many traditions. In my career, I have encountered most of them. Some are good, some not so good. I would, however not be here today were it not for our greatest tradition of all.” The Navy Chief then asked; “What would that be, Chief Brashear?" Carl Brashear unwavering answered; “Honor, Sir” To me this is the most touching part of the movie.

As Carl rightfully put it, Navy isn’t a business. Similarly, Police, Army are not a business. Men and women wearing uniforms must have honor to discharge their duties or otherwise these people will one day become so corrupted that they could even sell the country. Just look at what’s wrong with RMAF’s missing jet engines. It could just be another tip of iceberg.

Climate change, whose fault is it?

World leaders are gathering at Copenhagen right now to address the critical issues pertaining to climate change. What can this UN conference coming out with is everyone guess but it will not likely to effect any significant outcome as what has happened on Kyoto Protocol.

The environmentalists, politicians, scientists, NGOs and so on are having their own interpretations on the climate change and its repercussions on the well being of the planet that we live in. Developed and developing countries are pointing fingers as usual. Developed countries are accusing the developing countries for deforestation, high emission of green house gas. On the other hand, developing countries are counter-accusing developed countries for doing the same thing a few hundred years ago in order to be where they are now and depriving other poorer countries for doing so. When does this finger-pointing ends?

As much as we want to deny, human being is the greatest sinner and destructor of this planet. We cut down the forest to plant crops to feed our stomach in the way destructing the habitats for other animals and plants. We call all other animals eating our crops as ‘pest’, but not realizing that we are the greatest pest in this world, creating millions and millions of tones of pollutants everyday that are harmful to the environment. We are exhausting the irreplaceable natural resources and creating pollutants in return. The animals can only crying in vein as they are facing extinction because of the selfishness of human. We cut down trees that have being living in this world for a few hundred years to make houses, furniture and so on, and we are now talking about the danger of climate change.

It is no point having a big conference if human being is not changing their attitude towards the environment. People are starving in poor countries and some of them don’t even know what is going to happen tomorrow so let’s not talk about global warming to them but indeed feed their stomach first. Let’s stop the finger pointing and moving towards the mutual understanding of various nations so that a peaceful resolution can be achieved to balance out the needs of all the nations in order to create a better world for tomorrow.

Busy go nowhere

MACC must be very busy at the moment as another huge graft involving a political secretary of a senior minister was recently exposed by opposition MPs. The MB of Negeri Sembilan was earlier alleged to be involved in the money laundering activities involving exorbitant amount. As much as MACC try their level best to portrait themselves as the fearless anti corruption agency, many would still think that they are merely going for the small fishes but dare not even raise the case on the big ones. Who are the fish or big shark? There are traces that everyone in this country can see. Big palaces, luxurious cars and expensive holidays abroad, all these we can see but MACC simply can’t dig out any irregularities.

Perhaps it is our culture, the culture of blind obedient to the leaders, as most of us still think that all these politicians, member of Parliament, family of royalty and so on are untouchable, as these people are linked to politically powerful people. But is there anyone in this country or for that matter over the world that is above the laws? Perhaps we are not as bad as Philippines as there is no one is having his own army in this country.

Just like ordinary people like you and me, when our subordinates are doing something wrong we are quick to point out their mistakes. But when our own bosses are doing something not right, we are just keeping our mouth shut so that not putting any worm inside our own ass.