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Reform of the Civil Service

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels:

Process of reform within any organization - be it small or large – is a continuous process to ensure the organization’s continued relevance, efficiency and effectiveness. As such, the proposal mooted by PM Dato’ Seri Najib Razak should be looked welcomed by the civil service to ensure continuous efficient delivery system to the public. In implementing the proposal, however, government needs to look at the issue comprehensively and not solely on the ability or capability of officers only. There are other contributing factors that determine the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness such as the operating guidelines or procedures. Interdepartmental rivalry issues need to be reined in to ensure that policies and its implementation are supportive of national interests and not merely any particular department’s interest. There have been too many instances where certain programs introduced by departments had negated the overall national agenda..

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The public service department had actually implemented exchange programs for senior public officials to be seconded to private companies for the last 10 years. But yet whatever experience gain by the program has not really benefitted the service in general. Perhaps, there is a need to re-look at such program and see how it could be further improved to meet the objective and guidelines for the proposed structural reform mooted by PM. Government should also look at why departments that had been privatized performed better than when they were a government entity. Such departments include Tenaga, Inland Revenue Board, and many others. Putting it simply, their working environment changed. They are operating on different set of procedures, rules and guidelines. Decisions reached are more in-house – by the Board of Directors. Government departments meanwhile had to follow different sets of outdated rules and procedures which had indirectly constraints their decision-masking process and effectiveness because it had first to undergo the various interdepartmental/ministries reviews and opinions before it could actually be implemented. Thus, it is imperative to comprehensively look at existing guidelines and procedures and not merely at the issue of staff capability/talent. This would ensure the success of the proposed structural reform of the public service.


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Changing the Global Economic & Financial Agenda

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels: ,

The ongoing global financial and economic crisis is perhaps a blessing especially to the developing and under-developed countries. It helps to bring to the fore the many anomalies existing in the world economies under the pretext of globalization. The call for globalization which was primarily aimed at bringing equal opportunities for all to compete has not sincerely been true to the letter when it comes to the actual implementation. In reality it merely another form of power wielding instruments by the powerful economies on the poor struggling economies. What we have seen over the years is that the concept of the "global economy" is very often an exaggerated one, generating confusion and negative political consequences to the less developed economies..

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Reforms that are both necessary and feasible at the national level, such as appropriate exchange rate, fiscal and monetary policies (especially in normal times) or capital controls, are rejected as incompatible with the "global economy". Developing and impoverished nations are often tasked to look to supra-national institutions that are mainly deregulatory, unaccountable and regressive – the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and World Trade Organization are prime examples – to resolve the problems that these institutions have themselves helped to create. They are expected to tow the lines of the developed nations through various arm twisting strategies by such institutions and yet their country’s economies remain in a mess and they eventually lose total ownership of not only their economy but also their country’s policy and direction. It is at times being used to affect regime change or governments that are considered as not “western friendly”. It is another form of colonization in its “ugliest” form.

But the day the world economy was at risk of facing global recession, the powerful economies asked others to get their act together. Policies which are taboo under the eyes of the supra-national institutions before such as government bailout of private companies, is okay for implementation by the rich nations in facing the bankrupt and screwed up financial institutions. The current world recession is much worse and more widespread than the crisis of the late 1990s. The high-income countries that comprise the majority of the world economy, including the US, EU and Japan are mostly in recession. And there are major weaknesses in much of the world's financial system that must be urgently addressed in a transparent manner. It is good that the G20 leaders are at least talking about increased international co-operation in order to deal with the world recession, and there are some areas – such as regulation of the financial sector or preventing illegal international capital flows and international tax avoidance – where increased international co-operation can be especially helpful. But it must be fair and transparent. Developed nations should not only condemned protectionism and but must remain committed themselves not to engage in it. Unfortunately, a World Bank study notes that 17 of the 20 countries have actually undertaken new protectionist measures. So how could they expect others to not engage in protectionism when that is what they are doing to save their economy?

The international community must use this opportunity to regulate and iron out irrationalities and instabilities inherent in the so-called "global economy". There must be concerted efforts to redraw the rules for global commerce in a more equitable and rational manner – such as those of the UN commission headed by Joseph Stiglitz – are a vital part of creating a better future for the generations to come. But the world cannot wait for the time when the governments of the rich countries are willing to cede decision-making power to institutions – such as the United Nations – that they cannot completely dominate.

Let us all jointly work toward a fair, equitable and transparent global economic and financial agenda.



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Interesting News 2 share

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels:

Wish to share two interesting news that I came across while browsing the internet. It may be laughable but it is true.

i. Bus Driver Sacked for Saving Frog [As reported in Austrian Times]

French bus driver has been told to hop it by her German bosses - after stopping her double-decker bus to rescue a frog in the road. Astonished Christina Pommerel, 46, had been working for the RBO bus company in Regensburg, Germany for 13 years before she was sacked from her 1,300 GBP-a-month job.

"One of the bus passengers complained to the management. They told me I should have squashed the frog and not stopped. When I said I couldn't do that I was fired," said Christina. "It was in the middle of the road so I slowed down and put on the hazard flashers. Then I climbed out and put the frog in a box so I could take it to the side of the road and let it free.

"Then I got back on the Number Five bus and carried on with the journey and pretty much forgot about the incident until the management said they'd had a complaint," she added.

ii. Russian Doctors Find Tree Growing in Man's Lung [As reported in Novosti]

Surgeons in Russia's Urals Region were staggered to find a 5-centimeter high spruce growing inside a man's lung, the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reported on Monday. The discovery was made while Artyom Sidorkin, 28, from the Urals city of Izhevsk, was undergoing surgery.

Sidorkin had complained of extreme pain in his chest and had been coughing up blood, doctors suspected cancer. "I blinked three times and thought I was seeing things," Izhevsk surgeon Vladimir Kamashev told the paper. Medical staff believe Sidorkin had somehow inhaled a seed, which later sprouted inside his lung. The spruce, which was touching the man's capillaries and causing severe pain, was removed.

"It was very painful. But to be honest I did not feel any foreign object inside me," Sidorkin said

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Parents to Pay for Misbehaved Children

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels:

Follow-up to my earlier posting entitled Juvenile Delinquency, I came across an interesting decision by the government of Syria in relation to mitigating the rising problem of indiscipline especially among school going children. It was announced that the government will be taking actions against parents of misbehaving children. The full report available here.

In relation to that, Malaysia may perhaps look into introducing such actions in order to address the rise of crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and theft among school going children. The parents could not just passed the problem to others. They have to take full responsibility on their child upbringing.

It is going to be a serious social problem to the country in the future if not appropriately addressed now!


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My Thought 4 the Day

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels:

There are always time that we need a boost in life and we go around browsing at book stores available near us looking for “Self Improvement” books on the bookshelves which are now aplenty. Most bookstores have now special shelves marked for such books and it makes browsing a lot easier though not on the pocket. There are also times when we look for memoirs or autobiographies of personalities to read and hopefully emulate their successful life. A strong believer that learning is a lifelong process that never ends until the last breath of air, I too picks up the habit of reading whatever that I could lay my hands on. And as mentioned above, I too go around looking for self improvement books and memoirs when I'm in a bookstore (off and on} with the hope of improving myself and to be a better person. But lately, since blogging and the availability of resources, I generally tend to browse the websites for such related topics. Hence, the reason why I put the widget “Words of Wisdom” in my blog to keep on reminding me of things that I could easily follow to further improve myself in this competitive world besides primarily aimed at making me a better person.


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I will thus pick up certain phrase from the “Words of Wisdom” and share my thoughts and hope that it would be beneficial to all. My choice for the day is “Living successfully means pursuing your goals”. It is very important to have goals in life in order for one to be truly successful in life. The goals should never be carved in stone because we will have to constantly revise it with whatever obstacles that we faced towards reaching the final destinations. Besides that, as we progress and move into the different phases/stages in life, our outlook/goals/expectation will definitely also change. The goals one set upon graduation would definitely change or transform into something else pending the first job that one landed for example. Worst still if one were to fail to land a job. But that should not prevent us towards finding alternatives that could still lead us towards success and happiness. I have come across friends and colleagues that are successful in their career but miserable in life because of mismatch of goals. Their career path just does not match their own personal goals due to various reasons such as outstanding financial obligations, family commitment, and thousand and one other reasons. In such instances, one would have to reconcile and readjust accordingly so as one could achieve continued happiness as well as success in life. Never ever give up in life!

That’s my take on the subject of “Living successfully means pursuing your goals” in brief.


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Notes whilst in Medina

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels: ,

It was considered a free day for me since the meeting ended a day earlier than scheduled. Had tried to change the flight back to Damascus but there was no seat available and I have no choice but to stay on and take the flight back as scheduled, on Thursday morning. There is only one flight per day from Jeddah to Damascus. After completing the necessary report on the meetings, decided with my colleague to travel to Medina which is about 370kms away from Jeddah, roughly about 8 hours drive to and fro. We left Jeddah at about 12.45 pm and stop by at one of the rest area for Zohor prayers and lunch.

While on the way towards Medina, heard about an accident involving Malaysians about 40kms away from Medina. Was made to understand that the group had just arrived in Jeddah on the monring flight and was travelling directly to Medina. The accident happened at about 8.30 am local time. We passed the crash site at about 4 pm and saw the bus that was ferrying the Malaysians on the opposite side of the road. We later came to know that the accident took place because the bus was trying to avoid a pick-up truck that swerved into its lane. Based on what we saw of the bus wreckage by the roadside, it is safe to assume that it must have been travelling at more than 140km per hour. The driver must have lost control of the steering leading to the bus hitting the fenced road divider and hitting the hill on the other side. There were many casualties, including deaths. May Allah Bless their soul!


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Reached Medina at about 5.30 pm and we headed directly towards Nabawi Mosque (Prophet’s Mosque). The most notable feature of the Prophet's Mosque is the green Dome of the Prophet, which rises higher amongst the sea of white domes. This is where the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad is located; early Muslim leaders Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab are buried in an adjacent area as well. Said my Asar prayers and waited for Magrib which is about 6.45 pm. Then just browse at some of the shops near the mosque. The mosque is sort of surrounded by hotels, jewellery shops and others. There is even a Starbuck Coffee near the mosque.

Departed for Jeddah at about 9.30 pm and arrived at about 1.00 am Thursday. Packed my bags and get ready to go to the airport.


Makkah and Medina
Makkah and Medina
Makkah and Medina
Makkah and Medina
full album you may visit here







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Brief notes whilst in Jeddah and Makkah

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels: ,

Took the opportunity to perform the Umrah on my recent meeting trip to Jeddah. It was considered still early for the Umrah season and was informed that the umrah visa were only issued about a month earlier. But the crowd that I saw at the airport arrival hall was huge with rows of passengers from different countries in their ‘ihram’ queueing patiently to pass through the immigration counters. The rate of passenger arrivals and the time taken by the immigration officers to scrutinize each single passports makes the queue line grew longer as the time passed. Well they are doing their job, I guess, to ensure that the documents are in order and only the eligible are allowed into their country.

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Notwithstanding that, how I wish that the Saudi immigration system could be upgraded and better improved to portray a positive and progressive image of an Islamic nation. As muslims, we will surely be proud of it. Too much negative connotations has been associated with Islam and Muslims, among which includes backwardness in economic development and lacks progress. It is within ourselves to change that perception.

There are many new buildings towering around the Masjidil Haram since my last trip to Makkah about a year ago. Masjidil Haram looks sunken to the ordinary eyes if one were to look down from any of the towers. It is really an impressive and awesome sights seeing the congregation of the faithful circling the Kaabah. One could see numerous tunnels in and around Makkah that could help to alleviate traffic congestion as the Umrah seasons picks up. I firmly believed that the Governorate of Makkah will continue to upgrade the road and tunnel systems to improve the transportation services especially around the locality of the Masjidil Haram. Besides the traffic problems, one will not fail to see the mushrooming of new towering buildings to accommodate the ever increasing Muslims coming to Makkah to perform the Umrah and Haj from year to year.

The number of visitors to Makkah will continue to grow and will really be taxing on the Governorate in the long run to provide with an efficient and effective transportation and accommodation facilities. They will have to look at different approach and models to address future needs becasue the current development is just too compact within the vicinity of Masjidil Haram. An idea that comes to my mind is perhaps to disperse the development of apartments/hotels, etc at the outskirts or suburb of Makkah and perhaps have underground tunnels with “walkalator” (walking escalator) that would link from the new development areas to Masjidil Haram. Just a thought though!!

Jeddah itself is slowly undergoing transformation with more green areas in sight. One could see more palm trees being planted on the streets dividers. Many new areas are being developed and dispersed throughout Jeddah. The governorate seems to be spreading the development to new areas which directly helps to develop the infrastructure of those areas. The new building structures that come up also provides a refreshing, cheerful and modern outlook of Jeddah where there are more colours to the new buildings and structures rather than the mundane “off white” paint that we generally see of the old buildings in Jeddah.



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Juvenile Delinquency

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels:

Read in one of the Malaysian daily newspaper last week on the question of juvenile delinquency especially among students which is on the rise and becoming a serious concern to the police. According to the Malaysian Institute of Research for Youth Development, the students are found to be involved in various crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and theft. It seems that the students had graduated from being mere school bullies to something more serious! Meanwhile another study conducted by the Malaysian Studies on Psychology and Development Center showed that 87% of the ‘mat rempit (motorcycle daredevils)’ in the country were mostly students aged between 14 and 25 years. What is going on? What is the future going to be for the country?

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I think we should seriously ponder on the problem and formulate a comprehensive policies and plan of actions to address this malaise in society. We should not be complacent in our approach and be contented by merely having ad hoc programs. We should analyze why does this situation becomes so rampant now and not in the past. Why are students becoming disrespectful of their teachers? Parents must also take responsibilities on the upbringing of their children and not merely passing that responsibility to the teachers or their house helpers. Parents should also not learn to respect the teachers. How does one expect the students to respect and listen to the teachers when the parents themselves show disrespect and look down on the teachers? Teachers are always blamed and targeted by parents when their sons/daughters failed to do well in examinations. But the moment a teacher scold or take disciplinary action against a student, the parent will come scurrying to the school and raising voices and running tantrums. There need to really be a serious concerted effort to have dialogue to better understand the respective role of the teachers, parents and the school. The expectations of parents in the past and now are different. But that should not negate the responsibility of parents in raising their children.

The question of juvenile delinquency is closely related with morality. And the problem of moral decadence has surfaced quite some time back and programs have been introduced to address it. However, based on the current findings of the above two institutes, it has not improved but the situation has actually deteriorated further. Government may need to relook at all those programs and change it accordingly for the interest and wellbeing of the nation in the future. More importantly, parents and societies need to be equally responsible in mitigating the moral decadence especially among the youth by being role models and setting good examples for them to emulate.


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Malaysian Successes!

Posted by aim_abdullah in Labels:


Congratulations to Malaysian cyclist Azizul Hasni Awang and Mohd Rizal Tisin for their performance and achievement in the World Track Cycling Championships in Pruskow, Poland last week. Azizul grabbed the silver medal in the individual sprint event while Mohd Rizal Tisin snatched a bronze in the 1km individual time trial. They make Malaysians proud of their success and proves to the world the true “Malaysia Boleh” spirit. From unknowns in the last five years, both have sprung surprises to other competitors from other countries.

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The two are just some examples of our achievements. There are in fact many more Malaysians that have achieved international successes and recognitions in various fields. And these people are not extraordinary in the beginning; they are just normal Malaysians with normal upbringing and background. They should all be role model which could be inspirational to the future generation. We do not have to wait to tell the younger generation of their successes posthumously. Perhaps one of our many TV channels could have some kind of program not only to highlight their successes but their background story – more to the human side – which ordinary people could easily relate to on the personal front. By having it on the TV, it would be able to reach all sectors of societies. Our media should not only highlight the incentive aspect of the successes because in the long run, our youth would only be relating success to incentive. Thus indirectly continuously propagating the materialistic aspect of successes rather than the importance of creating a wholesome responsible individual. Its a pity that Malaysian society are slowly losing its moral values. Everything now seems to be valued in monetary equivalent. Are all things for the taking in this so-called “development” era?




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