Social climbers in Malaysia: Race, Datuk, Datin or Puan Sri, not professional meritocracy

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Social climbers aplenty

A Writer's Life By Dina Zaman

In Malaysia, titles carry a lot of weight. People lie about their names, and some second wives even insist on being addressed as Datin or Puan Sri.

IT all began when I met a fortune teller in Butterworth who chided me for not using my honorific title before the name that you see now. In other words, a family title.

“If you acknowledge this heritage, this name that your family ancestors gave you, you will become very, very, very rich!” she said.

I thought, I could live with that. I am tired of being a financially struggling writer.

A month or two later, I edited my LinkedIn profile and put, ahem, the title in front of my name. Boom! Boom! Boom! I received a monthly average of three potential connections to link with.

Now, I have been a member of LinkedIn.com for more than seven years, and I would receive an invitation to connect like, perhaps, once every two to three months.

This very strange phenomenon affirmed the following to me: First, I’m not a celebrity, hot, and popular. These new friendships confirmed to me that a lot of Malaysians in general are social climbers and will only befriend you if you have wealth and social standing.

My charming personality and some brains have nothing to do with my instant popularity. Tsk.

Before we go on, allow me to clarify a few things. I do have a title tagged to the name my parents gave me. I do not understand why there are women who want to marry into the firm, because having an honorific is hell on forms and documents.

I am grateful that my parents gave me a beautiful name. Maybe at that time of registration, in 1969, there were many tiny boxes to fill in my title and name, but 21st century forms are horrible to fill in your particulars.



Two. Maybe I am related to some very titled and privileged people and maybe I am not. So don’t bother befriending me. I cannot guarantee you an invitation to the istana or a royal event.

I myself do not attend such dos. The one or two times I had been invited, I had to cover an event. If there ever was a personal invitation, and I cannot remember any, I chose to sleep.

I have always invested in very nice beds and mattresses. They win hands down all the time.

Also, if I am related to some Tengku or Raja, it would be 100 times removed. I call myself a SociaLIKE. I only mingle with people I like.

That LinkedIn caper left a bitter taste in my mouth. Surely all the work I had done over these 18 years would have amounted to something. I worked very hard to get to the little mountain I am on now. I can do this, and I can do that.

Actually, I am smarter than some of these titled people. Still, was an honorific my passport to professional and social success?

Unfortunately in Malaysia, titles carry a lot of weight. People even lie about their names.

Friends who work in events and public relations will call me, laughing over guests’ pretensions. “Wah, since when ah, did this person become a Tengku, or Datuk?”

I myself have seen a business card which had the grandfather’s datukship! Since the person’s father was not a datuk but the grandfather was, the person insisted on having it on the card.

How do you take someone like this seriously? Obviously many do, because the person is a director of a public-listed company.

I have also met second wives who insist on being addressed as Datin or Puan Sri. Darlings, think what you will, but that privilege belongs to the first wives only. Non-negotiable. Lu sudah sapu sama laki, mau sapu title pulak?

There is little professional meritocracy practised in this country: it’s not just your race, it’s who you are related to, who you know in this country, (and perhaps also the bomoh you’ve hired) that gets you places.

This may be 2012, but Malaysia is very much a feudal society. A title may not get you that timber deal, but at least the waiting staff or sales clerk will stand to attention.

And perhaps this is why we hold on to social status like a limpet: because there are so few honest successes in this country.

I have been asked before what I thought of the monarchy in Malaysia. If there is one legacy any monarchy should have, it would be that it has served its people well.

It should act intelligently and be compassionate. It should not be known for excess and wastefulness,
especially in times of austerity. Granted, there are a number of royals who have contributed to the country, but how many have left proper legacies?

I do enjoy reading the Malayan history of monarchy and aristocracy. Reading the Hikayats make me yearn for simpler days. Modern day aristocracy has lost that romance, refinement and adat.

Three months into my experiment, I was already getting irritated by requests to connect. My e-mail was constantly alerting me of new possible friends I could network with. And I still have yet to hit the jackpot. So I called the fortune teller in Butterworth.

“Aunty! Apa dei, I put the title in front of my name and I’m still not rich la!”

“Aiyo, it is the month. The stars are not aligned … you see, my dear …”

I squawked on the other side of the phone. I had no time to deal with astrological alignments. I went to my laptop and edited my LinkedIn.com profile. Goodbye title.

And what a marked change. To date, I have only had two requests to network with me, and these were old friends from university. I like it that way.

To those who added me on the basis of my name, I don’t want to do business with you. And to those who appreciate my work, and think that there are possibilities, you know how to get me.

> Dina Zaman is a writer based in KL. She is interested in Malaysian religious histories and its people.

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Rightways: China Wen:Serve the people well, aim for big ... accomplishments, not big titles!

Hidden hands at work; UiTM Bumi-students against the intake of Non-Bumi!

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Hidden hands at work

THE Malaysian education system, despite some weaknesses, was one of the best in the world. This I learnt in 1984 when I was doing a Master’s course in Education and took an option entitled “Education in Developing Countries”.

The policies on the whole, grounded on sound education principles, were rational.

However, today, there are hidden hands which subvert government policy. Some parents have complained to me that a principal of a national-type secondary school in Kuala Lumpur had made it mandatory for her SPM students this year to take only nine subjects.

So no Bible Knowledge for the SPM, no Bahasa Cina, Bahasa Tamil, Bahasa Punjabi, etc. Not only that, she calls in the students who wish to take the 10th subject to dissuade them from signing up by asking them whether they are confident of getting an A for that subject.

This is surely wrong. No principal should be allowed to override the National Education Policy. Education is not solely about getting As.



The Malaysian education system rightly emphasises holistic education and has given students a wide choice to pursue subjects according to their aptitude and ability.

They should be free to take, as their 10th subject, Music Education, etc, which is allowed under the rules of the Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia.

All that the principal should ask for is proof that the students are being instructed in the subject of their choice by their attendance and course work, but they should not be banned from signing up and studying for their 10th subject by personal agendas of school principals.

It makes me think whether this emphasis on academic As is due to heads desiring their schools to be high performing schools, and the top administrators getting monetary rewards for their schools’ success.

Very often, to get a high Grade Point Average, the schools would have to control the intake of students (only bright students need apply) and control the number of subjects they take.

But is this what education is all about? What happens to the students not academically inclined?

It could be that the “blue ocean” strategy employed to upgrade the national education system is used wrongly here. The schools which are better endowed would have an inbuilt advantage and the top administrators of such schools would be monetarily rewarded.

But is monetary reward for individuals the proper incentive? Should not the schools’ infrastructure be upgraded? Or the very fact that they have made it to the elite club of top performing schools be enough – no need for other rewards?

Should not the schools which are less well endowed be given more to make them better?

May I suggest that in this race to be a high performing school, there should be recognition for schools which have a heart for their students.

A rethink should be made about the NKRAs for education and

the monetary rewards for top administrators of high performing schools.

EDUCATIONIST, Petaling Jaya.
The Star Jan 11, 2012 

UiTM Bumi-students against the intake of Non-Bumi students into UiTM!

Maybe they should protest on non-bumi paying the TAXES so that a University like this cannot be built on the tax-payers' $$. 

PM 'Najib'.., Is this the "1-Malaysia" you wanted it to be in reality?

 

Malaysians!! All true Malaysian of all races ...WAKE UP & BE COUNTED !

Make sure your hard earned money is not used to produce such graduates!

           

 

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Malaysian education heavily politicised, Quality ...

China to Become the World's Largest Importer by 2014

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Helen H. Wang, Contributor Author, consultant and expert on China's middle class >

We have heard a lot about China becoming the world’s largest this and that. In 2009, when the world was in recession, China leapfrogged the U.S. to become the world’s largest auto market. In 2010, China overtook Germany as the world’s largest exporter. This year, China is likely to surpass Japan to become the world’s largest luxury goods market.

So, it shouldn’t be a surprise when The Economist predicts that China will become the world’s largest importer by 2014. Yet, many skeptics still doubt China’s potential to be a stronghold of the world economy.

Last month, I was on BBC World News to discuss the eurozone debt crisis and whether Chinese consumers can make a difference in the world economy.  My discussion partner Johathon Holslag from the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies argued that Chinese consumption is still far below its production, and people should not be over optimistic about China rescuing the world economy. See the discussion video below:



Yes, official statistics show that consumption is only 34 percent of China’s GDP (compared to 70 percent in the U.S.). While the West’s economy is imbalanced with over-spending, the Chinese economy is imbalanced with under-consumption. However, this dynamic is changing. When I travel in China, I can clearly see the consumption boom in China’s large and small cities. Retail has been growing like a wildfire in recent years.



While it is not China’s role to save the world economy, it is in China’s best interest to balance its own economy toward domestic consumption. In so doing, China serves as a counter-balance of over-spending Western economies.  China may not want to bail out Italy or Greece, but China can provide opportunities for these troubled economies to get their own house in order.

As matter of fact, China has already helped. The Chinese middle class is creating enormous opportunities for Western companies selling into China. Europe’s exports to China have been growing steadily. Many Western brands are doing extremely well in China.

For example, Chinese consumers prefer to pay a premium price for furniture that is made in Italy. The UK-listed retailer Burberry has opened 60 stores in China and plans to have 100 stores in the near future. Western automakers, from Volkswagen to Bentley to General Motors, are enjoying huge success in China.

In the coming years, China’s economy may slow down a little, but will still grow at least at 7 or 8 percent. There are plenty of opportunities for Western companies to take advantage of China’s growing middle class. For companies that want to export to China, here are a few useful tips:

• Check out your local Chamber of Commerce or Export Assistance Center and familiarize yourselves with legal and regulatory issues in China. These facilities also have a lot of resources and services that can help you develop China market entry strategies and find the right business partners.
• Consider rebranding or repositioning your products in China. Remember, what works in your native country may not work in China. You really need to learn about Chinese culture, understand Chinese consumers, and adapt your products and services to the China market.
• For smaller brands, e-commerce is a great way to break into the China market without significant upfront cost. China’s ecommerce has been growing at 60 percent each year in recent years. More than 100 million Chinese shopped online last year. And China’s Internet users are expected to reach 750 million in 2015.

According to Credit Suisse, China will become the largest consumer market in the world by 2020. In the past, all the predictions about China have proved to be on the conservative side. With all its problems and potential crises, China somehow has managed to astonish the world again and again.

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Indonesian entrepreneur promotes love

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http://english.people.com.cn/98389/7701869.html


In Indonesia, one ambitious entrepreneur has started a program teaching men how to be the person they've always dreamt of being. Always too shy to talk to the prettiest girl of the party? Then this program is for you. Andy Saputra reports from Jakarta, and gives us one or two special tips.

Feeling alone after the holidays? In Indonesia, you don't have to. This is part of the Pencinta Wanita program that helps men to understand and win the hardest game of all. The game of love. It teaches the ropes of social interaction, starting from introduction to how to keep them interested.



Pencinta wanita, which literally means women lover, was founded by Ronald frank, a self confessed promoter of love, he started this as an Internet forum and in 4 years, it has become his main source of income.

Ronald Frank, founder of Pencinta Wanita, said, "I was always a loser in relationships, from being cheated on to being used by women. This has encourage me to research on love. I found that there's a huge disconnect on what women think of love and what men think of love, I felt compelled to bridge this."

CCTV's Andy Saputra said, "This 2 day seminar is explaining the theory behind that bridge, Everything is broken down to points, explained and discussed.. Starting from changing their own mindset to live demonstration..Not unlike a war strategy."

Since 2009, Pecinta Wanita has conducted tens of seminars in all the major cities in Indonesia and it has an estimated 350,000 members. The program also bundled with products like ebooks and instruction videos. With revenue up to $100,000 annually and growing, it is good business. But this business of love, has also created some controversy.

And for Ron, the founder, this mindset change is his main goal.

Attitude determines altitude

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Reflecting on the law By SHAD SALEEM FARUQI

To seek and attain inner peace, live simply, think deeply, act nobly; and leave the world a better place than you found it.

A DEAR colleague’s son was recently called to the Bar. At the dinner to commemorate the occasion, several of us were asked to share a few words of advice.

The wise among us spoke because they had something to say.

Lesser people like me spoke because we were asked to say something. This is what I could manage.

In the journey of life, a new destination beckons you. We, the friends of your parents, pray fervently that your journey on the highway of life will be successful; that you will blaze new trails; that the road ahead will lead you to many summits; and that each panoramic view will stir in you a striving for the horizons beyond.

Success, is, of course, a matter of personal perception.

To some people, wealth, power, influence and status are the tests of having made it.

To others – and I hope you will be in this category – success is to bring sunshine into the lives of others.

When you do that, some of that sunshine will illuminate your life as well.

Whatever your concept of success is, its attainment is rooted in some conducive mental attitudes and a great deal of planned, hard work.

Visualising and envisioning: You must envision, constructively imagine and role-play whatever you wish to be.

Dreams are the foundation of reality. If you can dream it, you can achieve it.

Any fulfillment is, of course, subject to your courage and discipline to act on your dreams and materialise them into concrete actions. Kipling’s admonition must be remembered: “If you can dream and not make dreams your master. If you can think but not make thoughts your aim”.

Daily planning: On a daily basis, plan your schedule. Fill every minute with 60 seconds of distance run. Sail a chartered course. Do not drift in the wind and the waves.

Act on, not just react to, things as they come. Do not let others lead you by the nose. Do not count on luck. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.



Mapping the road ahead: Careers are like ladders with many rungs. Map out the steps. Fix time frames. Periodically review your progress towards your long-term goals.

Intensity: There must be an intensity of commitment, a fire, a burning desire, an over-riding, if not single-minded, determination to attain your goals.

Ambition: Think big. Do not settle for too little. Make plans to reach the sky. If you land on the clouds, that’s OK. Strive harder next time.

Faith in God: When confronted by inevitable storms, trust God. God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear.

Self-confidence: We are all specks of dust in the universe. This necessary humility can, however, go hand in hand with a self-confidence that everything is attainable if we strive hard enough.

We must doubt our doubts but not our beliefs. We must remember that attitude, more than aptitude, determines our altitude.

Discipline and hard work: Work is part of worship and must be given the same type of devotion. Hard work compensates for lack of genius.

Many ordinary people achieve extraordinary things because they toil through the night while the world sleeps. Genius is 10% inspiration; 90% perspiration. A toiling tortoise can beat a heady hare.

Over the course of four decades, I have seen scores of extremely intelligent people fail in their endeavours because they lacked the humility that drives hard work; the discipline and planning that ensures progress; and the courage and persistence that overcome odds.

In most challenges in life, natural talents do not take us very far. Discipline does.

Passion: Whatever you do, do well. Let reason be the rudder and passion the sail. There are no small jobs; only small people.

There is honour in every profession provided we put our heart and soul into it and do ordinary things extraordinarily well.

It is often the case that those who do small jobs meticulously are likely to confront major challenges majestically.

Do not wait for ideal conditions: Do not wait for the perfect time to start building on your dreams. External conditions will never be ideal. We have to make do with what we have.

The wind often changes for the better once we set sail. It is our inner determination that makes the world stand aside to let pass a man who knows where he is going.

Show-case your talents: At a place of work, substance and form, isih dan gaya, the ability to be relevant, as well as to seem competent, are all equally important. Don’t be like the peacock that dances in the jungle but is not seen by anyone.

Find sophisticated and civilised ways to show-case your talents. Polish up your communication and PR skills so that your hard work and competence will be known.

Rewards come in many ways: It is natural to expect appreciation and recognition.

However, one must remember that in the workplace there are rivalries, jealousies and injustices.

As in the outside world, so in the workplace, justice does not usually prevail.

If the rewards do not come when they are due, remember that God is watching. His justice will one day prevail.

Work never goes to waste. A competent man is like the moon. Clouds can hide the moon for a while but in the end the beams of light will break through and the world will be filled with their luminescence.

Remember also that hard work with sincerity is nourishing for the soul and good for health.

The rewards of hard workare long term, internal and intangible. We all know that of all the things that matter in life, most are not things.

Success and failure: Success is never final. It is a journey, not a destination. It is a continuing process of repeating, reinforcing past accomplishments and conquering new challenges by adapting to a changed world.

Success is sustained effort over time and persistence in the face of hurdles. It is an attitude of “I think I can”. It is the courage to treat adversity as an opportunity. It is the willingness to regard every dare as a door.

Falling down does not amount to failure. Failure is to stay down. Falling down is never fatal. Life breaks all of us. The thing to do is to learn from our failings and to emerge stronger where we’re broken.

Happiness: To seek inner peace, live simply. Richness is not the accumulation of wealth but the smallness of needs. Think deeply. Act nobly. Leave the world a better place than you found it. Learn from people you admire.

“Lives of great men all remind us; we can make our lives sublime and departing leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time”.

Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM and Visiting Professor at USM. He wishes all readers happiness and health in the New Year.