16 theSun | WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18 2009

speak up!

Workers want
Questions and answers trustworthiness
by Daniel Chandranayagam than be pried open. Of course, this
also means to be pried open by

for Malaysians BEING interested in the new man-

WE WORRY for this beloved coun-
try of ours. We worry for its future.
We worry that political rhetoric is
putting the country in jeopardy.
We worry that the vitriol spewed
by politicians and wannabes have
reached a point of no return. We re-
ally worry that things may turn ugly.
Like most law-abiding Malaysians,
we worry that the resources, time,
money and effort which is sup-
posed to be used in nation-building
is being used to further the political
ambitions of a handful.
We don’t have a crystal ball
to look into the future. We are no
soothsayers or doomsayers. We
are just citizens whose minds go
on over-drive each time we see the
images on television; read reports
in the newspapers or the Net. Why
are people dropping the race card
each time they want to get a point
across? Why should the colour of
the skin be an issue when the law
is broken? Why should it matter if
the offender is white, black, brown
or yellow? After all, the law treats
everyone equally irrespective of
race, colour, religion or creed,
right?
There are many out there bay-
ing for blood. Have we adopted an
“eye-for-an-eye” policy disregard-
ing the written laws that rule this
country? Even finding jobs for the
retrenched and unemployed has
taken a racial connotation. Didn’t
we in the past, repeatedly tell the
whole world that we are a model
nation where different races live
in harmony? Haven’t we boasted
about our ability to share the
wealth and correct imbalances?
Why then are we allowing a select
few to destroy what we and our
forefathers have built over the
years?
Is this “open house” concept
which we all hold during festive
seasons just a show? Are we
“putting on” smiles when greet-
ing each other while our hearts
are filled with hatred? Are we all
acting as if we are all after the
coveted Oscar? Have we all lost
our bearings and our ultimate goal
has been changed to power which
can translate to money?
Where did we go wrong? Didn’t
we stand united when Tunku
Abdul Rahman and his coterie of
like-minded souls from various
ethnic backgrounds stood up to
the British and demanded for our
right to rule this country ourselves?
Why then are we getting embroiled
in petty issues of race and colour?
Why are we diverting our thoughts
and making police reports on the
medium of instruction in schools?
Has a crime been committed by
our policymakers to warrant such
an action? Didn’t we elect the
government which makes policy
decisions for the betterment of ALL
Malaysians? Everyone has a right
to disagree but there is a right fo-
rum for such disagreements to be
debated in a civil manner without
resorting to name-calling, threats
and demands to “balik negara
asal”?
Why are certain sectors of our
leaders provoking the people? And
don’t the people realise that they
are being made use of? Stopping
VIP motorcades with coloured
headbands is not heroism – it’s a
sad state that we have forgotten
our very own core values which we
have been brought up to practise
and treasure. Is power all that im-
portant that we can dispense with
our culture and tradition?
Can’t we accept the fact that
each of us can differ in opinion
and yet agree to disagree? What’s
wrong with offering a view on is-
sues? If you have to disagree, then
use the right forum instead of read-
ing between lines and innuendo to
interpret such a view. These are
basics.
Has our education system
changed so much that the “new”
generation has been taught to
convert their disagreement into
anger and violence? Can’t we, the
right-thinking majority, have our
say without being shouted down
by those who claim to be mighty
and powerful? We will not have un-
popular policies shuffled down our
throats and if we have to express
our feelings, there’s always a forum
which would be accorded at the
right time. Why then all the noise
and threats?
Was Dr Mani Jegathesan running
for the Indian race in the Olympics?
Was Lee Chong Wei playing for the
Penang Chinese? Is Shalin Zulkifli
now competing in the United States
for Malaysia or is she proving Ma-
lays can compete internationally?
We don our national colours, not
the colour of our skins by which we
are classified by some quarters.
Dear readers, you may want to
say that I have an advantage in the
form of a permanent forum, this
column, to articulate my views and
express my disappointment over
certain issues. I don’t
deny that. Not many
are given such an op-
portunity. But having CitizenNades
had this advantage, by R. Nadeswaran
you would be the first
to stop reading if I ever misuse
the privilege accorded to me. Yes,
we all have our own platform to
deliver our messages – at meet-
ings of organisations or political
parties which we belong to. These
messages can be carried to the na-
tion’s leaders who will then assess,
consider, dissect and deliberate on
them. The bottom line is that all of
us can’t have it our way.
Therefore, in these circum-
stances, why can’t we use our
own avenues to get our point
across? Why do we have to resort
to working up the people and using
crass language to get the message
across? Can’t we be civil in our
mode of communication?
We dare say, all the senior lead-
ership of political parties know the
race card is an absolutely unmiti-
gated wrong! Speak up, for good-
ness’ sake and for the sake of all
Malaysians. Honour the founders of
our political system, the founders of
our nation. Besides the politicians,
bureaucrats and those responsible
for the implementation of policies
cannot escape accountability. There
could be many reasons why many
of you couldn’t thwart what is hap-
pening but now you see the results.
Stand up and speak out against this
racial hooliganism. Decent people,
please tell your children, your rela-
tives, friends, neighbours, the fish
monger, the supermarket counter
girl and the waitress at the pub
how you abhor racists. Enough is
enough! Tell everyone. Let the
whole world know that you treat
racism with utter contempt.
Dear readers, speaking as a
true-blooded Malaysian, I worry be-
cause if we allow these people to
trod all over us, there will no longer
be voices of reason. People who
act and behave moderately will
be over-shadowed by those with
extremist views. That, ultimately,
will be the beginning of the end.
R. Nadeswaran hopes like-minded
Malaysians will stand up and speak
up against bigots and racists. He
is editor (special and investigative
reporting) at theSun. He can be
reached at: citizen-nades@thesun-
daily.com
agement field of corporate social
responsibility (CSR), I asked a friend
recently why there appears to be
more CSR consultancies opening
in Singapore than Malaysia. He
answered, without even thinking,
“Because businesses here aren’t
really interested.”
This might explain why only
five participants were present
at the “Integrity at Work” forum,
organised by the MCA Integrity
Watch Group in January.
This leads me to wonder if
employers actually care about
what their employees want,
especially those workers whom
employers really want to keep. Of
course, some employers might
think that giving their employees a
job, especially with thousands re-
ported to be laid off almost every
week, is a benefit in
itself. Yet, those good
workers – the type
who have the work
ethic, qualifications,
skill and experience
Japan any employer would
sentiment want – would be the
near ones to know that
now is the best time
record to jump ship.
low Edelman’s South
pg 18 East Asia manag-
Freespace
ing director, Robert
Grove, said at the Where young views rule
CSR Global Summit
2009 in Singapore that a survey
found that fifty per cent of work-
ers would not want to work for an
employer they do not trust.
Of course, basic trust means
an employer has to go beyond
compliance. In this sense, the 124
employers fined by the Employees’
Provident Fund for failing to sub-
mit their workers’ contributions,
and the employers involved in the
147 civil cases and 1,550 criminal
cases against errant employers
in the last quarter of 2008, fall far towards causes of their choice.
below the expectations of fifty
per cent of the workforce (if not
more).
At the CSR forum, IBM’s Steven
Davidson explained that it is better
for a business to be open, rather
We believe that the young
should have a say in how things
are run, because they have
everything at stake in our fu-
ture. This column creates that
space for bright young sparks
to debate issues that they feel
strongly about.
one’s own employees.
In relation to this, Grove pointed
out that businesses face pressure
to conduct themselves ethically
from several groups, one of which
is their own employees. Workers
are now conducting their own due
diligence on their employers and
potential employers.
Websites like Glassdoor and
LinkedIn make it easier for the
discerning worker to find out from
others just how well a business
treats its workers or how ethically
it conducts its business. In fact,
Glassdoor allows anonymous
postings from employees on their
employers’ transgressions.
One can find out, for example,
about how some companies
use CSR to their advantage, by
including “CSR” marks in an em-
ployee’s annual appraisal for their
participation in the
company’s CSR ac-
tivities (held outside
working hours). The
lower the appraisal
marks, the lower the
annual bonus. So
much for corporate
social responsibility.
Having been an
employee once, it is
clear to me that most
of the times, “integ-
rity” and “corporate
responsibility” at the
workplace are rarely
taken seriously by anyone but the
management. And management
only ever seem to take it seriously
in front of their subordinates.
Lip service, anyone? Yet lip
service and top-down mentality
are hard to run away from in Ma-
laysia. Our leaders practise this to
the point where some might think
there is no other way. But there is
always another way. For example,
IBM allows workers to use ten
per cent of their working time
That is another way of doing
things. Being transparent about
your whole business, not only to
your shareholders, but also to your
employees (and customers and
the public), is another way.
Telling people to trust you is
different from showing people
you are trustworthy. If businesses
want their employees (and other
stakeholders) to trust them, pain-
ful though the process might be, I
can’t think of any other better way
than for them to be open about
everything.
Daniel freelances in writing and
publishing, and has a passion for
sleeping, eating and labour law.
Feedback: pottedplot.com.

letters
letters@thesundaily.com
ALLOW me to convey my
sympathies to Bukit Lanjan
state assemblywoman Eliza-
beth Wong for the embarrass-
ment caused to her.
She had her privacy invaded
and this in itself should receive
the understanding and concern
of all Malaysians that justice
must be done for this “victim”
irrespective of whether she is
an elected representative in a
state government or if she is a
private individual.
The police should uncover
all the links to this dastardly act
and arrest not only the perpe-
Justice must be done
trator but also any others con-
nected to the public exposure
of the photographs (and video?)
without fear or favour.
It is a disgrace that mind-
less political upstarts have now
jumped on the bandwagon to
call for the resignation of the
representative. And all this,
because they have their own
agenda – to gain “brownie
points” for their own climb
to power in their own party
struggles.
Say No To Political Dirt
Petaling Jaya
I WAS traumatised to read
about the cunningly crafted
fate of Selangor executive
councillor for tourism, envi-
ronment and consumer affairs
Elizabeth Wong.
Literally, Wong was stabbed
from the back, which is unbe-
coming among honourable
people. At least on the bat-
tlefield, opposing combatants
meet each other eye ball to
eye ball.
Reassuringly, the statement
issued by Elizabeth is convinc-
ing and sincere. I may have her
private photos tossed on my
table but never will my eyes
stray to view them, for I find
this disgraceful, inhumane
and a violation of the human
spirit.
To Wong, I express my pro-
found solidarity in this grave
violation of your human rights
and values.
I pray the ones who sold
their souls to the devil in
causing so much torment to
you and your family will pay
dearly.
A Woman
Lahat
THE ordeal facing Elizabeth
Wong is a cowardly and
shameful criminal violation of a
person’s privacy. She was doing
nothing wrong. All Malaysians
should be utterly repulsed by
this exploitation.
An innocent, unsuspecting
citizen’s privacy has been
invaded and criminalised.
Anyone calling for Wong’s
resignation should perhaps
be investigated as a possible
conspirator in this criminal
deed.
Every Malaysian, especially
our leaders, need to stand
up and say this violation is
unacceptable behaviour, and
that the guilty parties must be
found quickly and punished to
the fullest extent of the law.
Every woman in Malaysia must
stand up against this abuse,
where once again, a woman
is not safe even in her own
home.
This exploit is yet another
dark day in a growing and
saddening “trail of Malaysian
tears”.
Malaysian with Children
Via email