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: 60 vie to be Maybank's Apprentices

: Naveen Mathew Menon
: New Straits Times
: 14 AUGUST 2014 @ 8:39 AM
: http://www.nst.com.my/node/23092

KUALA LUMPUR: SIXTY finalists of the Maybank Go Ahead. Challenge 2014 competition were
flagged off from Menara Maybank on Monday for a challenging five-day race.
The finalists, from 14 countries, made a grand appearance at Maybank headquarters in Jalan Tun
Perak during the launch of the final phase of the competition.
Maybank group chief human capital officer Nora Abd Manaf said, The Maybank Go Ahead.
Challenge 2014 is a unique talent recruitment scheme to find the brightest young minds from the
regions where Maybank operates.
The most significant value proposition of the challenge is a fast-track invitation to the prestigious
Global Maybank Apprentice Programme, a two-year international mentorship scheme.
Bagging the Champion Team and the Ultimate Go Ahead titles will give the winners the
opportunity to attend an interaction session of Maybanks Premium Leadership Programme
involving the top 50 most influential leaders of Maybank in Shanghai.
This years challenge saw a 100 per cent surge in applications over the previous years. The 60
finalists are selected from more than 10,000 applicants who applied to join this years competition.
Applications were open to recent graduates and final-year university students.
Applicants went through a rigorous selection process culminating in the National Qualifier Levels
held in each of the contributing countries, with the very best battling it out for the coveted
International Grand Final spots, she said.
Nora said the unique international business case study competition has proved to be effective in
unearthing talented individuals.
The finalists will undergo an intensive, action packed programme full of challenges and tasks, she
added.
Participants include Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, United Kingdom and the United States.
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Saturday.
After the launch, the finalists called Challengers had to follow sets of cryptic clues through the
city streets to discover their next Challengers destination.
The competition will see the Challengers taking part in exciting challenges which lead them all the
way to the airport to catch a flight to Jakarta.
After completing a major two-day challenge in Jakarta where they will be exposed to international
operations at Maybanks Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), they will return to Kuala Lumpur to
complete the rest of the challenges lined up for them.
Among the challenges are conducting negotiations, pitching for capital and managing resources,
competing in various sales challenges where the proceeds will be donated to charity and other tasks.
In addition to the mental and physical tasks, the competition will also see the participants taking
part in a Maybank corporate responsibility initiative to experience the banks mission of humanising
financial services.
The finalists will spend the day helping to build homes for a rural community in Malaysia.
The winning team will walk away with the grand prize of US$40,000 (RM127,900) while the
second place and third place winner will take home US$20,000 (RM63,950) and US$10,000
(RM31,975), respectively.
The overall best performing finalist who will be crowned the Ultimate Go Ahead Challenger will
win US$1,000 (RM3,197) and an all-expenses paid trip to New York where he will have the
opportunity to work at Maybanks New York office.

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: Providing professional training on diplomacy

: datuk dr ananda kumaraseri
: The Star Newspaper
: 11 july 2014 @ 8.04 am
: http://www.nst.com.my/node/11850

A NUMBER of features is evident in Malaysias experience in developing and consolidating the institutional structures and systems
for professional training in diplomacy, and the management of the countrys foreign affairs in all spheres.
We shall, however, focus here on the conceptualisation of the training institution, namely the Centre for International Relations and
Strategic Studies (CIRSS) and the formulation of its operational framework, in particular, its aims and objectives.
To proceed without a clear understanding of these two prerequisites could spell serious shortcomings in the management and
consolidation of the training institution and willy-nilly the professional training that it is expected to develop and implement. It is to
be appreciated that these prerequisites determined the scope and thrust of CIRSSs function and role.
In addition, they served to ensure that the resources committed for the training institutions development and progress were
appropriate, in terms of quantum, range of selection and quality.
The challenges encountered by CIRSS in its early years helped to underline the importance of these principal considerations in
developing and managing the professional training. First and foremost, it is essential that a conceptual framework be formulated for
establishing a training institution, regardless of the discipline or subject-matter of training envisaged. Among other critical
elements, this would set out the training institutions organisational structure, its function and role and the direction of its activities.
Viewed from the angle of the Malaysian bureaucratic environment, the CIRSS was not planned as an institution to provide
instruction in an academic discipline as we find in a university setting.
Neither was it to be a research centre on international relations and diplomacy or a think tank or an intelligence outfit for the
government. Nor was it envisaged to be a propaganda apparatus or ideologically-orientated institution as commonly envisioned in a
communist state where it serves as an instrument of the government, with political indoctrination constituting a priority objective.
To the contrary, the CIRSS was thought of in conventional terms of providing professional training in international affairs and
strategic studies for the public officials at different levels of their careers.
More specifically, the creation of the training institute was to provide a sound international orientation and professional training for
specific categories of functionaries in the public service to handle matters pertaining to diplomacy and foreign affairs in a
professional manner.
The other equally important pre-requisite is the formulation of the operational guidelines for the development and consolidation of
the training institution as well as the smooth and effective realisation of its functions and role.
This is made up of two basic components, namely the aims and objectives of the training institution.
The aims may be described as the tangible or inspirational guidelines or the philosophical reach, whereas the objectives are the
more specific and measureable targets set out for the training institution to achieve in the immediate, short-term and long-term
perspectives.
In accordance with the governments policy on public service training, the aims of the CIRSS are summarised as to:
ENGENDER a greater consciousness and sensitivity among public officials of the factors and forces which impinge on Malaysias
national interests in all spheres of international relations, viz the political, economic, social, cultural defence and security interests;
FOSTER a greater perception of the tangible as well as the intangible, or invisible benefits, that might accrue to Malaysia through
proper planning and interagency coordination in the formulation and postulation of the countrys foreign policy and international
relations;
PROVIDE a better appreciation of the co-relationship between domestic policies of the government and Malaysias foreign policy;
and,
INSTIL a better understanding and appreciation of the role of diplomacy in furthering national interests and in promoting peace and
harmony among nations.
As for CIRSSs principal objectives, they are to:
IMPROVE the competence and performance of key public agencies handling international relations and national defence and
security matters;
DEVELOP a professional and sophisticated cadre of officers to handle Malaysias external interests and concerns; and,
REINFORCE consultation, coordination and cohesion of purpose among key public agencies having functional responsibilities in

international affairs, national defence and security matters.

In the case of my stewardship of CIRSS, I took it upon myself to earmark or talent scout newly recruited trainee officers undergoing
the mandatory one-year training in Intan for the prescribed Diploma in Public Administration.
This exercise entailed identifying trainee officers who possessed the right aptitude, attitude, knowledge and skills to embark on a
career in international relations and diplomacy under the wings of Wisma Putra.
In a strict sense, the identification of officers for an internationalist career falls outside the purview of a training institution.
However, where there is no direct recruitment into a separate Foreign Service as in the case of Malaysia, the short-listing of
appropriate officers for Wisma Putra can serve a useful auxiliary role in terms of career development and the overall performance
of the ministry.

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: 300-tonne concrete span at MRT construction site falls, three

: dina murad & nadirah h.rodzi
: the star newspaper
:
: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/08/18/MRT-beam-

PETALING JAYA: Three workers are feared dead after a 300-tonne concrete span collapsed at a
MRT construction site in Kota Damansara Monday night.
In a statement, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) said the incident occurred at the MRT
worksite within the former Rubber Research Institute site near Kota Damansara.
"The incident occurred at around 8.30pm while construction of the parapet was being carried out on
the MRT elevated guideway.
"A span of the guideway had dislodged from its piers and fallen on the ground below. The span,
which was made up of 14 units of segmented box girders, was 38m in length and weighed 300
tonnes.
"MRT Corp confirms that three workers are unaccounted for and are believed to be trapped
underneath. Rescue efforts are currently on-going and an emergency response team is on standby at
the site," it said.
It later revealed the names of the three workers unaccounted for, namely Bangladesh nationals
Mohamad Faruk Khan, Mohammad Elahi Hossain and Mohammad Alauddin Mollik.
MRT Corp said no members of the public were involved in the incident as there was no access to
the site and investigations have commenced to determine the cause of the incident.
"All work along Package V1 where the incident occurred has been suspended until further notice.
The work package contractor for Package V1 is Syarikat Muhibbah Perniagaan dan Pembinaan Sdn
Bhd," it said.
MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid, who was at the site, expressed
deep regret over the incident.
"Although investigations are underway, MRT Corp assumes full responsibility for the incident.
Once investigations are completed, action on those responsible will be taken," he said.
Selangor Fire and Rescue department operations director Mohd Sani Harul said they were alerted of
the incident at about 9.46pm.
A K-9 unit was also spotted at the site of the incident, assisting rescue efforts.

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: Benalec explains termination of service deals

:

PUBLISHER
:
DATE OF PUBLICATION : Friday, 18 October 2013
WEBSITE
: http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/BusinessNews/2013/10/18/Benalec-explains-termination-of-service-deals/?style=biz

PETALING JAYA: Benalec Holdings Bhd has cleared the air on the recent termination of the
service agreements of two of the companys executive directors.
The company said in a stock exchange filing that the service agreements of Datuk Leaw Tua Choon
and Datuk Leaw Ah Chye were linked to land disposal transactions.
The marine construction specialist said the deals were linked to related party transactions between
its wholly owned subsidiary as vendor and two private companies as purchasers, with Tua Choon
and Ah Chye being linked to the purchasing entities.
The two land disposal transactions were concluded in January and March 2012, respectively.
Following an engagement session with Bursa Securities on the said allegation, Benalecs board
sanctioned the appointment by the audit committee of an independent audit firm to review and
investigate the two transactions in question, the company said.
The independent auditors report concluded that there was strong and compelling documentary
evidence linking the said executive directors to the two land disposal transactions, contrary to their
persistent denial.
The audit report was submitted to Benalecs legal counsel who supported the conclusions of the
independent auditors based on the documentary evidence.
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: Bullying in the workplace

: kevin tan
:
:
: http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Features/2013/10/22/Bullying-

Bullying goes far beyond the classroom it gets into the workplace and throughout different
stages of life.
IF you think bullying is something that only happens when youre in school, youre deluded.
From verbally abusive bosses to sexually inappropriate colleagues, bullying is something that we
could have to face up to throughout our working lives.
While workplace bullying might be a grey area at times (is it bullying if someone gets consistently
overlooked for promotions or bonuses?), it can rear its ugly head in pretty obvious ways.
Take Jeffrey (not his real name), 27, for instance. Even though he was used to being called names
from his time in secondary school, the kind of verbal abuse he used to get from a former employer
was too much to take.
My former boss has problems with his temper, said Jeffrey. He would scold us loudly with
profanities over minor issues, and most of the time those issues were just blown way out of
proportion.
The boss, Jeffrey said, would yell at the entire office at times; but one of the last straws for Jeffrey
was when things got personal.
He would use my marriage to question my dedication to the job. He would say things like:
Because you got married young thats why you have no commitment and passion for your
work, said Jeffrey.
After a about a year, the toxic environment became too much for Jeffrey to take and he quit.
The experience didnt just affect Jeffreys professional career. It left a huge dent on his confidence
as well.

It was a motivational downer. I started wondering whether it was worth it working in such a toxic
environment, even though it was a good job at a reputable company. It was the worst year of my
working life so far, said Jeffrey.
Are you being bullied?
Though Jeffrey firmly believes what he experienced constitutes workplace bullying, there is a fine
line between an office bully and someone with poor inter-personal skills.
So what exactly constitutes workplace bullying? Even Jeffrey came to a point where he started
wondering whether his boss tongue lashings was normal workplace behaviour.
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI), workplace bullying is defined as the
repeated, health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons by one or more perpetrators. For
HELP International School counselling psychologist Dr Gerard Louis, the keyword in that
definition would be repeated.
If it is a one-off act, then it might not be considered bullying, he said. People do, after all, make
one-off mistakes.
Another important thing to remember is that whether an act is considered bullying or not depends
largely on the person on the receiving end of it. No harm, no foul, right?
Malaysian Employers Federation executive direction Shamsuddin Bardan said: Some things can be
considered part of working culture. If a recipient doesnt find it unacceptable, then it is fine. But if
an employee feels aggrieved by it, or it is against his or her rights, then it is bullying.
But workplace bullying can be more than just persistent verbal abuse.
Brand manager Adilah, 28, was sexually harassed by her former boss, who made sexual remarks
about her body, asked her to drive him home alone, and even invited her to his place after work.
These things violated my rights as a Muslim girl, and he used his position to harass me and
manipulate me into doing things that are not required of me, said Adilah, who was also forced to
share a room with two male colleagues during a working trip. She left the company soon after.
Know your rights
Malaysian Trade Union Congress general secretary Halim Mansur said that most of the reported
workplace bullying cases are not physical in nature.
Its not the kind of bullying you (might) see in schools. Nowadays, workplace bullying is when
workers are not given proper protection, not enrolled to social security (SOCSO) and Employee
Provident Fund (EPF), face sexual harassment and violation of their basic rights as per the
Malaysian Employment Act, said Halim.
He added that some employees endure workplace bullying because they dont know their rights.
Denying an employee the promotion and/or bonus that they clearly deserve is also considered as
bullying on the employers part. Halim emphasised that every company should have an induction
programme to introduce its rules and regulations, working culture, benefits, and rights for the
employees
If a worker is discriminated against and constantly asked to perform duties that are not according
to his or her job specification and ends up being aggravated and intimidated, they should make a
report.
Who do you call
The problem with workplace bullying is that over 70% of the bullies are managers, as was the case
with Jeffrey and Adilah.
But that doesnt mean employees should stay silent when they see it happening, said Louis.
If you are bullied, you should voice out and get evidence to show that you are bullied. A bully is
normally a powerful person, so dont directly confront them.
According to Halim, if the first step, which is to report the bullying issue to the companys human
resource management (to solve the problem domestically), doesnt work, then the worker should
report it to the Industrial Relations Department.
Two options are given to bullied workers. Employees who would like to end their service with the
company can file a constructive dismissal under the Industrial Relations Act 1957, which entitles
the employee to terminate the employment contract.

In more serious cases, if an employee finds his or her life threatened and endangered, he or she may
file a report for constructive dismissal and compensation for the unfair actions made against the
victim.
Look for people who can help, like trustworthy colleagues or higher authorities if it is your bosses
who are bullying you, said Louis.
He added that it always require the first strike against the bully, or else nothing will change and the
bully will go on bullying. It is normal to feel ashamed if you are sexually harassed or humiliated in
public, but nothing is going to change if no one is going to take action.
Singled out
According to Louis, bullies often target victims as publicly as possible, which makes workplace
bullying all the more embarrassing.
Bullies likes to perform and demonstrate their power. They often single you (the victim) out,
isolate you, and humiliate you with nasty comments.
Moreover, he added that bullies often try to find a way to disguise what theyre doing, and make it
seem like its the victims fault.
Suresh, 26, for example, was made to seem incompetent even though his boss had been treating him
unfairly.
The graphic designer, who has been working in an advertising company for the past five years,
believes his boss has been intentionally denying him a proper laptop to work with.
According to Suresh, the company benefits includes a laptop and smartphone for all employees.
However, Suresh has been left with an old, malfunctioning laptop and not given a smartphone at all.
I dont really care if I get a smartphone. But as a graphic designer, I need a decent computer to
work with. The current computer thats given to me isnt just old and slow, but the colours are
inconsistent. So whenever I produce a print image, it comes out different from what I see on screen.
How am I supposed to work this way? said Suresh, who believes his boss is practising favouritism.
And yet when the colours of Sureshs designs dont match what was requested, his boss is the one
that turns on him.
Its been like this for the past few years, and the only reason I am staying is so that I can continue
to build my portfolio for my career in the future. I dont want to be job hopping, he said.
>> Bullying is a vicious cycle that starts from our experiences in childhood. Help break that cycle
by supporting the R.AGE Against Bullying campaign. Go to RAGEAgainstBullying.com to pledge
your support.
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: Adapt to minimum wage, SMEs advised
AUTHOR
: zazali musa
PUBLISHER
:
DATE OF PUBLICATION : Monday, 25 March 2013
WEBSITE
: http://www.thestar.com.my/business/businessnews/2013/03/25/adapt-to-minimum-wage-SMEs-advised/?style=biz

JOHOR BARU: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been urged to start adjusting and
adapting their operations when the payment of minimum wages to foreign workers comes into
effect on Jan 1, 2014.
SMI Association of Malaysia national president Teh Kee Sin said they had to take into account the
extra costs in their operations with the implementation of the minimum wage scheme.
Our SMEs only have nine months to go, and this period is rather crucial as to whether they would
be able to adjust and adapt to the new ruling, or continue grappling with escalating operating costs,''
he told StarBiz.
Teh said the SMEs that had already paid their foreign workers the minimum wage, effective Jan 1,
2013, would consider the January and February salaries as bonuses.

The National Wages Consultative Council (NWCC) had on Tuesday issued a statement that the
SMEs would not have to pay the minimum wage to their foreign workers until Dec 31.
The SMEs are not allowed to make any deductions on levies, accommodation and other allowances
from the salaries of their foreign workers.
However, the SMEs have to abide by the law which requires them to pay the minimum wage to
Malaysian workers.
The minimum wage for private-sector employees has been set at between RM800 and RM900 per
month.
The RM900 is for employees in the Peninsula, while the RM800 is for workers in Sabah, Sarawak
and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
It covers employees in all economic sectors, except those in the domestic service sector such as
maids and gardeners.
He said the SMEs were glad that the Government had listened to the proposal made to them via
their associations to defer the payment of minimum wages for foreign workers.
It might not be a good solution, but the best solution for us for the time being,'' said Teh, who is
also the chairman of the South Johor SME Association.
He said hopefully, in the near future, the Government and the relevant agencies would listen to the
voice of the SMEs pertaining to SME matters and not only to the NWCC.
Teh claimed that small-time employers, chambers of commerce and non-governmental
organisations had not been consulted on the minimum wage scheme.
He said it seemed that the NWCC was the one that was making the recommendations to the
Government on the scheme on behalf of the SMEs.
With the minimum wage scheme already in place, the cost of doing business has gone up and we
have not much choice but to pass it on to consumers,'' added Teh.
He said the only way for the SMEs to reduce the labour cost in their operations was to automate
their operations, as it would help to offset the hike in operating costs.
Teh added that the Government could assist the SMEs by introducing soft financing loans for them
to switch to automation, or to upgrade their current machinery to help improve productivity.
He said while the SMEs supported the move made by the Government on the scheme, at the same
time, many of the SMEs in the second- and third-tier towns were not prepared for it. Nobody
would want to work with SMEs in Johor Baru, Penang or Kuala Lumpur if they are not paid
RM900 or more, but how about SMEs in smaller towns?'' asked Teh.
He said many of the SMEs in the smaller towns hired senior citizens and pensioners and could only
afford to offer a RM500 monthly salary, as the cost of living was low.