Malaysia's new definition for 'resignation' and 'sacrifice'

 

Ask any Human Resource personnel worthy of his/her salt, and you will be told that resignation can only be effected while your contract of appointment/service is still in force. If you are ‘resigning’ on the last date of your contract of appointment expiration, the act is not deemed a resignation but non-renewal of contract and/or termination of appointment.

J. D. Lovrenciear

Attention all ye philosophers and theorists, worldwide. Oxford and Webster also please take note: Malaysia has provided a new definition for ‘resignation’ and ‘sacrifice’.

In the wake of the ‘cowgate’ allegation-cum-denials that is sweeping the nation, the BN politicians have also made another world record. Oxford and Webster dictionaries should be most interested too.

‘Resignation’ can now be also defined as leaving your appointed job on the last day of your contract of service expiration.

Holly mackerel! Ask any Human Resource personnel worthy of his/her salt, and you will be told that resignation can only be effected while your contract of appointment/service is still in force. If you are ‘resigning’ on the last date of your contract of appointment expiration, the act is not deemed a resignation but non-renewal of contract and/or termination of appointment.

All these while, throughout the world of employment, ‘resignation’ would refer to quitting your job while your contract of appointment is still valid and active. And, upon the expiration of one’s contract, there is no resignation that can be effected – only termination or renewal of contract of employment/service.

When a 'resignation' and 'termination of contract' coincide on the same date, it tantamounts to discrepancy.

The other contribution to the global community by Malaysian politicians is the political definition of ‘sacrifice’. Both the PM and the DPM have been reported to have described the ‘resignation’ of a cabinet minister as a ‘sacrifice’.

When Rabindranath Tagore who is acclaimed worldwide as a social, political, religious, and aesthetic thinker, innovator in education and a champion of the ‘One World’ idea, wrote his theatrical Sacrifice, he dedicated it “to those heroes who bravely stood for peace when human sacrifice was claimed for the Goddess of War” ( Answers.com ).

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word ‘sacrifice’ as “forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.”

And the New Zealander Statesman, James Allen (1855 – 1942) said: He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would accomplish much must sacrifice much.

And the WordNet Dictionary defines ‘sacrifice’ as “the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform, etc.”

And do not also forget that only weeks before the ‘cowgate’ saga-cum-resignation issue, someone within BN barricades stated ‘return the money and all will be well’.

Whether from a philosophical perspective, or cultural and semantic angle, it is confusing why the PM and his Deputy were reported to have referred to a cabinet minister’s resignation as a “sacrifice”.

What is the sacrifice? And why sacrifice?

What about the police recommendations? What about the fact that the law took effect which saw charges being pressed in court?

In other words how can sacrifice embrace the intent and act of wrong doing?

Dear PM and DPM, whoever advised you to use the word “sacrifice” must be real bad teacher or a great con-sultant! Do you people not see a credibility issue-cum-obligation here? Why are you nailing the entire BN machinery down for the sake of one person? Or are there really more persons to be protected really?

Maybe those BN politicians (if any) who are fundamentally still operating honorably before their supporters (rakyat) and God, should advise their leaders.

Anyway, Oxford and Webster, please do not forget to pay royalty to our politicians for giving the world a new dimension to the words ‘resignation’ and ‘sacrifice’ yeah. Thanks.