Rosmah, we’ve bigger things to worry about than batik

YOURSAY l ‘Solving our corruption scandals should be our burning priority.’

Rosmah wants everyone to wear batik on Thursdays

Kingfisher: PM Najib Razak’s wife Rosmah Mansor's suggestion would have been very welcome if the socio-economic conditions of ordinary workers were good.

Wearing batik can have symbolic and positive significance for national development. Never mind all the apparently ill-conceived blame game associated with yellow colour T-shirts campaign in recent times.

But back to the gist of Rosmah's suggestion, her advisors should be more alert to the discontentment of ordinary people to the erosion in quality of their life in recent years and to highlight to Rosmah possible support measures, as First Lady, to alleviate the peoples' suffering.

One is reminded of a difficult time in the past (history) when a famished population cried for assistance for bread and their queen suggested that if there was no bread, let them eat cake. Remember the Bastille.

Odin Tajué: Rosmah said that in an effort to promote the batik industry, it was important to first create a demand for it.

I have never studied marketing, but this does not seem right to me, or that there is something wrong somewhere.

From what I have read of people who have succeeded very well in their business endeavours, you are astute or observant enough to recognise a demand for something, and you quickly go in to satisfy that condition which requires relief.

You will be successful if in attempting to provide relief, you offer something desirable and do so speedily as well as efficiently and courteously.

Your product (or service as the case may be) and positive reputation will become known by an ever-widening circle of potential customers or clients, and this will propagate even more successes.

Bearing this and what she has said in mind, batik would seem to me to be a product that has been put out to test the market and not to satisfy a demand for it.

I am not saying that introducing something where there is no known demand for it is wrong, but if this is done, then one must ensure that the something will be readily accepted and desired in addition to your providing of sterling service.

I am unable to say for certain that batik was already put on to the market in the 1970s, but I am quite certain that it was in the 1980s.

And if after more than three decades, it is still struggling to be accepted, then logic tells us that it is not sufficiently desirable or the delivery has been poor, or both.

To my mind, making it mandatory for employees to wear batik is not going to solve the problem. No one likes to be forced to do something that one does not like.

The fact that batik has obviously not been selling well suggests that it is a product not desired by many, and, therefore, not many like it or want to wear it.

If you did not like it and were forced to wear it, you would buy only one piece or set. That is not going to cause the batik factories to be very busy.

So perhaps Rosmah might be better off urging the manufacturers to engage experts to determine why the product has failed, to act on the findings, and then to pray very hard five times a day for the best.

True: Solving our corruption scandals and financial problems should be our burning priority; not wearing batik on Thursday...

James TCLow: While the rakyat are struggling to put food on the table, there comes the demand that we buy clothing.

Hey, if I got extra money, I would buy food for my children first.

XED: Hmm, a consumer demand created by (not so royal) command.

When Tunku Abdul Rahman was prime minister, he openly disagreed with the order of the then information and broadcasting minister Senu Abdul Rahman to the staff of his ministry to wear batik when they were working on Saturdays. The order died out.

There was some respect for personal freedom. But there are enough boot lickers around nowadays.

Anonymous 759201436321741: Why get all riled up? Giving a counterpunch to the suggestion is more satisfying. Why not stop wearing batik every Thursday but not any other day?

Vijay47: One way to ensure that an idea is destined for certain failure is to have Her First Eminence propose it.

Now even those who may have toyed with the idea of wearing batik on Thursdays or Mondays or to the bathroom will drop it like a ton of hot bricks.

On the other hand, had the promotion been made by some little makcik from Pan Chepa (Pengkalan Chepa to the uninitiated) many people would have gone batik to give her a boost.

Sorry, back to the drawing board for you, Madam.

Rubystar_4037: Love your comment Vijay47. You hit the nail right on the head.

AJ: Rosmah, can you give me a Berkin bag to go with it. -Mkini