LOYALTY

 

Loyalty is an important component of any business. Not only do you need loyal employees who care about your business but you also need loyal customers to keep your business thriving into the future. On a more personal level, loyalty stands for commitment and dedication to another allowing respect and trust to flourish. Loyalty is important in both business and our personal lives.

Loyalty is not something people talk about much and lately, it even seems unpopular in certain environments. But it is a vital quality to possess and to expect in the business world and even more so in our personal lives.

It is hard to define loyalty but is very easy to recognize it. Loyalty is valuable because it allows us to take the risk of predicting the actions and behaviour of people we trust.

One may not always correctly decide who to be loyal to and some people may even disappoint us or deceive us when we are loyal to them. Despite all this, loyalty always allows us to be true to ourselves and to our values.

It may be hard to be loyal sometimes, and often costly, but loyalty defines who we are and how well we sleep at night. It guarantees a clean conscience and a positive and transparent life.

Loyalty must never be blind or submissive. Such loyalty is unsound and may even cause career suicide. Being loyal is being devoted and vulnerable but never naive.

It is important to be loyal to the past. There is no use in denying or hiding from it and contrary to popular belief, attempting to do so usually only makes our efforts to hide from it that much more evident. Bad-mouthing former bosses, former companies or collaborators only show latent disloyalty and alerts others to certain future betrayal.

Loyalty demands integrity and consistency. You cannot be loyal, for instance, in business, to your partners, your boss or your company and not be loyal to your romantic partner, your family or your friends and vice versa.

Who should you never trust? Those who betray guiltlessly, out of habit or because of petty reasons. To cover their betrayals, these people fall into a web of lies and slander that they cannot get out of and that shows who they really are.

What is the most painful of disloyalties? Not being loyal to yourself or giving up your dreams and principles, even if this sounds trite or cliché.

And the hardest thing? To forgive someone’s disloyalty when we expected much more from them. Should we forgive them? Perhaps. But better not to place our trust in them ever again!

If someone betrays one of his friends or a member of his team, he will certainly betray all others in due time. And watch out, you might be next!

Can someone who is not loyal still deserve our respect? No! Being loyal requires character and integrity, two impossible virtues for those who are weak or lacking of a moral compass.

Sometimes, one must be loyal even to those who do not deserve it or appreciate it. As we have already said, loyalty is an act of integrity and personal values. Many times, loyalty has to do more with oneself than with the subject of our loyalty.

Gratitude compels us to be loyal and vice versa. The ungrateful tend to be disloyal and the disloyal to be ungrateful. Better to stay away from both, to identify them early on and not give them second chances. By contrast, nothing should be more treasured than loyal friends and collaborators!

Being loyal pays off with a legion of people who are loyal, who have our backs and protect us from the disloyal. People who are loyal deserve our entire admiration and respect. Just as they are loyal, they are reliable and morally sound.

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my.

Programme to mark two years of Madani Govt kicks off today

 

KUALA LUMPUR: The Two Years Madani Government Programme (2TM) and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform opened its doors at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here Friday (Nov 22), offering the best platform for Malaysians to come and see for themselves the achievements of the government over the past two years.

The programme, held over three days (until Sunday) from 8am to 6pm, provides space for the people to better understand the efforts and initiatives of the Madani government, as well as the civil service reform measures that have been translated for the direct benefit of the people by the Unity Government since taking over the administration of the country on Nov 24, 2022.

Themed 'Madani di hati, Rakyat Disantuni', the programme, which is targeted to be attended by more than 200,000 visitors, will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at 11am on Saturday.

In the programme, the achievements of each ministry over the past two years will be showcased at their respective booths and the 2024 National Convention on Public Service Reform is to discuss inclusive and competitive public sector reforms by leaders, experts and the community.

As usual, this programme will see each ministry open a booth with special programmes such as the Madani Rahmah Sale with a discount of up to 30 per cent as well as the offer of local entrepreneurs' products presented by the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry (KUSKOP).

For youths who are looking for jobs, this opportunity should be seized as the Career Carnival offers 3,000 job opportunities in various positions with the involvement of more than 40 employers.

Not only that, e-sports competitions, special counters for compound payment of summonses by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) of up to 60 percent, summons payment counters for the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and renewal of driving licences as well an exchange programme for 5,000 free helmets is expected to be among the main highlights.

The public will also have the opportunity to exchange new Al-Quran through the 'Jom Exchange Al-Quran (JEQ)' programme by bringing old Al-Quran manuscripts that do not have a certificate from the Home Ministry, limited to one copy per visitor.

Throughout the programme, there will be more than 150 people's touch point services such as free health check-ups and smoking treatment clinics at the Health Ministry booth while the Works Ministry offers contractor registration services for the Construction Industry Development Board of Malaysia (CIDB) and offers technical and vocational education and training (TVET) courses and training.

The Communications Ministry through its departments and agencies such as the National News Agency of Malaysia (Bernama), the Information Department, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the RTM Broadcasting Department and the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas) also offer various interactive activities at their respective booths.

The Finance Ministry offers to check unclaimed money, check individual credit reports (CCRIS/CTOS), check eligibility for Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) as well as expose the issues of investment fraud.

Various initiatives by the Madani government to increase people's income as well as advocacy related to the Bumiputera Economic Congress and the agricultural census as well as inputs for the 13th Malaysia Plan are among those highlighted by the Ministry of Economy in this 2TM programme.

At the 2TM programme, the Defence Ministry has also opened a small arms exhibition booth of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), veterans services counter and promotion of wataniah soldiers while among the essence of the Housing and Local Government Ministry booth would be advice and services on housing.

The highlight of the programme will be the Closing Ceremony which will be officiated by the Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar at 4.30pm on Sunday.

The programme, organised by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) through the Performance Surge Coordination Unit (Pacu) with the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC), also involved strategic collaboration between various ministries and agencies, government-linked companies (GLCs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the private sector and stakeholders.

It is the result of the continuation of the Madani Government One Year Programme which was held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in December 2023. - Bernama

Ringgit extends uptrend against greenback in early trade

 

KUALA LUMPUR: 

The ringgit extended its recent positive momentum to trade slightly higher against the US dollar in the early session on Friday.

At 8am, the local currency climbed to 4.4600/4700 against the greenback, compared with Thursday’s close of 4.4610/4650.

However, the US Dollar Index (DXY) remained elevated overnight as it reached 107.146 points before settling at around 106.972.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the latest weekly US initial jobless claims data fell more than expected to 213,000, indicating that the US labour market was still robust.

Additionally, the European Central Bank (ECB) is facing calls for lower interest rates.

“This will put the US dollar (on the front foot) as the US Federal Reserve (Fed) is likely to ease its monetary policy at a measured pace. As such, the ringgit is likely to trade range-bound due to lower prospects for swift rate cuts by the Fed,” he told Bernama.

The ringgit traded higher against a basket of major currencies.

It rose against the British pound to 5.6125/6250 from 5.6342/6393 at the close on Thursday and gained against the euro to 4.6692/6796 from 4.6907/6949 yesterday.

However, it declined against the Japanese yen to 2.8929/8998 from 2.8892/8920 previously.

The local unit traded mixed against Asean currencies.

It rose against the Singapore dollar to 3.3118/3197 from 3.3189/3222 and appreciated against the Thai baht to 12.8305/8737 from 12.8748/8923 at Thursday’s close.

It traded almost flat against the Philippine peso at 7.56/7.58 from 7.56/7.57 and the Indonesian rupiah at 279.9/280.7 from 279.9/280.4. - FMT

School hall turned merrymaking flashpoint ordered closed after over a year

 

The signage of the events company at SPI primary (left) was taken down earlier this week. (Keney Martin pic)

SEREMBAN: 

For over a year, residents of Taman Bukit Kaya and Taman Labu felt anxious during weekends from the time they woke up to the time they went to bed.

The source of their frayed state was the noisy neighbour, St Paul’s primary school, where the hall had been questionably converted to host public revelry.

The school’s board of governors (BOG) rented the hall to an events company for RM1,500 monthly without the approval of De La Salle Brothers, the owners of La Salle schools in Malaysia.

They gave the company complete freedom to act as it wished despite the absence of a public entertainment permit from the Seremban City Council (MBS).

Large private events, including weddings, complete with fireworks displays and loud music, replaced co-curricular activities for pupils in the hall.

It sparked neighbourhood chaos.

The once-basic hall, where children also played badminton, had undergone significant modifications.

It was equipped with luxury decorations and a sound system fit for grand celebrations, forcing school activities to be moved to another space.

The hall at St Paul’s primary school was questionably converted into a venue for public entertainment. (Keney Martin pic)

Residents claimed MBS, the police, the menteri besar’s office and the school had failed to act on their complaints since the company began operating in February last year.

Their grievances involved noise pollution, safety, haphazard parking, arguments with inconsiderate motorists, rats and indecent behaviour.

This week, the residents’ nightmare finally ended following increased pressure by the residents on the authorities.

BOG chairman, Dr D Mahadevan and the school principal Margret Easiah confirmed that MBS has ordered all events in the hall stopped with immediate effect.

They would not say if the company had mutually agreed to vacate the premises and end the contract without prejudice.

Mahadevan said he will convene an emergency meeting soon to explain the issue to board members, and plans to restore the hall to its intended use.

The mission council of the La Salle Brothers in Malaysia told residents it did not authorise commercial activities to be conducted on the school premises.

A spokesman for the council noted in a WhatsApp message: “The landowners are the La Salle Brothers who are strictly in education.

“Only they can deal with any matter relating to the property. The BOG does not have the mandate to do so.”

The mission council acts as an advisory body to the Brother Visitor on various matters including education quality and social responsibility.

A BOG member, who claimed to have no knowledge about the lead-up to the rental of the hall, said: “The chairman has much to explain as the reputation of the school has been badly damaged.”

“The activities were not only unauthorised but also a clear violation of regulations governing the use of educational facilities.”

The member said the rental rate was a ridiculous deal. “I want to know the number of events that have been held to date and how much the company charged its clients.”

The company, GJI Cristal Mahale, could not be reached for comment.

Responsibility and transparency

Why the parent-teacher association did not object to the transformation of the hall into a venue for entertainment has baffled residents.

Resident Nor Ariffin Abdullah said parents should have raised concerns about the safety implications of allowing strangers onto school grounds.

Nor Ariffin Abdullah.

“Wasn’t there worry that the use of the hall for public events could compromise the security of the school and its students?” he mused.

Nor Ariffin said many residents felt excluded from the process of public engagement. “It raises ethical questions about the role of the school in the community.”

“The school is supposed to be part of the community, but there has been a complete disregard for the people living here.

“They clearly prioritised revenue over responsibility and transparency.

“While schools often struggle with budget constraints, resorting to questionable measures undermines public trust and endangers the integrity of the institution,” he said.

Schools, he stressed, should focus on education and community-building, not profit-making ventures that disrupt the lives of residents.

Neighbourhood chaos

Residents said they were blindsided by the board’s decision, which turned the once-quiet areas into a hotspot of activities, particularly during the afternoons and evenings on weekends.

“The noise levels were unbearable, and the strangers were intolerable,” said Nor Ariffin, a retired civil servant whose home is adjacent to the school.

He said music and fireworks displays went beyond midnight and residents were unable to leave or return to their own homes as event attendees left their cars in front of driveways.

“Police reports were made about the parking menace that led to disputes between residents and visitors, with some incidents escalating to verbal altercations,” he added.

Nor Ariffin said residents had in a letter to the school principal, dated Nov 11, also highlighted the problem of rats breeding due to failure to properly dispose of leftover food from functions.

The principal was also alerted to cases of event patrons consuming alcohol by the roadside, and urinating in full view of residents.

Nor Ariffin said it was ironic that MBS officers inspected the hall and its surroundings on a weekday on Sept 10 at 11am, and gave an all-clear sign, when the goings-on occurred at night on weekends.

Many feel MBS’s closure order is too little, too late. “They should have addressed this before it became such a big issue,” said Nor Ariffin.

“Action must be taken against those who failed to resolve the issues and we need assurances that this won’t happen again.” - FMT