Monday, February 06, 2006

Management Problem

It was reported in one of our local newspapers that 11 men were arrested during their mahjong session on the second day of the Chinese New Year. They were taken to the police lock-up and had their heads shaved! Incidentally most of these men were senior citizens. Their ages ranged between 31- 69. The 31 yr old was the owner of the coffeshop where the mahjong session was held. The police claimed it was standard procedure to shave the detainees in the lock-up. The Prime Minister has ordered the police to investigate the Kajang police to see if they had really followed police procedures as they claimed.

Meanwhile the 11 'bald men' are suing the police over the alleged mistreatment. My question is was it necessary for the police to shave their heads? Do they look like dangerous criminals? Do they pose a threat to the community? Any Malaysian police worth his salt knows that many Chinese play mahjong. Especially during the Chinese New Year. What is the big deal about these 11 old men? The Kajang OCPD must answer for his actions. He doesn't seem mature enough to hold the post.

I believe this is the main problem in our country. Many people are promoted to high posts even though they do not merit it. They haven't gone through the mill which would have moulded them for the tough job and the difficult decisions that need to be made during the course of their work. They get the post through some short cut or some unwritten rule of having only certain people at the top regardless of their calibre. When such things happen we get silly incidences which are blown up in the news.

The latest news is there will be a major shake-up in the top brass of our police force. Of the 14 names given in the paper only 1 is Chinese and the rest are Malays. Not one Indian at the top !
And the government wonders why the non-Malays don't join the police force! The answer is very simple .. nobody wants to be a coolie all their working life. Maybe it is time the government took a closer look at their policy for promotions and the opportunities available to the non-Malays in all sectors. This could make a difference in the way we manage this country. Just take a look at MAS. If the trend is allowed to go on we will be losing many more millions. Do we really need a mat salleh to tell us how to run our business? We can do it on our own. We only need to appoint the right Malaysians who are qualified regardles of their race.

Wake up and trust other races to be managers. We may make it to 2020 a stronger nation financially, fully committed to our multi-racial, multi-religious, tolerent and peaceful society. Anybody agree with me?

2 comments:

David BC Tan said...

but is it really a 'management problem'?

Siva said...

I think it is a management problem. When you have a good manager he/she will be able to run the organisation to get the best possible result. Even the bible mentions about being a good steward. From the top the work ethic will filter down to the bottom. If the top is rotten don't expect much from the front line.