VOA a biased lens, never ‘an important window’ into China

 

Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

As Voice of America (VOA) ceases operations due to the US administration cutting its public funding, some Western media outlets have immersed themselves in "lamentations," mourning the loss of an "important window into China" and a "significant source of reporting on China." VOA, a propaganda tool that manufactures lies, is somehow hailed by them as the "voice of freedom," prompting the question: Are those lamenting that the "beacon is flickering and faltering" genuinely mourning the loss of "press freedom," or are they lamenting the loss of a tool to smear China?

VOA's "China reporting manual" has long been notorious. Its narratives are never based on facts but are carefully woven stories designed to align with Western political agendas. In their reports, the economic development in Xinjiang is framed as "suppression of human rights," social stability in Xizang is portrayed as "cultural genocide," and China's defense of sovereignty in the South China Sea is depicted as "expansionism"… What VOA produces has never been a source of "reliable information." It selectively edits and distorts the truth to create a narrative that misleads the public. How can such a media outlet be called an "important window into China"? It is, instead, clearly a "funhouse mirror," severely distorted by political manipulation.

Not only is VOA's lie-manufacturing directed at China, but it also serves as a tool for ideological attacks globally. VOA has a history of creating biases, peddling the image of US' "moral high ground," infiltrating ideologies, and exporting political views. However, the changing landscape of information dissemination is making such operations increasingly difficult to sustain. 

For years, the US relied on creating concepts, packaging academic research, and disseminating fake news, using media, research institutions, and think tanks as accomplices to stir up international discourse. But today, with the rise of social media and the diversification of media outlets across various countries, this "media hegemony" built on financial power is gradually losing its effectiveness. VOA and other "mouthpieces" have been marginalized, which is an inevitable consequence of this trend. VOA's fate has provided a lesson: Concocting biases does not bring real influence and lies can never replace facts.

By no means can Western media outlets like VOA be called "important windows into China." VOA has long viewed China through a lens of prejudice and distortion, fabricating news. How could it have ever opened a "window"? It only forces the world to wear "cognitive sunglasses" clouded by ideological fog. 
Truly understanding China requires dismantling these artificial cognitive barriers. 

As the "China Travel" trend grows, more and more foreign bloggers are sharing images of China's high-speed trains, the safety of streets at night, and the overwhelming array of Chinese cuisine… These unfiltered, authentic scenes are the "ultra-high-definition window" through which the world can see the real China.
For Western media outlets like VOA, which thought they could forever dominate public opinion, their logic is that if reality does not fit their interests, they will distort reality. Unfortunately, prejudice can never replace facts, and fictional stories cannot rewrite history. When people can freely access information, lies will eventually fade away.

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Concerned by increasing corruption

 

Press Release: Corruption Perceptions Index 2024

Corruption Perceptions Index 2024

THE Association of Administrative and Diplomatic Officers Alumni is very disappointed with Malaysia’s ranking in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index. Our score is 50 over 100, the same as last year, and only marginally above the global average score of 43 over 100. Of the 180 countries involved in the survey, we are ranked 57, the same as last year.

This is not surprising given the seemingly increasing incidence of corruption among public servants. Hardly a day goes by without reports on corruption appearing in newspapers, confirming the perception some have that corruption is systemic in Malaysia.

In January, The Star reported that “Corrupt enforcement officers have been raking in close to RM200,000 each month from vape smugglers at the KL International Airport Free Commercial Zone (“Big money for dirty Customs men”, Jan 24; online at bit.ly/star_badvape). It is disappointing that while the government is trying to balance its budget and reduce its public debt, which currently stands at over RM1.5 trillion, we have such large leakages in revenue collection. And this is just one case of many.

Government programmes to inculcate good values in the public service over the last few decades seem not to have had the desired results.

While enforcement by the Malaysian Anti-corruption Commission needs to be enhanced, efforts by all ministries and agencies to stop corrupt practices have to be stepped up without any compromise. In fact, incidents of corruption and the quantum involved seem to have been increasing geometrically.

The association feels that the government must adopt a no-nonsense approach to corruption in the public sector. The fear factor is not there to prevent officers and staff from being involved in corruption. Research suggests that enforcement will be more successful if the penalty is heavy and the probability of being caught is high – and this includes the successful prosecution of such cases.

While some have suggested structural reforms, the association would like to suggest that we go back to basics and focus on programmes and policies that are already in place to combat corruption. What seems to be lacking is proper implementation. These include:

> Annual asset declaration: Officers and staff, especially those in services prone to corruption, must make their annual declaration, and their senior officers must go through these declarations to check for veracity and accuracy.

The Bureau of Asset Inspection in the Public Sector in Thailand and the Central Bureau of Investigation in India are entrusted with this responsibility. Use of artificial intelligence and big data analysis will be helpful in this.

> Ensure integrity: Heads of enforcement departments and supervisors at different levels must ensure integrity among officers in the workplace.

One cannot help but wonder how some officers and staff can work with syndicates under the very eyes of their supervisors and senior officers. Either seniors close one eye to the goings-on in the office or they are part of the game themselves. They must be held responsible and accountable and be made to face the music.

Supervising officers must be up and about and moving to see what is going on around them. They must also pay attention to news coming through the grapevine and undertake follow-up actions.

> Act against those who

corrupt, offer bribes: Action must be taken against those doing the corrupting too.

We support the action taken in the case of the Customs Department where, apart from the collection of the unpaid taxes, the warehouses of the importer were raided for further checks. It must be done to ensure that every cent of the unpaid taxes is collected, apart from imposing other legal penalties associated with the giving of bribes.

> Stronger action: More drastic actions should be taken against officers and staff involved in corruption.

While we support the programme to transfer officers at regular intervals, action must also be taken against those suspected of being involved in corruption before they are transferred out. Demotion and no possibility of promotion for a very long time must be imposed.

The penalties imposed on those convicted must be revised upward. Additional penalties, such as the confiscation of all assets of those convicted of corruption, as well as the assets of their relatives if they were obtained through corruption, would surely discourage corruption.

The action taken against corruption must create fear and shame among officers and staff involved in corruption. The fact that some charged with corruption have been able to get off scot-free, for whatever reasons, has not helped in creating the fear and shame factors.

-TAN SRI ABDUL HALIM ALI President Association of Administrative and Diplomatic Officers Alumni (Persatuan Alumni Pegawai Tadbir dan Diplomatik) Read the full letter at Thestar.com.my. 17 Mar 2025

The Dismal Reality of Malaysian Political Corruption

[1] Yet again we are seeing another former prime minister under investigation for corruption. That makes three former prime ministers either in jail, under investigation or charged with corruption; surely another world record. Add to that one deputy prime minister, at least two former chief ministers and several cabinet ministers who at one time or another were investigated or charged and you get a picture of just how rotten the whole system really is. 

[2] But we’ve seen a similar show-and-tell performance by the MACC before; it usually ends in an anticlimax. All the jewellery and gold watches that were seized from Najib and Rosmah with so much fanfare a few years ago, for example, were eventually returned to them. So this latest show may not mean much in the end.

[3] Indeed, when it involves senior politicians or well-connected individuals, the show is always quite dramatic at the beginning but it invariably ends with a whimper (Mahathir’s sons),  a DNAA (Zahid Hamidi, Riza Aziz and many more) or is allowed to die for want of further action (Sabah scandal, LCS). The current MACC chief must surely have the best record in the world for opening investigations into high-level corruption but thus far he has had zero success in obtaining actual convictions. But the politicians are apparently very happy with his performance as his contract has been extended.

[4] The only time when a corrupt senior politician actually went to jail was of course during the brief period after the 2018 elections when political elites were temporarily in disarray and made the fatal mistake of appointing an outsider (Tommy Thomas) as AG. It was a once-in-a-century convergence of the planets, an aberration. It won’t happen again. Now it back to business as usual.

[5] The other thing to note is that all that loot from the Ismail Sabri investigation – RM170 million in cash, RM7 million in gold bars and an assortment of jewellery –  was reportedly siphoned off from just from one single government program.   Imagine, then, how much is being looted from the hundreds of other government programs. It is estimated that between 30-40% of the more than RM150 billion that the government spends on procuring goods, works and services is siphoned off each year. 

[6] And it goes on and on, year after year. Corrupt politicians and their cronies are the hardest working people in Malaysia – they never sleep, never tire of inventing ways to siphon off public funds and never lack programs to pillage. 

[7] The present administration is proving to be a huge disappointment when it comes to fighting corruption. The Madani anti-corruption agenda is just an elaborate PR exercise, fakery on a grand scale. Their SOP is DNAA, NFA or pardons for friends and allies; MACC for everyone else. Nothing quite brings home the absolute absurdity of the government’s position than the sight of  the prime minister vociferously railing against corruption while standing beside his deputy who, if not for the DNAA he was generously given, might well be in in prison right now for corruption. 

[8] Recently, a RM16.6 billion MINDEF helicopter deal was given to a friend of the prime minister. They say it’s a good deal (and maybe it is) but the  lack of transparency,  the apparent conflict of interest and the fact that all 28 helicopters could have been purchased outright for about a third of the price  (according to some reports) is reminiscent of the scandalous way UMNO did defence procurement. And this from a prime minister who insist he wants to change the system.

[9] Despite all the big talk, there’s really zero interest in fighting corruption where it matters most – among senior politicians. It’s not hard to eradicate corruption; the problem is that there’s simply no political will to do so. If people are making tons of money why would they want to change anything? 

[10] We have to face the ugly truth: corruption is too deeply woven into the fabric of Malaysian politics to be rooted out. The entire machinery of government is thoroughly corrupt and beyond cleansing. There are very few good men left. Syndicates,  cartels and corrupt politicians have a finger in everything from rice distribution to foreign workers. Anyone who dares to expose corruption – like that whistleblower in Sabah or that intrepid reporter from Malaysiakini – will quickly find themselves harassed, investigated and even charged. There’s no hope left; the war on corruption is over and we have lost!

by Dennis Ignatius in corruption, Malaysia, Politics| 18 March 2025]

Malaysians against the disrespectful behavior of Akmal Saleh and a Memorandum for National Harmony

“Self-proclaimed Malay, Muslim champion Akmal Saleh is ...

Please support the memorandum against disrespectful ...

Malaysians against the disrespectful behavior of Akmal ...

ACADEMICIAN and political commentator Prof Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is seen to be spearheading a campaign to clamp down the rightist influence of UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh.

This follows the issuance of a six-sided joint statement entitled “Malaysians Against the Disrespectful Behaviour of Akmal Saleh and a Memorandum for National Harmony” led by him.“Self-proclaimed Malay, Muslim champion Akmal Saleh is ...

“Self-proclaimed Malay, Muslim champion Akmal Saleh is ...

*As a *As a patriotic Malaysians & for Nation building, calling all rakyat to viral this declaration message! Help do our little bit for our beloved Malaysia*

*Malaysians against the disrespectful behavior of Akmal Saleh and a Memorandum for National Harmony*

*Joint Statement*

1.Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

2.Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail

3.Mohamed bin Halim 

4.Choy Meng Hooi

5.Poh Teik Heng

6.Dr Mohd. Razif b Mohd. Ali

We have seen just barely two months have passed of the new year 2025 that Malaysia is slipping further and further into disharmony. After almost 70 years of Merdeka we may have failed to honor the founding fathers of this country the likes of  Tun Dato’ Sir Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun V.T. Sambanthan and Tun Sir Tan Cheng Lock. The recent JAKIM furore over needless guidelines for Muslims visiting and interacting with non-Muslims marks a social fissure that may cause a total collapse of nation building by dividing communities in our country  forever.

In the light of these serious social and religious crisis, one person stands out as the epitome and example of nation disharmony; the politician from UMNO Akmal Saleh. As a people’s representative in Melaka, a State with a long history of integration and racial harmony, as an Exco of the state and as head of the UMNO Youth, Akmal has sown discord after discord in his relentless attacks on non-Malay personalities on issues of race and religion, in spite of swearing an oath to uphold the Constitution. We Malaysians respect Akmal Saleh for being a self proclaimed ‘champion’ of the Malays and of the Muslims but we totally disagree with his socially and spiritually destructive methods and statements. He had taunted a veteran Chinese politician as Nyonya Tua. He had called on Malays to boycott a Chinese businessman ‘sampai bankrap’. He had called a Chinese Minister of the Unity Government as ‘stupid’. He had recently called out a young Chinese MP to ‘better die’. His manner of speaking can easily be interpreted as menacing, threatening and certainly insulting.

He should follow the example of Melaka statesmen like the late Tun Abdul Ghafar.

If we have a young politician leaders like this who influences many online members of his same race as well as members of his own political party and other Malay based political parties, how are we going to rebuild this nation through the idea of ‘kesopanan dan kesusilaan’? The core foundational values of social, political and religious harmony are respect and according dignity to all faiths, race and cultures. Inherent in the concept of respect and dignity are speaking and debating with decorum, knowledge and courtesy. 

We Malaysians ask that Akmal Salleh apologises to all Malaysians unreservedly for his past and present behavior and a promise of upholding the Rukunegara. We Malaysians, in turn, promises to forgive and begin our relationship with him in a clean slate.

We also ask UMNO to ensure that it advises and reprimand all of its members that act like Akmal Saleh in the future, and remind them of the Rukun Negara and the Federal Constitution and the laws enacted after the May 13 tragedy to ensure harmony and peace, formulated by an Umno-led admimistration.

Finally, we Malaysians would like to think and hope that Akmal Saleh can be a good and responsible leader to educate our future generation about the importance and sanctity of social and religious harmony. We Malaysians would also like to think that UMNO can be trusted with a new mandate of governance by abiding to the core values of respecting all faiths and race. We Malaysians will not tolerate and will campaign against any and all parties that would destroy the delicate and sacred harmony between our communities. The task of rebuilding this nation through respect and harmony lies not with any government ministry but unto each and every responsible citizens of Malaysia.

*Signatories*

1.Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

2.Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail

3.Mohamed bin Halim 

4.Choy Meng Hooi

5.Poh Teik Heng

6.Dr Mohd. Razif b Mohd. Ali.                    Malaysians & for Nation building, calling all rakyat to viral this declaration message! Help do our little bit for our beloved Malaysia*

*Malaysians against the disrespectful behavior of Akmal Saleh and a Memorandum for National Harmony*

*Joint Statement*

1.Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

2.Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail

3.Mohamed bin Halim 

4.Choy Meng Hooi

5.Poh Teik Heng

6.Dr Mohd. Razif b Mohd. Ali

We have seen just barely two months have passed of the new year 2025 that Malaysia is slipping further and further into disharmony. After almost 70 years of Merdeka we may have failed to honor the founding fathers of this country the likes of  Tun Dato’ Sir Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun V.T. Sambanthan and Tun Sir Tan Cheng Lock. The recent JAKIM furore over needless guidelines for Muslims visiting and interacting with non-Muslims marks a social fissure that may cause a total collapse of nation building by dividing communities in our country  forever.

In the light of these serious social and religious crisis, one person stands out as the epitome and example of nation disharmony; the politician from UMNO Akmal Saleh. As a people’s representative in Melaka, a State with a long history of integration and racial harmony, as an Exco of the state and as head of the UMNO Youth, Akmal has sown discord after discord in his relentless attacks on non-Malay personalities on issues of race and religion, in spite of swearing an oath to uphold the Constitution. We Malaysians respect Akmal Saleh for being a self proclaimed ‘champion’ of the Malays and of the Muslims but we totally disagree with his socially and spiritually destructive methods and statements. He had taunted a veteran Chinese politician as Nyonya Tua. He had called on Malays to boycott a Chinese businessman ‘sampai bankrap’. He had called a Chinese Minister of the Unity Government as ‘stupid’. He had recently called out a young Chinese MP to ‘better die’. His manner of speaking can easily be interpreted as menacing, threatening and certainly insulting.

He should follow the example of Melaka statesmen like the late Tun Abdul Ghafar.

If we have a young politician leaders like this who influences many online members of his same race as well as members of his own political party and other Malay based political parties, how are we going to rebuild this nation through the idea of ‘kesopanan dan kesusilaan’? The core foundational values of social, political and religious harmony are respect and according dignity to all faiths, race and cultures. Inherent in the concept of respect and dignity are speaking and debating with decorum, knowledge and courtesy. 

We Malaysians ask that Akmal Salleh apologises to all Malaysians unreservedly for his past and present behavior and a promise of upholding the Rukunegara. We Malaysians, in turn, promises to forgive and begin our relationship with him in a clean slate.

We also ask UMNO to ensure that it advises and reprimand all of its members that act like Akmal Saleh in the future, and remind them of the Rukun Negara and the Federal Constitution and the laws enacted after the May 13 tragedy to ensure harmony and peace, formulated by an Umno-led admimistration.

Finally, we Malaysians would like to think and hope that Akmal Saleh can be a good and responsible leader to educate our future generation about the importance and sanctity of social and religious harmony. We Malaysians would also like to think that UMNO can be trusted with a new mandate of governance by abiding to the core values of respecting all faiths and race. We Malaysians will not tolerate and will campaign against any and all parties that would destroy the delicate and sacred harmony between our communities. The task of rebuilding this nation through respect and harmony lies not with any government ministry but unto each and every responsible citizens of Malaysia.

*Signatories*

1.Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi

2.Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail

3.Mohamed bin Halim 

4.Choy Meng Hooi

5.Poh Teik Heng

6.Dr Mohd. Razif b Mohd. Ali.     

USA, a nation of ‘wrong’ people

 

Even more than in his first term, Trump has mounted a fundamental challenge to the norms and expectations of what a president can and should do. — ©2025 The New York Times Company

IN its early days, the second Trump administration is delivering a clear message: the United States is full of the wrong kind of people.

Federal civil servants, for example, have been deemed the wrong kind of people.

Their political and ideological allegian­ces are questionable, their ideas destructive and their low-productivity jobs not worth their salaries.

Too many are lawbreakers or just “evil”.

Whether they toil at the US Agency for International Development or the Treasury, the CIA or the Food and Drug Administration, in Washington or throughout the country, they should look upon that fork in the road and opt to resign. In some cases, they should be purged.

Children born in the United States to parents in the country illegally – or to parents who are here legally but only temporarily, such as people on work or student visas – are also the wrong people.

They are not true Americans and should not be granted the “gift” of citizenship.

Refugees and asylum-seekers are the wrong kind of people and should be prevented from entering the country.

Transgender Americans lack the “humility and selflessness” needed in the US armed forces, according to a Trump executive order, and can no longer serve.

Former officials such as Mark Milley, who served as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the first Trump administration, are disloyal and undeserving of government protection or even of a Pentagon portrait.

And anyone fitting a “diversity” category of any kind is automatically suspect, a convenient scapegoat whenever something – wildfires, plane crashes – goes wrong.

It’s a familiar political impulse, with antecedents that predate President Donald Trump’s terms in office.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, mused about the virtues of “real America” – those patriotic small towns that make up the “pro-America areas of this great nation.” (She later offered one of those I’m-sorry-if-it-came-out-wrong apologies.)

But now we’ve gone from praising real America to parsing real Americans. And the audit is being conducted by a vengeful and decidedly unapologetic executive.

If, according to the Trump administration, so many people in the United States are the wrong kind of people, who makes up the right kind? Who belongs in the country – in the military, the government?

The administration invokes meritocracy as one way to answer those questions.

As Trump put it in an executive order on his second day in office, “individual merit, aptitude, hard work and determination” should be the overriding factors when hiring workers, not just in government but throughout “key sectors of American society”.

This directive might be more persuasive if Trump had followed it when selecting key members of his administration.

Did Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney-general, possess the individual merit needed to lead the Justice Department? Does Tulsi Gabbard have the aptitude required to become director of national intelligence, or Robert F. Kennedy Jr to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services? Is Pete Hegseth the hardest-working option to run the Defence Department?

The answer is evident. Their merit is not found in professional experience or outstanding qualifications, but in their fealty to the president. (When new appointees are hailed as disrupters, remember that in the Trump era “disruptive” is a euphemism for “obedient.”)

The racial imperative behind determining the right and wrong people – recall, for example, Trump’s disdain for outsiders who supposedly poison the national bloodstream – fuses with arguments over merit.

Darren Beattie, a former Trump speechwriter who has been named acting undersecretary of public diplomacy at the State Department, wrote late last year that “competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work”.

It would be one thing simply to roll back the excesses of diversity, equity and inclusion programmes throughout the federal government, but this worldview takes that process to its illogical extreme: if the quest for a diverse workforce is prohibited, its opposite must be the best, the only, workforce possible.

During his campaign for the US Senate in 2021, JD Vance told a conservative podcast host that, should Trump regain the presidency, he needed to “fire every single mid-level bureaucrat” and proceed to “replace them with our people”.

His use of “our people” is striking, mainly because one wonders who the future vice-president had in his mind. Who counts as “our people” to this administration? Which marker of belonging makes someone theirs?

Trump has often referred to people in the first-person possessive.

At times, he alludes to a category of people, as in “my judges” or “my generals”, but he has also claimed title to specific individuals, as in “my two Steves” (referring to Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller) and, in the case of one unfortunate former House speaker, “my Kevin”.

Trump has also longed to see “my people” sit up at attention for him the way North Koreans do for Kim Jong-un.

With this last line, with “my people”, Trump may have been referring to his aides and underlings, or perhaps to his party, or maybe to the “Make America Great Again” movement, or to voters, or even Americans overall.

That ambiguity captures the risks and the power inherent in a notion like “we the people”.

When it does not include everyone, when it is malleable and shifting, you never know who counts, for how long, and who makes the calculation.

Does Trump determine who is the right kind of person for America today? Does the Office of Management and Budget pick? Does Elon Musk decide who is part of the future and who gets tossed into the wood chipper?

Belonging has long been elusive in America, a “we” contested by wealth, race, sex and ancestry.

In his second inaugural address, Trump warned that “our government confronts a crisis of trust”, but he also declared that, with his election victory, “national unity is now returning to America”.

One could dismiss this vision of renewed civic harmony as an obligatory line, or just more Trumpian self-regard rather than a faithful reflection of reality.

But that misses the administration’s underlying project.

National unity is indeed returning – if, that is, your conception of the nation is limited to those on your side, if only some of the people are really “the people”.

This president prefers to lead a nation in which belonging is constantly up for grabs, in which certain people are the wrong kind and others are the right kind, in which some are real Americans and others will never be.

The result is not just a crisis of trust in our government, but in each other. — ©2025 The New York Times Company

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America First or America Alone?

Leading through change

 

LIKE many Malaysians, I often have to remind my colleagues, neighbours and friends that chat groups are not the best place to discuss politics, especially topics on race relations and religion.

Some of us often forget that participants in chat groups may not necessarily share the same sentiments and enthusiasm. Chat groups are created for specific agendas and purposes, but we do go off-track sometimes.

The workplace is no different. Divergent opinions can lead to creativity and better ways of doing things once a consensus is reached. However, it can also result in strong disagreements and even conflict, potentially breaking a team.

As managers, we are familiar with such situations. Managers must always think about how best to manage divergent opinions in professional settings.

As we come to the end of 2024 and brace for an uncertain 2025, in times of political upheaval, such as the new US president and increased geopolitical tensions affecting every region in the world, it is also a good time to focus on managing our backyard.

With 2025 on the horizon, it is a good time to focus on managing our backyard

The bigger challenge requiring managers’ attention in 2025 is the march of AI

AI will impact every department and section, with no exceptions

Being respectful and professional is always key, according to the Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) tips for managers – be brave enough to shut down conversations if they make some colleagues feel uncomfortable.

It is important to remind teams that the workplace is not always the best place for heated political discussions, especially if they prove unproductive and inconsequential to work.

The bigger challenge requiring managers’ attention in 2025 is the march of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. Forget about scheming and untrustworthy politicians.

AI is the number one priority – the better it is managed, the more likely organisations are to adopt it successfully and avoid potential pitfalls. The good news is that the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) believes that a significant portion of companies in Malaysia are proactive in this regard.

MEF president Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman cites the Cisco AI Readiness Index survey conducted in November last year, which revealed that 46% of Malaysian organisations are prepared to adopt AI technology in line with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0). The study indicated that 13% of these entities are fully ready, with an additional 33% classified as partially ready.

For AI to take off, the positive impact of management and leadership on organisational performance is well-documented, including by Haskel et al (2007) in the United Kingdom and Bloom et al (2010), which found better management led to productivity increases of 13% to 17%.

Data from the UK’S Office of National Statistics shows that companies with high management practices are significantly more likely to drive tech and AI adoption. The research found that companies with top-tier management scores are significantly more likely to adopt AI (37% in the top decile compared to just 3% in the bottom) and to recognise its relevance.

While only 32% of top-performing companies see AI as inapplicable, this figure rises sharply to 74% among those with lower management scores.

However, CMI research reveals that anxiety around AI technologies remains widespread, with over two in five (44%) UK managers reporting concerns raised by colleagues and direct reports about new and emerging AI tools within their organisations.

Alarmingly, fewer than one in 10 managers (9%) believe their organisation is adequately equipped to work with AI, with most receiving little to no training on how to manage or integrate these technologies effectively.

Researchers have found that managers will increasingly play a critical role in interpreting Ai-generated insights, ensuring these align with organisational goals, and making judgment calls that require human intuition and ethical consideration.

AI will impact every department and section, with no exceptions. For the human resources manager, they will need to determine whether AI is writing recruits’ curriculum-vitae and cover letters.

If so, should this be a cause for concern? Are graduates making themselves more attractive to employers by demonstrating a willingness to use AI? Or does this come across as lazy or lacking in creativity?

What does it tell potential employers? Is it deceitful or clever? And should employers be using Ai-detection software?

For news editors in TV studios and newsrooms, shouldn’t they be leading the charge to use AI to eliminate tedious work, allowing staff to focus on creativity and more purposeful tasks?

As we end the year, some companies are still struggling with hybrid working.

It is safe to say that most Malaysian employers have insisted their staff return to the office physically.

This will also be the last year when public listed companies are allowed to conduct annual general meetings for shareholders solely online.

Beginning next year, public listed companies must have physical annual general meetings, with online participation as an additional option.

As we approach the fifth anniversary of the pandemic, the challenge for 2025 will be for managers to ensure they get it right.

For Malaysian managers still holding on to the hybrid workplace, they would know by now if it is still effective. - WONG CHUN WAI Award-winning veteran journalist and Bernama chairman

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