Former Malaysian leaders were clear on Secularity of the Constitution but their successors today seem unclear!

Former leaders were clear about the secularity of the Constitution. Today, however, not all their successors in the political and judicial worlds seem to agree.

CONTROVERSY over our country’s position as a secular or Islamic state has flared again, motivated by politics, of course.

Headlined in this newspaper in 1983 were statements by Tunku Abdul Rahman (former Secretary-General of the OIC) and former Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn that Malaysia was and should continue to be a secular state.

Former Lords, President Tun Suffian Hashim and Tun Salleh Abas, were also clear about the secularity of the Constitution.

Today, however, not all their successors in the political and judicial worlds seem to agree.

The recent provocations have triggered recent forums on Muslim history and political philosophy, asking the fundamental question of whether Islamic text and tradition mandate a particular form of government, or merely describe the qualities and virtues that a Muslim society should have.

Even amongst proponents of the latter, there are arguments as to what extent the state should use its power to coerce citizens to mandate or promote Islamic values.

Indeed, Muslim political philosophy is just as lively as Western political philosophy, with lineages of thinkers promoting order and obedience on one side and individual liberty and responsibility on the other.

The historical record, too, shows huge diversity in Muslim governance structures, and still today there are Muslims who justify communism, dictatorship, republican democracy and constitutional monarchy – though in country comparative indices, Muslim monarchies usually fare better than republics, a distinction the Arab Spring seems to reinforce.

Some have pointed out that in drafting our Federal Constitution, our monarchs initially opposed including a declaration that Islam should be the religion of the federation.

Alas, the reason for this has not been properly explained. It has been claimed that it shows that the Malay Rulers were themselves “secular” (which some then incorrectly define as “hostile to religion”).

No, they merely accepted the co-existence of secular institutions alongside religious ones – nothing new, as the Ottomans amply showed.

More crucially, the Rulers and their predecessors had, in law and reality, been Heads of Islam in their own states for centuries.

The Federal Constitution would not, it was thought, affect that, and thus Justice Abdul Hamid’s recommendation to insert Islam as the religion of the federation for ceremonial purposes prevailed.

This idea that religion was a state matter was re-emphasised when Malaysia was created: the first of the 18 and 20 points that Sarawak and Sabah agreed as a condition of merger was that they would have no state religion.

Alas, the Rulers and founding fathers could not foresee how politics would alter the nature of religion in our country, nor predict how check and balance institutions would be weakened in favour of centralising ever more powers in the federal executive.

The administration of Islam was no exception, becoming concentrated in institutions at the federal level controlled by politicians and bureaucrats.

This is the main reason why Islam in Malaysia has become so prone to politicisation.

You can still experience the beauty of non-political Malaysian Islam: the meticulously maintained mosques and cemeteries, the tastes and smells of Raya, the blessings invoked at wedding kenduri, and the harmonies of accompanying nasyid.

The heirs of Al-Idrus, Al-Attas, Al-Habshi, Al-Qadri, Alsagoff and others continue to produce champions of Islamic leadership, philosophy, philanthropy and entrepreneurship.

Despite the noises of those who want to ban concerts on one side and those who support theatre on the other (I recommend Nadirah at KLPac), there is also space for the Maulids of the legendary Haqqani Maulid Ensemble and less famous ones like last week’s session at Istana Hinggap Seremban organised by Persatuan Asyraaf Negri Sembilan.

For centuries, Muslims here have known that Islam can flourish without politics.

The Rulers for their part have continued pushing for progress in this vein: in Perak one of the most exciting recent appointments to the royal court was of Oxford Fel­low in Islamic Studies Datuk Dr Muhammad Afifi Al-Akiti; in Negri Sembilan the palace has hosted efforts leading towards Egypt’s Al-Azhar University establishing a local faculty; and in Perlis the Raja recently hosted Prof Tariq Ramadan’s dialogue with 2,000 religious officials, and last week the Raja Muda graced an unprecedented interfaith forum in the state.

This is the kind of Muslim leadership the country is crying out for, rather than the ostentatious politicisation of religion which has only caused consternation and division.

In the meantime, there is not going to be a political resolution on the Islamic state issue at the federal level anytime soon, and thus it seems sensible to instead re-affirm the intentions of the Rulers and the founding fathers.

Only in this way can we rejoin the dynamic, intellectual, spiritual and moderate narrative of Islam that we were long a part of.

ROAMING BEYOND THE FENCE  By TUNKU 'ABIDIN MUHRIZ
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

 > Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz is President of IDEAS

Related posts:

Malaysia is a Secular state or an Islamic country? Oct 31, 2012
Malaysia a transit point for terrorists or a terrorist recruitment centre? Oct 31, 2012

World's Simplest Management Secret

Forget what you learned in those management books. There's really only one way to ensure that everyone on your team excels.

Management books have it all wrong. They all try to tell you how to manage "people."

It's impossible to manage "people"; it's only possible to manage individuals. And because individuals differ from one another, what works with one individual may not work with somebody else.

Some individuals thrive on public praise; others feel uncomfortable when singled out.

Some individuals are all about the money; others thrive on challenging assignments.

Some individuals need mentoring; others find advice to be grating.

The trick is to manage individuals the way that THEY want to be managed, rather than the way that YOU'd prefer to be managed.

The only way to do this is to ASK.

In your first (or next) meeting with each direct report ask:

• How do you prefer to be managed?
• What can I do to help you excel?
• What types of management annoy you?

Listen (really listen) to the response and then, as far as you are able, adapt your coaching, motivation, compensation, and so forth to match that individual's needs.

BTW, a savvy employee won't wait for you to ask; he or she will tell you outright what works. When this happens, you're crazy not to take that employee's advice!

Unfortunately, most individuals aren't that bold, which is why it's up to you to find out how to get the best out of them.

And you'll never get that out of a management book.

There is no one-size-fits-all in a world where everyone is unique.

Read more:

How to Avoid Social Networking Pitfalls

6 Infallible Ways to Earn Respect

8 Easy Tweaks to Win More Customers

Geoffrey James writes the Sales Source column on Inc.com, the world's most visited sales-oriented blog. His newly published book is Business to Business Selling: Power Words and Strategies From the World's Top Sales Experts. @Sales_Source

Is property building management a professional?

Have separate board 

WE refer to the letter “Leave it to professionals”, (see article below) on the issue of strata management.

Building management is not a profession: it is a multi-disciplinary management function encompassing a wide range of skills such as engineering, architecture, accounting, law, vocational skills, etc.

It cannot and should not be the exclusive domain of any particular profession like registered valuers.

No country has laws that specify that only registered valuers admitted as property managers pursuant to Section 21(1)(a) of the Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Act, 1981 (VAEA Act) can undertake property management.

To put things in perspective, the Building Management Association of Malaysia (BMAM) is not objecting to registered valuers managing stratified properties.

What we are strongly opposed to is the creation of a monopoly favouring registered valuers if the Bill is signed into law in its present form.

The Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents is offering to open a sub-register for non-valuer managing agents to be admitted as property managers.

We are not accepting the board’s proposal as it would only further entrench its monopoly over property management, given that the admission, suspension and even eventual deregistration of non-valuer property managers will be at the sole discretion of the board.

We are calling for the establishment of a separate multi-disciplinary Board of Building Managers under the jurisdiction of the Housing and Local Government Ministry with regulatory support from the Commissioner of Buildings (COB).

There are more than 4,000 stratified projects (80% of them residential) in Malaysia at the moment, and about five million Malaysians belonging to the low and middle income groups live in them.

Since the common properties and facilities in the flat and apartment premises cannot be sold or subdivided and are meant for the exclusive use of the residents, all that the owners need is a building manager to maintain the common areas and facilities, and not a property manager whose portfolio includes leasing, collection of rent, promotion of sales, etc.

A building manager appointed by the joint management body (JMB) or management corporation (MC) upon mutually agreed terms and conditions of scope of work and remuneration would be significantly cheaper than a property manager whose fees are subject to a schedule under the VAEA Act.

The building manager is only expected to carry out his duties and responsibilities according to the terms and conditions of his appointment as well as the instructions of the JMB or MC Management Committee.

All fiduciary responsibilities, particularly the management of the Building Fund Account, are undertaken by the JMB or MC pursuant to the Building and Common Property (Maintenance and Management) Act, 2007 and the Strata Titles Act, 1985.

These records are submitted to the COB every year after the annual general meeting.

PROF S. VENKATESWARAN
Secretary General
Building Management Association of Malaysia

Leave it to professionals

THE public deserves an unbiased understanding beyond the shadow play leading up to the third reading of the Strata Management Bill 2012 in parliament.

The proposed Act stipulates that a managing agent for stratified property must first be free from any potential conflict of interest (i.e. independent) and secondly, a registered property manager.

The Act replaces the Building and Common Property Act, which did not emphasise that such functions are to be performed by a registered property manager.

The key problem is that property management at present is also practised by an unregulated group and such parties are not accountable to a regulatory body unlike registered persons i.e. property professionals or chartered surveyors.

The new Act aims to rectify this disparity by uniformly regulating all property managers of stratified properties.

Under the Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Act (VAEA), a Registered Property Manager must possess:

1) An academic qualification from an approved institution of higher learning or recognised professional examinations; and

2) Pass the Test of Professional Competence set by the regulating body.

These robust standards and established processes are aimed towards registering professionals of sound qualifications and adequate competency levels.

A registered property manager is continuously subjected to a code of conduct, professional standards and various stipulations under VAEA to ensure they discharge their duties in a manner that serves the public adequately and to the highest possible industry standards.

The registration of property managers and firms is undertaken by the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents Malaysia (board).

The board, a governmental regulatory body under the purview of the Finance Ministry, was set up in 1981 to regulate Estate Agents, Valuers, Appraisers and Property Managers in Malaysia.

It is legislatively empowered to deal with complaints from the public and take disciplinary action against any errant registered persons or firms, including stripping them of their licence and barring them from further practice, amongst other possible disciplinary measures.

Given the established competency requirements and standards imposed on registered property managers, I cannot see beyond reasonable logic for such professionals to utterly fail in their professional duties to a joint management corporation, management corporation or individual owner.

The board, in the spirit of laissez-faire, has opened the registration of property managers to include these non-regulated practitioners.

Property management was always the domain of property professionals but only in recent history, primarily property developers and others have set up property management businesses to rival property professionals for the property management trade but in an unregulated fashion, taking advantage of the limitations of statutes. This is where the battle lies and the public should take notice.

If a non-regulated practitioner wishes to practise as a property manager in efforts to legally comply with the greater standards as demanded by the new Act, I cannot see why they should shy away and not readily subject themselves through the established process and competency test in order to become a registered property manager.

The process is not designed to penalise individuals but to assess if a candidate has the required level of competency, in order to be accountable to the public as a practising professional.

The merit of regulating the property management profession far outweighs any self-serving agenda, and the public must insist for high standards in lieu of the nation’s Vision 2020 agenda.

To the lawmakers and members of Parliament, my plea is to make the right decisions in cognisance of standards, accountability and professionalism.

The last thing we want is a mushrooming of “urban slums” in our beautiful country.

A. PADMAN  Kuala Lumpur - The Star, Nov 5 2012

Related posts:
Managing strata properties in Malaysia
Poor services from JMBs, Unlicensed Property Managers and Lucrative Trade!

America's problem: Money politics seldom supports reforms

“Money politics” has become even more prominent in the U.S. presidential race this year.

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court removed the limits on corporate donations to political campaigns and ruled that corporate donations are a protected form of free speech. As a result, this year’s congressional and presidential elections have become the most expensive in U.S. history, with billions of U.S. dollars spent already.

While rich people are throwing loads of money into the presidential election, ordinary Americans are worried about their own financial conditions.

Over the past 20 years, the income of middle-class Americans has been on the decline, and the income gap is becoming increasingly wide.

A poll has found that most Americans believe that too much money has been spent on the elections, and political contributions will only enhance rich people’s influence over the policy-making. No matter who is elected the U.S. president, he is bound to pay more attention to the needs of the rich than those of the poor.

Rich people are enjoying greater influence in politics, while the rights of ordinary voters are being damaged, which runs counter to the U.S. constitutional principle of “political equality.”

The economy is the decisive factor in this year’s presidential election, but the two candidates have mainly attacked each other, and failed to introduce specific plans for solving the country’s economic problems when it comes to debates on economic issues.

The weak U.S. economy is a result of both the global financial crisis that broke out a few years ago and the country’s own political problems. All Americans see on television is the ugly partisan strife and politicians’ lack of courage to carry out reforms.

The U.S. president needs great public support to lead the country out of crisis, and should figure out whether he rules simply for the sake of ruling or acts only after carefully considering the people’s immediate and long-term interests. Americans should remember that money politics seldom support reforms.

Read the Chinese version: “金钱政治”砸不出变革动力; 
Source: People's Daily; Author: Zhong Sheng

Newscribe : get free news in real time  

Property market here skyrocketing demand; calls to make Malaysia a real estate investment hub

Homes prices in Malaysia are expected to be stable, thanks to solid domestic demand and ample purchasing power, said Datuk FD Iskandar (pictured), Deputy President of the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association of Malaysia (REHDA).

“With the implementation of the Economic Transformation Programme and the Greater Kuala Lumpur, the real estate sector is set to experience skyrocketing demand in the coming years,” he told The Borneo Post.

Compared to other property segments, landed houses saw the highest demand this year and the same is expected for 2013 and 2014. One of the factors that contributed to the domestic demand was the country’s growth rate of between 2.2 and 2.3 percent, as well as the rapid urbanisation of Malaysia.

“In the 70s, the degree of urbanisation in Malaysia was only about 30 percent and it increased to 40 percent in the 80s. Now, the degree of urbanisation in the country is between 55 percent and 56 percent,” he said, adding that 200,000 houses were sold in 2011, of which 50 percent were new properties, with the rest being resale properties.

At the same time, people need not worry that a property bubble is looming. Of all the properties sold in 2011, only 1.8 percent was bought by foreigners, unlike in Singapore, where over 39 percent of properties were sold to expatriates, he said.

In addition, property prices in Malaysia are still one of the lowest in the ASEAN region.

“The best that we have is the KLCC area, with an average selling price of US$500 psf (RM1,525 psf). In Singapore, you will be paying US$2,000 (RM6,103) for the same area, while in Jakarta, you will get it in between US$700 and US$800 (RM2,136 to RM2,441),” he added.

By Cheryl Tay 
 

Calls to make Malaysia a real estate investment hub

 
By Andrew Batt:

The Malaysian government should amplify efforts to promote Malaysia as an international property investment hub, according to property developers in a report by The Business Times.

At present, 2 percent of the total property sales in Malaysia come from foreigners, compared with Singapore’s 30 percent. Taking into account that about 120,000 new units enter the market each year, this translates to 2,400 properties.

The government has also introduced measures to cut red tape and enhance the delivery of public service at all government agencies both at federal and state levels.

Moreover, Malaysia is eyeing to attract thousands of expatriates to Iskandar. Three times the size of Singapore, this region will feature an education hub, leisure facilities, a financial district, as well as residential and commercial areas.

European expatriates based in Singapore are planning to relocate to Malaysia due to its cheaper property and low cost of living. Many have already purchased homes in the southern part of the country.

According to Jason Thoe, Head of Marketing at PropertyGuru.com.my, investors are flooding in to Malaysia from Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong snapping up residential properties in Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

Ho Hon Sang, Managing Director (property development division) at Sunway Bhd, added that Chinese, Japanese and South Koreans are coming back to Malaysia to invest in properties.

“The country’s leadership and branding is important to attract foreigners here. The government is (also) addressing the issue of affordability so that all Malaysians could own a property,” added Ho. 

South-East Asia in the frontline of US containing China rise?

The US presidential contest will make very little difference to us. American policy in the Asia-Pacific has already been reconfigured. The die has been cast.

DON’T wait up. As the world’s second-largest (and most expensive) democracy elects a president, South-East Asians might as well switch off. The US presidential contest will make very little difference for us.

Obama or Romney? Republican or Democrat? Who cares? American policy in the Asia-Pacific has already been reconfigured. The die has been cast.

After a decade-long obsession with Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has finally switched its focus further east.

In essence, Washington has acknowledged Asia’s centrality both economically and now, politically.

The move has been dubbed the “pivot” as a steady shift towards Asia (and especially the “containment” of China) becomes more deeply-institutionalised in Beltway thinking.

Another less well-known development is accelerating this shift.

Basically, the United States after decades of being a net importer of energy is emerging as a new exporter.

This trend – driven by the shale gas revolution (powered by the “fracking” technique by which gas is extracted from rock) – will reshape the way Americans view the world.

Certainly, petro-powers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will see their influence dipping in Washington DC.

According to the US Energy Information Administration, the world’s second-largest energy consumer after China has huge shale gas reserves (some 860 trillion cubic feet).

Indeed, The Economist in July 2012 estimated that shale gas currently contributes one third of America’s gas supplies and by 2035 this could rise to 50%.

Moreover, these new developments could create three million jobs in the United States by 2020.

There’s also the possibility – controversial and hotly-debated– that America might start exporting its LNG surplus, generating, according to Michael A. Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations in an August 2012 New York Times article, an additional US$3bil per year for the American economy.

It’s hard to imagine how an energy-independent America will behave.

There’s no doubt that the Middle East will no longer be so central to US foreign policy. Instead, a resurgent America may well have greater wherewithal to check China in their common Asia-Pacific backyard.

Moreover, an influx of American LNG imports could strengthen its influence on countries like Japan (which is seeking to step away from nuclear power) and radically upend Asian energy markets, including in South-East Asia.

For starters, Indonesia’s coal will be less sought after.

At the same time, the region’s large and costly LNG facilities may well end up experiencing a drop in profitability as long-term contracts lose their attractiveness.

Ironically, America’s new-found energy independence is contrasted by China’s increasing energy import-dependence.

In July, Beijing’s National Energy Administration reported that the Middle Kingdom imported 81.09 million tonnes of coal (up 70.6% year-on-year), 30.2 million tonnes of crude oil (up 30.2%) and 4.08 million tonnes of LNG (up 100.2%) in the first half of 2012 alone.

China’s demand for energy is vast.

Imagine then a super-power that views its energy security with mounting unease, if not “paranoia”: watching developments in the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca and Myanmar as a series of deliberate moves to limit its reach.

So, while the US presidential elections won’t have any direct bearing on our lives, South-East Asians are going to have to get used to being an important geopolitical stage as the two great superpowers jockey for pre-eminence.

For starters, our hitherto uneventful Asean meetings (durian fests, golf, silk batiks and bad karaoke) will become argumentative, testing all of us.

What happened recently at the Asean Foreign Ministers meeting in Phnom Penh when the Cambodian hosts refused to sign off on a joint communique will become a regular occurrence as Great Power rivalry courses its way through our association.

Having said this, the region barely featured during the actual campaign.

The third and final Obama-Romney debate on foreign policy was merely a set-piece of China sabre-rattling.

Still, Obama’s “pivot” towards Asia and Romney’s talk of a “Reagan Economic Zone” of “free trade”-oriented nations to combat China’s influence underlines the shift.

Of course, all of this is not surprising. We all know that economic gravity is shifting to Asia which in turn will also boost the strategic importance of South-East Asia.

So, like it or not, the next American president’s main foreign policy challenges are likely to come from South-East Asia as anywhere else.

Let’s not forget that China will also have a new leadership in place by then as well, fronted by that princeling extraordinaire Xi Jinping.

As I said earlier, South-East Asia is likely to be at the frontlines of the next global contest for supremacy. Let’s hope we’ll be able to cope with all the attention.

CERITALAH By KARIM RASLAN

Related posts: 

The role that the US plays in Asia: Containment of China! Nov 27, 2011 
China advises ASEAN to be independent Jun 26, 2012

Singapore warns US on anti-China rhetoric! Feb 11, 2012

China warns US on Asia military strategy Jan 07, 2012

US Military Strategy to Asia: Poke a Stick In China's Eye Jan 22, 2012

US threat: superpower gun barrels pivot east Aug 12, 2012

Top-selling news app: Summly, launched by teenager

  Nick D'Aloisio took time off school to develop the Summly smartphone app

A smartphone app which provides summaries of news stories soared to number nine in Apple's app store just two hours after its release in the US.

The app, called Summly, was designed by 17-year-old Londoner Nick D'Aloisio, and has received more than $1m in funding from investors.

High-profile supporters include Stephen Fry, Tech City CEO Joanna Shields and Newscorp owner Rupert Murdoch.

However some early reviewers have described the app as "confusing".

"Navigation unclear," wrote Oliver Devereux on the app store's review page, while another described it as "quite unintuitive".

But the app is still rating an average score of four out of five possible stars from users overall.

Mr D'Aloisio took time off school to develop his idea for a smartphone application that offers summaries of existing news stories published on the net.

The free-to-download app uses algorithms to process news stories into summaries which users can then swipe to see in full if they wish.

"We worked hard on an interface that looks like nothing else on iPhone," he told the BBC.

"We merged algorithm with beautiful design. It's summarising thousands of articles every minute."

'Big visions'
 

Nick D'Aloisio talks to Jane Wakefield about the app in December 2011

Mr D'Aloisio, who celebrated his 17th birthday on Thursday, has appointed Bart Swanson, who oversaw the roll-out of retailer Amazon in Europe, to chair the company behind Summly.

"I see big visions for the company longer term," the teenager said.

"We can really become the de-facto format for news on mobile. People are not scrolling through 1,000-word articles - they want snack-sized information."

In the longer term Mr D'Aloisio would like to see users make micro-payments to read some stories in full should they choose to view the entire article.

"Traditionally publishers have been confined to a paywall system," he said. "You can either give away the headline or the full article. But we can really sell the summary level."

Mr D'Aloisio now intends to finish his education and go to university - but he also wants to remain involved in the company.

"I'm going to do my best to stay, I'm the founder and it's my vision and I want to see that through," he said.

Source: BBC
Newscribe : get free news in real time  

Why Failure is so important to Success?

Failure and more importantly studying others’ misfortunes is one of the most important educational tools we have. In fact there is an entire convention in the Bay Area for technology entrepreneurs, investors, developers and designers to study their own and others’ failures and prepare for success, thefailcon.com. We had the amazing opportunity to chat today with Caroline Cummings, VP of Marketing at Palo Alto Software. As the former co-founder and CEO of two technology companies, she’s experienced both start-up failures and successes, and has raised close to $1 million in investment capital.

Her first venture, OsoEco.com (healthy social shopping), dissolved in 2009. Her second venture, RealLead (mobile marketing for real estate) sold in early 2012. She has co-founded several successful entrepreneurial programs for the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, including Smart-ups Pub Talks and the Southern Willamette Angel Network. Not only has Caroline had an amazing career where she has had the opportunity to be both entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial, she strongly believes in paying it forward through mentorship. “I think the secret to the universe is mentoring,” said Cummings.

She has created what she calls “The 10 Reasons Why a Startup Fails” to help other entrepreneurs avoid some of the detrimental mistakes that she has made and witnessed over the years.

1. The Wrong Team – as Jim Collins noted in his book Good To Great, “start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”

2. The Single Founder – finding the right co-founder is critical. To find the right partner you have to be able to recognize the skills that you do not posses and be willing to admit that you have shortcomings.

3. The Wrong Legal Team – Caroline found that having legal counsel that was not well-versed in business law was one of the biggest mistakes that her failed business encountered! Make sure you have sound, credible counsel and do your due diligence.Caroline suggests that you need to trust your gut when it comes to your legal counsel but also has laid out some questions that you should ask any legal representative you are considering:

• Have they worked with your industry?
• How much time do they have to spend with you?
• Who else do you go to if they cannot be available to you (partners)?
• Have they raised rounds of financing before?
• If so, have they created/read a Capitalization Table?
• Have they done compensation packages?
• Do they have experience with IP protection?
• Do they have experience with Global Expansion?
• Do they have experience with exits, M&A’s, IPOs?

4. Boiling the Ocean – Is your concept completely new? Will you have to teach your potentials consumers about your product, will there be a learning curve? Can you borrow techniques that have already been created or partner with companies that already exist?

5. Not Talking to Customers – often entrepreneurs do all of their concepting and creation within a bubble either because they are afraid someone will steal their idea or because they want it to be perfect before releasing it to the world. Lean Start Up methodology has taught us to find our MVP (Most Viable Product) and roll with it. Test the product, concept or service to see if it is viable. It doesn’t have to be perfect right out of the gate, get feedback, make changes, pivot where necessary. Include your customers in your research and development.

6. Stealth Too Long – If you are too slow to draw, you may miss your opportune time to launch or worse yet, someone else might beat you to the finish line. Take advantage of all of the tools and information out there to help you get your business up and running (like www.chic-ceo.com and many easily accessible books like “The Art of the Start” for example.)

7. Stuck on Original Idea – although it is important to have a clear direction for your company, you must be nimble when it comes to having a successful startup. Opportunities arise, projects fail and situations change.

8. Taking Dumb Money – when you are raising capital and spending money other than what your company has generated, you get a say in the transaction. Don’t just take a deal because you need the money, be smart about what the money brings with it. Look for investors that are willing to mentor you, introduce you to contacts and take a significant interest in the success of your organization.

9. Founder-itis – “An organization faces founder’s syndrome or founder-itis as the scope of activities widen and number of stakeholders increase. Without an effective and inclusive decision making structure and process there is potential for conflict between newcomers who seek effective involvement with organizational development and the founder(s) who seek to dominate the decision making process. This can be very disruptive both to the organization and to the individuals concerned and should be carefully and clearly diagnosed and addressed quickly and decisively.^“

10. Spending Too Much Money – Often startups think that once they hit a certain threshold they can become less frugal. Frugality is a virtue that many startups have a hard time managing. It is important to be willing to spend where necassary but to manage the bottom line. Luxuries like fancy office spaces may not be necessary in the startup phase.

By Jody Coughlin, Forbes Contributor 
Jody Coughlin is the CMO and co-owner of Chic CEO – a free resource for female entrepreneurs. You can follow her and Chic CEO on twitter at @ChicCEO.

You might also like…
 Seven Steps to Negotiating Success
 

Seven Steps to Negotiating Success

Almost half of all professionals on the globe feel uncomfortable when it comes to negotiating, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, try these tried-and-true tactics from author and negotiation expert Selena Rezvani.

Taking a loan is fine, but if you can’t pay back your loans ...

HAVING gone through a few recessions and occasional global financial crisis in my lifetime, I have seen enough suffering by genuine business owners and their families.

When the going gets tough, the banks call in the loans and their cash-strapped business just fold up. The bank will then sell their pledged collateral and sue them till they are declared bankrupt. Standard operating procedures (SOP) for the bank and sobbing by the poor chap.

Then you have property speculators and big-time stock market manipulators bankrolled by greedy bankers until the bubble burst and the market crash. All hell will break loose as all parties scramble to damage control mode. The cash rich speculators will survive but the bankers always end up with having to take an unwanted haircut. High margins come with high risks. Fair game.

To get a loan, small businessmen have to charge to the bank whatever properties they have as collateral. At all times, they have to sign a personal guarantee too, just in case the bank cannot fully recover their loan sum from the forced sale of the property.

Unless you are someone special with VVIP status, the bank will come after you. Trust me, bankers are sticklers to SOP and they will make sure your name appear in the classified pages for bankruptcies if you don't pay up.

So, I am sure everyone is watching with great interest the latest promise in parliament by our Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister on the full recovery of the RM250mil loan from the National Feedlot Corp.

It looks like there were no properties charged to the Government as the 600ha in Gemas was leased from the Negri Sembilan government for RM200,000 a year and the condominiums were bought with the loan money. Did the borrowers provide the Government with any personal guarantees?

As with all loans, recovery of the loan sum will start with a demand letter saying that the bank/government is recalling the loan and you are given three months to pay back in full, principal sum with interest. Or else they will take you to court and sue you. Once they get judgement against you, the court will appoint a liquidator to salvage whatever assets you have and sell whatever cows and bells left to any interested cowherd with a big haircut. If you have signed a personal guarantee, you will be a bankrupt. Nothing personal, just SOP.

Now you are really on your own, with nobody to turn to. All your so-called friends are avoiding you like the plague. What can you do?

As an experienced restructuring expert and part-time lipstick salesman, my advice to you is not to hire sleazy advisors to solve your problems or you will end up suing him for unsatisfactory service levels filled with lies and empty promises.

There is no bypassing the SOPs. When the shit hits the fan, it is every man for himself. You still have to pay back... in full. Stay calm and meditate and God will show you the way.

First step is to look for a friendly tycoon who can buy over the cow business for RM250mil in the name of national interest. It is only petty cash to the tycoon but it will blend in nicely into his portfolio of staple food businesses.

Do not worry if nobody wants to talk to you now because the concerned ministry is already talking to a few parties for a friendly takeover. Maybe an attractive haircut might work.

If the first step doesn't work, I suggest you take the next step with caution. You can borrow RM250mil from Ah Longs but make sure you pay the high interest rates or your house will be splashed with red paint and your neighbours will know about your non-payment. That would really be embarrassing.

Ok, maybe that was a wrong step to recommend. As a last resort, when in court, plead ignorance, blame everybody else for your ills. Be a man like William Hung, admit you have no experience and you did not know a bull from a cow. Since you have not signed any personal guarantees, they will only take whatever is left in the company which should be fine with you. It was never yours in the first place.

My simple advice to entrepreneurs who need bank loans to expand the business, make sure you treat the approved loans with utmost respect. The loan officers have put their heads on the chopping block when they recommended your loan application.

If you failed them due to mismanagement and misinformation, you can bet your last dollar they will come after you and make sure your next four generations will continue to pay your debt.

Oh yeah, another piece of an advice. Do not wear V neck pink t-shirts when you meet your bankers. Just play it straight.

There are just too many issues raining down on our heads nowadays and we do not need another downpour.

ON YOUR OWN
By TAN THIAM HOCK

To access earlier articles of On Your Own, log on to www.thiamhock.com. Honest comments welcomed and approved.

Related posts:
Ten Point Plan For Social Entrepreneurs to Change the World
Money talks or advice?

Ten Point Plan For Social Entrepreneurs to Change the World

Devin Thorpe, Forbes Contributor

Using social entrepreneurship or impact investing to leave your mark.

Here it is:

1.  Save every penny.  Social entrepreneurs as a general rule can make a bigger difference with less money than entrepreneurs without a social mission.  Scrimp, save and devote your own resources to your cause.  Whether your venture is for profit or not, start with putting your own money to work with you.
2. Keep your day job.  One of the key lessons I learned while writing Your Mark On The World was how much impact one person can have if the money she raises for her venture doesn’t have to go to paying her living expenses.  Steven Dee Wrigley, about whom I posted a few weeks ago, is a great example.  He’s a social entrepreneur who works nights to fund his day-time charitable work.  You won’t keep that job forever, but keep your job as long as possible; let your current employer help fund your new gig.
3. It won’t be easy.  If you are going to change the world, it won’t be easy.  Get that notion out of your head right now.  The idea may be simple, but that is only likely if the problem is huge and others have deemed it impossible.  For instance, it makes no logical sense that 1 billion people in the world are hungry when there is ample food available.  Solving that problem is proving not to be as easy as it would seem.  I’m confident that you won’t quit just because changing the world is hard.
4. Start Something That Matters.  Blake Mycoskie, founder of Toms, the shoe company that gives away a pair of shoes for every pair someone buys, wrote an inspiring book that gets at the heart of social entrepreneurship.  His book’s title is the message:  Start Something That Matters.  It may be harder to find something that matters and much harder to figure out how to pull it off, but if it doesn’t matter, it isn’t worth your time.
   
   Blake Mycoskie at SXSW 2011 (Photo credit: eschipul)
5. Focus on social issues.  There is money to be made, if that’s what you’d like to do, even when tackling big social problems.  The Tom’s model of social entrepreneurship has created a movement around the concept of “one for one.”  Countless businesses now offer products and services for sale on that basis.  Worldhaus is a for-profit venture that is creating homes for the market  of a billion or so people who don’t have a safe place to live but who can afford a $2,000 or $3,000 home.
6. Make it great.  All the marketing hype in the world can’t make something that doesn’t matter, that isn’t great or that doesn’t change the world into something that lasts.  Your impact will be tied to your ability to create something that grows beyond you, that exceeds your involvement and creates change.  Focus on your product or service.  You can only hope to change the world by bringing a zealot’s passion to your deliverable.  Anything short of that is likely to leave your audience underwhelmed.
7. Build a team.  If you can’t assemble a team of followers who will throw their lot on with you—not people you’re paying (at least not well) but people who are investing their time and energy along with you, you’ve either failed to create a compelling idea or you’re not a compelling leader.  A great team is early evidence of a great product or service and a great leader.
8. Use crowdfunding.  After you’ve exhausted your own ability to fund your venture, use crowdfunding to raise the money you need for your projects.  With each effort at crowdfunding, you can build an audience of followers and fans who will support each new project.  Don’t think of crowdfunding as something you do once and then forget it.  You can find a list of crowdfunding resources here (be sure to see the comments for more ideas).  In 2013 you will even be allowed to raise equity for your for-profit ventures using crowdfunding.
9. Have an impact.  With a team, a passion, and a product greased with funding, you are ready to actually have an impact, to make a difference.  Focus on action that leads to results. The more you actually achieve with your resources, the more likely they are to compound.  Whether you have a high impact, for-profit social venture or a nonprofit , focus on the difference you make.  By measure and reporting on your impact, new customers and supporters will come out of the woodwork to make your social enterprise grow.
10. Change the world.  Once you demonstrate your impact, you can grow your enterprise to have world-changing scale.  You won’t measure your results in profits, even if you make them.  That’s not what you’re about.  You’ll measure your impact in the ways you’ve made the world a better place.  Changing the world is its own reward.  Making a living at it is a bonus.

This ten point plan won’t appeal to as many people as the last one.  I recognize that some people were disappointed to read my last list when they recognized that it was meant to be funny and was not meant to be real advice.  (I just hope no one bought an Italian sports car before they figured out I’d meant that as a joke!)  If you’re still reading, I’m hopeful that you’ll join the community of people focused on leaving a mark on the world.

One final note: I don’t ever remember a time either in my life or in history when the world’s wealthiest were more committed to philanthropy and solving social problems than they are now.  The Forbes 400 Issue this year was devoted to the social good the Forbes 400 are doing.  More power to them.

My Ten Point Plan to Get Rich Quick as an Entrepreneur Devin Thorpe Contributor

10 Reasons To Stay At A Job For 10 Or More Years David K. Williams Contributor

It's A Dirty Business: The Green Entrepreneurs Who Create Treasure (And Profit) From Trash Cheryl Conner Contributor

The Real Reason The World Will Remember Bill Gates (Hint: It's not Windows 8) Devin Thorpe Contributor

I’m launching into more research about crowdfunding to write a book about best practices for social entrepreneurs.  If you have a connection to crowdfunding, please click here to share your wisdom.  I’m sure my research will also lead to more posts on that topic here on Forbes.

Please share your thoughts in the comments below, at my site, yourmarkontheworld.com, on Facebook, or @devindthorpe.

Newscribe : get free news in real time 

Malaysia is a Secular state or an Islamic country?

There are some law issues being argued of late, among them like Secular state and Islamic country, etc. Shad Saleem Faruqi Professor of Law at UiTM clarified that:

Secular state:

De facto law minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz crossed swords with DAP’s Lim Kit Siang over the latter’s claim that Malaysia is a secular state.

The law minister correctly pointed out that nowhere in the Constitution is there any mention of the word “secular”.

Further, as Islam is recognised in the Constitution as the religion of the federation, it would be improper to regard the country as a secular state.

In support of this view, one can point out that the word “Islam” is mentioned at least 24 times in the Constitution, the words Mufti, Kadi Besar and Kadi at least once each. In Schedule 9, List II, paragraph 1, state legislatures are permitted to apply Islamic law to Muslims in a variety of civil areas.

The state legislatures are also permitted to create and punish offences by Muslims against the precepts of Islam except in relation to matters within federal jurisdiction.

Syariah courts may be established. Under Article 121(1A), syariah courts are independent of the civil courts.

On the other side, Lim correctly pointed out that Malayan constitutional documents and pronouncements by early leaders indicate that at its birth the federation was meant to be a secular state.

To back this view, one can point to the Supreme Court decision in Che Omar Che Soh’s case that although Islam is the religion of the federation, it is not the basic law of the land.

Article 3 on Islam imposes no limits on the power of parliament to legislate contrary to the syariah. Islamic law is not the general law of the land either at the federal or state levels.

It applies only to Muslims and that too in limited and specified areas. It is noteworthy that non-Muslims are not subject to syariah or to the jurisdiction of the syariah courts.

Islamic country:

Ever since Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s declaration on Sept 29, 2001 that Malaysia is an Islamic country, this debate ignites periodically and no firm conclusion is ever possible because of the problem of semantics – the assignment of different meanings to the words “secular” and “theocratic” by participants in the discourse.

My personal view is that if by a theocratic state is meant that the law of God is the supreme law of the land and that the temporal ruler is subject to the final direction of the theological head, then clearly Malaysia is not a theocratic state due to the presence of a supreme Constitution and the overriding power of secular authorities over the religious establishment.

At the same time if by a secular state is meant that law and religion are separated from each other; that there is no legally prescribed official religion; that religion is not interwoven into the affairs of the state; that no state aid is given to any religious creed; and that religion is left entirely to private establishments, then Malaysia is certainly not a secular state.

Then how should we be described? It is submitted that the Malaysian legal system is neither fully secular nor fully theocratic. It is hybrid. It permits legal pluralism.

It avoids the extremes of American style secularism or Saudi or Taliban type of religious control over all aspects of life. It walks the middle path. It promotes piety but does not insist on ideological purity.

Muslims are governed by divinely ordained laws in some fields but in others their life is regulated by Malay adat and by secular provisions enacted by elected legislatures. Non-Muslims are entirely regulated by secular laws.

In sum, the secular versus theocracy debate is full of semantics and polemics and will take us nowhere.

Reflecting On The Law By Shad Saleem Faruqi

> Shad Saleem Faruqi is Emeritus Professor of Law at UiTM.

Related post: Malaysia a transit point for terrorists or a terrorist recruitment centre?   

Malaysia a transit point for terrorists or a terrorist recruitment centre?

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is a transit point for terrorists, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

However, he stressed that the country is not a recruitment ground or a target for international terrorists groups.

“I want to assure Malaysians that the country is not a target at the moment,” Hishammuddin said after chairing a crime prevention meeting in Parliament yesterday.

He also dismissed fears that the country had become a recruitment ground for terrorists.

“I can confirm that this is not the case,” he said, adding that the two Malaysians detained in Beirut for alleged links to al-Qeada were not part of a terrorist cell here.

“The threat of global terrorism is a real threat and is not unique and limited to Malaysia and the arrest of the Malaysians clearly shows this,” he added.

Malaysians Muhamad Razin Sharhan Mustafa Kamal, 21, and Razif Mohd Ariff, 30, are being charged in a military court for allegedly being involved in terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Ministry acknowledged that students are vulnerable to being recruited by terrorists.

“In this age of openness and visibility of information, students are also exposed to all this,” said Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

“I hope our students are mature and are not be swayed by these things,” he said after the launch of the Ready4Work online portal.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the arrests of Muhamad Razin and Razif would not change the good perception tourists have of Malaysia.

“The world knows Malaysia is not a centre of terrorism. There has never been a single terrorist incident in our country,” said Dr Ng after opening an anti-crime against women seminar in Raub yesterday.

However, she said all Malaysians should not let their guard down and continue to remain vigilant.

 - The Star/Asia News Network

Related Stories:
Local server shuts down al-Qaeda's online library after being alerted
Duo deny links to al-Qaeda militant group

Form over substance in higher education and university rankings

Death knell for higher education

 
There is a growing obsession with form over substance and nowhere is this more evident than in the unhealthy interest taken with university rankings.

THIS month marks the 22nd year I have worked as an academic.

In that time, I have seen many changes in the university. There have been, of course, some improvements since those early days.

For one thing, technology has transformed things for the better.  Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

The very first publication I wrote went through this rather painful process.

First, I had to go to the library and find the relevant cases and journal articles. Then having taken copious notes, I went back to my office where I proceeded to write out my thoughts with an ancient device known as a pen.

Having completed this task, I would send my scratching to a lovely lady in the general office downstairs whose job title was “steno”.

She would type out what I wrote, give it back to me to check and then I would return it to her with any corrections. Finally, it would be placed into a pocket made of paper known as a stamped envelope and posted to the publisher.

Now, all cases and statutes including many journals are online. I type my work myself (with the computer checking my spelling and grammar) and when I am done I e-mail the stuff to the publisher.

All in the comfort of my office where I can play Flight of the Hamsters in between constructing sentences filled with gems of wisdom.

I will be the first to admit that I am quite old-fashioned in many ways, but I can categorically say that I don’t miss the days before the Internet and Word.

Progress, unfortunately, is not always positive. And it saddens me to say that over these last two decades I have seen changes that in my opinion ring the death knell for higher education.

In my opinion, the key problem is that those who decide the direction of our universities have lost track of the values that have to underpin these institutions in order for them to play a meaningful role in society.

There is a growing obsession with form over substance and nowhere is this more evident than in the unhealthy interest taken with university rankings.

Politicians harp on about it, so the Government makes it a priority. Because the Government wants higher rankings, the vice-chancellors start ranting about it too.

Rankings have become the raison d’etre for universities.

The quick fix then becomes the holy grail, hence universities look to the ranking criteria and they focus their efforts on doing all they can to meet those criteria.

This blinkered modus operandi then leads to some seriously contorted developments which ignore the principles that are necessary for the proper foundations of truly good universities.

Academic autonomy is one of those principles.

A university is a complex organisation. It is unlike a factory where there is by and large one goal and usually one method with which to achieve the said goal with the best quality and efficiency.

Even in one faculty, there are many variations. Take, for example, the Faculty of Arts – you have departments as diverse as English and Geography; Urban Planning and Gender Studies; International Studies and Indian Studies; the list goes on.

You can’t possibly be laying down a single criterion for quality for such a diverse group. But that is what happened.

Nowadays, if you want to prove your quality, the only way you can do it, which is embraced by universities, is if you publish in the journals recognised by the ranking organisations.

It doesn’t matter if you are an English professor who publishes well-received novels, or if you are a Gender Studies lecturer who uses your knowledge for women’s activism.

What about the fine arts? Shouldn’t the creation of new ideas in dance and theatre take precedence over an article in some obscure (but acknowledged by the rankers) journal which only a handful of people will read?

Increasingly, the thinking of universities is it is our way or the highway.

Such a top down approach cannot work because each academic unit in a university has its own expertise and its own value system.

This has to be respected because they themselves should know how to advance their discipline both in an academically and socially meaningful manner.

Autonomy brings with it the necessary flexibility for each department and each academic to chart the necessary course which will improve themselves and their own disciplines.

And who should know better what that course should be than those who have trained in that discipline.

I am not against the publishing of works in reputable journals. I acknowledge that they are important to the advancement of academic thought.

What I am saying is that the diversity of academia means that there are numerous methods to determine quality. And the best way to achieve quality is by having true academic autonomy so that those who know best are the ones who determine the way to achieve the best.

BRAVE NEW WORLD By AZMI SHAROM
azmisharom@yahoo.co.uk

Related posts:
Malaysian education is too Western-centric, ignorance of Asian values, etc!...
Malaysian Universities need decolonization, relook the ratings and rankings
Top 10 universities in South East Asia, Malaysia not in!
Malaysian education heavily politicised, Quality and English not up to par!.

Hillary Clinton is the real dominator of U.S. foreign policy

Hillary Clinton(Photo/Xinhua)

Hillary Clinton has not been frequently mentioned during the third and final debate of the 2012 U.S. presidential election, but her influence cannot be easily ignored.

The final presidential debate focuses on foreign policy, which is closely related to Clinton's position as U.S. Secretary of State. More importantly, neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney proposed a new global strategy. Both of them seemed to approve Clinton's "smart power" with the minute difference lying in how to be "smart." Romney said that the U.S. Navy has owned the smallest number of warships since 1917, and Obama refuted that the United States also has fewer horses and bayonets but it has such powerful equipment such as aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. The dialogue is one of the few highlights in the third debate, and can be considered as typical example of different yet convergent political views. 

Clinton proposed the strategy of "smart power" during the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination race and has implemented it under the Obama administration. Obama has always been absorbing Clinton's ideas on foreign affairs since he took office. For example, on the issue of Middle East, approval rate of the United States in Muslim countries was as low as 15 percent while Obama reduces vulnerability of foreign policy, with the help of Clinton, during the presidential debate this year.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor under former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, has rated Clinton's diplomatic performance in the past four years as A- or B+. Romney has found it hard to pick on Obama's foreign policy since he is unseasoned on foreign affairs. During the first two rounds of presidential debate, he tried to play tougher but achieved less. Therefore, in the finale on Oct. 22, Romney did not indulge in issues of foreign affairs, including attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya which worries Obama most. His consultant explained that the third presidential debate matters less since the topic is far away from people's daily life. The Republic Party cares more about the 12 swing states and female voters' support. Romney just needs to act like a commander in chief.

Indeed, American voters are now more concerned about domestic affairs such as employment, personal income, medical insurance, and even abortion than about foreign affairs. No matter who wins the presidential election, the United States is most likely to continue the foreign policy formulated by Clinton.

Read the Chinese version: 美大选三辩不只是俩男人的战斗, source: Jinghua Times, author: Huang Heng

China critics 'doomed to failure'

BEIJING (AFP) - China on Monday warned its critics they were "doomed to failure" as Beijing confirmed that Premier Wen Jiabao's family had employed lawyers to help fight The New York Times.

 "There are always some voices in the world who do not want to see China develop and become stronger and they will try any means to smear China and Chinese leaders and try to sow instability in China," said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

"Your scheme is doomed to failure," he added. The official was responding to questions about Wen's decision to hire lawyers to fight claims published by The New York Times last week that his family had owned assets worth $2.7 billion.

"Premier Wen Jiabao's family has entrusted lawyers to release a statement and will continue to clarify the report," the spokesman said.

The South China Morning Post on Sunday printed a statement from Wen's lawyers, saying it was the first time a top Chinese leader had issued a rebuttal to a foreign media report.

Friday's New York Times article came at an especially sensitive time for China, as the Communist Party strives to clean house before a pivotal once-in-a-decade handover of power next month.

Detailing a string of deals, the Times said many relatives of the government's number two - a self-styled man of the people - had become "extraordinarily wealthy" during his years in office. Investments by Wen's son, wife and others spanning the banking, jewellery and telecom sectors were worth at least $2.7 billion according to an analysis of company and regulatory filings from 1992-2012, it said. - AFP

Related posts:
When China Rules The World: The End Of The Western World And The Birth Of A New Global Order 
China is the main show

The demise of BJCC, a memorable day for Penang Golf Club (PGC)?

THE new Penang Golf Club (PGC) entity has been launched with much aplomb.

Taiyo Resort (Pg) Bhd chairman Datuk Eiro Sakamoto said it was a historical day that the 18-hole Bukit Jambul Country Club (BJCC) had been renamed PGC.

“I’m overwhelmed and happy with the huge turnout.

“The name Penang Golf Club is also easier to remember,” he said during a press conference at the club in Bukit Jambul on Saturday.

In conjunction with the launch, the PGC also hosted the 2nd Penang Chief Minister’s Golf Tournament which saw a participation of 180 participants.

“This is a very positive sign. Many members are happy to see our efforts in renovating our courses, purchasing 100 new golf buggies as well as building a new coffee house and the Sakurajima Japanese Chinese Restaurant at the club.

“And the renovation was completed 14 months ahead of schedule,” said Sakamoto.

“We will continue to make PGC and Penang known to golfers and tourists, both local and overseas,” he said.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the renaming was a testimony of the confidence the state government had on Sakamoto to help realise the aim to turn PGC into an international golf course.

“Hopefully, this will also allow us to have more international golf tournaments in the future,” he said.

- The Star Metro

Related posts:
BJCC renamed Penang Golf Club, welcome to the newly upgraded Penang Golf course   

Golf, a good walking game!

'Outsourcing not the fair way ...

BJCC Golf and Country Club News

Golf clubs in Malaysia face closure with new tax
Golf courses targeted for re-development - Too valuable ...