Monday, July 27, 2015

Ikutlah pemimpin yang berintegriti



Assalamualaikum,



Ikutlah pemimpin yang berintegriti

Subjek berkenaan kepemimpinan dan pemimpin telah menjadi perkara perbincangan yang disukai oleh penulis; termasuklah ahli akademik, penyelidik, ahli politik dan lain-lain. Mereka bersetuju bahawa kualiti utama bagi seorang pemimpin ialah keperibadian yang baik. Kecekapan untuk memimpin adalah di tempat kedua.     

Mark Sanborn yang menulis dalam bukunya, You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader, berkata bahawa kepemimpinan ialah satu seni atau kebolehan untuk mendapatkan pelaksanaan yang luar biasa dari seorang pekerja biasa.

Pemimpin pula ialah seseorang yang mengetuai sekumpulan orang, khususnya ketua bagi sesebuah negara atau organisasi. Ini adalah definasi seperti yang terdapat di dalam kamus Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.

Dua orang penulis iaitu Harvey Robbins dan Michael Finley yang menulis di dalam buku mereka, The Accidental Leader, pula berkata: “Anda tidak perlu menjadi seorang yang sempurna untuk menjadi seorang pemimpin yang tertib”.   

Namun, pemimpin yang sesuai untuk diikuti ialah apabila seseorang itu memperlihatkan sifat atau keperibadian yang elok, di antaranya ialah integriti.

Kita ingin bertanya, apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan integrity ini? Sebagai contoh, penulis ada membaca satu iklan di dalam sebuah akhbar arus perdana, di mana sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi swasta (IPTS) menggunakan perkataan integriti sebagai salah satu daripada tiga elemen di dalam cogan kata korporatnya. Elemen yang dua lagi ialah kebijaksanaan dan kecemerlangan.

Bagi IPTS ini, integriti ialah perihal sesuatu nilai dan akhlak yang betul dalam kehidupan kita. Ia dilihat sebagai tulang belakang yang memegang teguh akan sesuatu keperibadian yang positif.

Sebuah lagi IPTS juga mengiklankan cogan kata mereka dengan menggunakan perkataan-perkataan integriti, kualiti dan penyayang.

Manakala IPTS yang ketiga pula membuat publisiti seperti berikut di dalam iklan mereka: integriti yang menentukan pengambilan kerja dalam dunia korporat.       

Oxford Dictionary pula memberikan definasi bagi integriti sebagai sesuatu yang mempunyai kualiti dari segi amanah serta mempunyai prinsip moral yang tinggi. Jika seseorang pemimpin itu seorang yang amanah, beliau akan bercakap benar dan tidak berbohong atau pun menipu.

Moral pula bolehlah dihuraikan sebagai mempamerkan sesuatu kelakuan yang betul serta standard yang biasa diterima oleh masyarakat. Pemimpin yang bermoral boleh memahami serta dapat membezakan di antara mana kelakuan yang betul dan yang salah.

Contoh yang paling cemerlang dari segi integriti ini ialah Nabi Muhammad SAW. Ketika hayatnya, baginda Rasulullah diberikan gelaran sebagai “al-Amin”, yang bermaksud orang yang dipercayai.

Seorang penulis, George E. Wolf, P.E. ada mengatakan bahawa ramai di antara kita suka menambah atau mereka cerita di dalam laporan, penyampaian atau semasa mengemaskinikan sesuatu program. Ia bertujuan untuk menarik minat atau agar sesuatu laporan itu boleh diterima ramai. Mengikut beliau, integriti dan mereka cerita ini adalah konsep yang tidak selari atau secocok.

Ramai juga pemimpin politik dan korporat di tanah air yang memberikan ulasan tentang konsep integriti ini. Di antaranya adalah seperti berikut:

- Kecekapan dan kebolehan penjawat awam adalah sangat mustahak dan integriti mestilah menjadi pelengkapnya.

- Di sebabkan kurangnya budaya integriti, ramai pemimpin korporat telah kecundang semasa krisis kewangan Asia pada 1997 dahulu.

- Apabila anda hidup dengan mengamalkan integriti, anda berjaya. Anda mempunyai sifat yang terbuka dan jujur. Dengan itu, kehidupan harian anda tidaklah berserabut, malahan anda kurang mengelamai perasaan tekanan.

Dalam tahun 2006, Mori of United Kingdom (UK) dan Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia (BEIM) telah berganding bahu membuat soal selidik tentang 15 jenis pekerjaan. Para responden di UK dan Malaysia mempercayai profesional berikut: pertama ialah doktor; kedua guru dan ketiga profesor. Ahli politik diletakkan diparas bawah sekali.

Dalam kata lain, jika seseorang pemimpin itu mempunyai sifat integriti, dia mempunyai kebebasan untuk membuat sesuatu keputusan dengan bebas, tanpa memihak kepada sesuatu kumpulan. Pertimbangan hanya dibuat untuk kebaikan syarikat atau organisasi yang dipimpinnya.

Seseorang pemimpin akan diikuti di sebabkan para pengikut mempunyai rasa hormat serta percaya kepadanya, bukan sekadar diatas kepandaian memimpin yang dimilikinya.   

Sebagai kesimpulan, kita tidak perlu menghadiri kursus kepemimpinan di Harvard University atau University of Cambridge untuk mengetahui bahawa ujian asid seseorang pemimpin ialah untuknya menoleh kebelakang. Ini adalah bertujuan untuk mengetahui sama ada masih ada lagikah para penyokong yang mengikutnya.  

 11 Syawal 1436H

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Quaint Cardiff


Assalam,




Ketika di Cardiff memandu kereta
Kereta Ford berbumbung hitam
Pepatah Melayu ada berkata
Jauhari jua mengenal manikam






Quaint Cardiff

{as published in New Straits Times, Life & Times Travel, 23 July 2015}


If you are planning to go for a holiday in the United Kingdom, it is highly recommended that you include Cardiff as part of your travel itinerary.

Cardiff has the population of approximately 335,000 and is the capital city and business heart of Wales. The landmark of Cardiff is Cardiff Castle, situated in the middle of the city. This building boasts more than 2,000 years of history.

The people of Wales have their own language, called Welsh. Thus, Cardiff is also known as Caerdydd. It is interesting to note that the current heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, is officially known as the Prince of Wales.

I first visited Cardiff in September 1988, with my wife, Dr. Rokiah, and two daughters. At that time, my wife was pursuing her doctoral degree at Cardiff University. When my daughters Dr. Sarah and Syazana went for a holiday in London in December 10 years later, they visited Cardiff and the castle again. We visited Cardiff for the third time recently.

Cardiff Castle was first built as a Roman fort. The Romans arrived in Wales in 76 AD and built a 3.2ha stronghold on the banks of the River Taff in order to help them hold the land newly won from the fierce Silures of South Wales.

The Romans rebuilt the fort about two centuries later, adding 3m-high walls around it. Parts of these walls still stand today.

After the Romans, the Normans arrived in Cardiff centuries later and built their castle on the site of the old Roman fort and incorporated what remained the work of their predecessors.

The Norman Keep still dominates the castle grounds. As attacks by the Welsh tested the castle, it was strengthened and improved over several years. Days of strife returned during the English Civil War when Cardiff Castle was held by the Royalists and later by the Parliamentarians.

Years of decay followed but in the last century, the third Marquis of Bute appointed a Victorian architect William Burges, to restore the castle.

The colourful and lavish interiors created by Burges continue to surprise and delight visitors who enter a grim castle which had otherwise seen only battles, to find themselves surrounded by exquisite wood carvings and sculptures, and murals that tell of the castle’s long history.

Today, Cardiff Castle is a tourist attraction, drawing visitors all over the world. It is a delightful and educational visit. The attractions in the Cardiff Castle include the museums of The Welch Regiment and The Queen’s Dragoon Guards – a fascinating display of military history.

For a joyful and entertaining evening, visitors can join for a traditional Welsh banquet. A café and gift shop are on site. The castle is open to visitors at 9am to 5pm.

The castle was handed over to the City of Cardiff (declared as a city by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956) by the Bute family in 1948. It is near parks, hotels and shopping complex as well as bus, taxi and railway stations.

If you are in Cardiff for the first time, do visit the Cardiff Tourist Information Centre (in Welsh, it is Canolfan Croeso Caerdydd) for more information about the city. It is open seven days a week, except from Dec 24 to 26 Jan 1.

Moving around is easy as the buses or taxis are reliable. Telephone numbers of taxis are easy to remember, for example – Premier Cars (555 555), Capital Cabs (777 777) and Dragon Taxis (333 333).

As for accommodation, there are many hotels here: Cardiff Central Travelodge, Cardiff Hilton, Park Plaza, Holiday Inn, Angel, Royal, Sandringham, Marriott, Park Inn, Big Sleep, Radisson, Ibis and others.

Before leaving Cardiff, you may want to do some quick shopping. The shopping areas are located at Queen Street, Queens Arcade, St David’s Shopping Centre, High Street Arcade and The Capitol.

After Cardiff Castle, if you have a few extra hours to spare, I suggest a visit to Mermaid Quay, Wales Millennium Centre and the Roald Dahl Plass (or Plaza Roald Dahl) at Cardiff Bay. But if you’ve visited the Cardiff Castle, you can say that you have been to Cardiff.

7 Syawal 1436H

 




Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Ainaa Royal Durian Crepe


 Assalam,


Pulang ke Perlis hari Selasa
Sempat cuba mandi di perigi
DurianCrepe Ainaa sedapnya rasa
Makan sekali hendak lagi



5 Syawal 1436H 

 

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

A credible leader is a trustworthy person


Assalam,

Fitri rajin pergi ke sekolah
Waktu petang mencari buah
Pemimpin agung baginda Rasulullah
Bijaksana dan tidak rasuah

Repin tinggal di Kota Permai
Solat Jumaat di Masjid Negeri
Pemimpin biasa memang ramai
Yang bertakwa sukar dicari

Naik LRT hendak ke Sentul
Beli tiket terlebih dahulu
Pemimpin tiada sentiasa betul
Tidak pula salah selalu


A credible leader is a trustworthy person

A CREDIBLE leader is someone who helps to advance the lives of his followers as well as the system they live in.
  He may not even have a formal title.
  The real test for this chosen or elected leader is to see whether his followers follow his words or orders.
  Notwithstanding some other leadership qualities, he should be a trustworthy person.
  A leader of this nature would make it easy for the masses to believe in him.
  It means to say that there is a consistency between who he is and what he says. 
  He doesn’t try to hide anything from his followers or trying to talk around the bush with them.
  A credible leader is also a person of integrity.
  He has no skeletons in his closet, which means his opponents or enemies will feel frustrated because they will find it very difficult to discredit him. 
  To be a good and credible leader in the 21st century environment, one has to grasp some knowledge on business and finance.
  The world today revolves around these factors.
  We crave for leaders who are better than us.
  It is annoying when we hear a leader giving his speech on a subject that he has very little knowledge about. He is just talking.
  He doesn’t respect the educated audience who are attending his function.
  A credible leader should also exhibit high ethical standards.
  He knows how to differentiate between what is the right and wrong.
  He has a clean image and free from perceived sexual scandal or corruption.
  A leader must also be a good family man.
  To summarize, when you do your job with enterprise and strength of mind in order to make a positive difference to the people around you, then you are a credible leader.
  We do not have to attend a senior management course at Harvard in order to put forward the idea that Malaysia needs more credible leaders in both the public and private sectors.

21 Ramadan 1436H

 

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Hudud umpama sungai mengalir


Assalam,


Ramai jemaah solat di Baitullah
Ketika Ramadan melimpah ke jalan
Hudud adalah hukum ALLAH
Boleh dilaksanakan secara pelan-pelan




14 Ramadan 1436H