Organ Transplants…

Mr Bojangles Says:
July 11, 2008 at 1:40 pm est
In the same spirit, the following:

Japanese doctor: “Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks.”

German doctor: “That’s nothing; we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in four weeks.”

British doctor: “In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half of a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in two weeks.”

The doctor from the US,not to be outdone said, “You guys are way behind. We took a man with no brains out of Texas, put him in the White House and now half the country is looking for work.”

You are all welcome @ my water bowl

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, ‘Excuse me, where are we?”

This is Heaven, sir,’ the man answered. ‘Wow! Would you happen to have some water?’ the man asked. ‘Of course, sir. Come right in, and I’ll have some ice water brought right up.’

The man gestured, and the gate began to open. ‘Can my friend,’ gesturing toward his dog, ‘come in, too?’ the traveler asked. ‘I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t accept pets.’

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.

There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. ‘Excuse me!’ he called to the man. ‘Do you have any water?’

‘Yeah, sure, there’s a pump over there, come on in.’ ‘How about my friend here?’ the traveler gestured to the dog. ‘There should be a bowl by the pump.’They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.

‘What do you call this place?’ the traveler asked. ‘This is Heaven,’ he answered.
‘Well, that’s confusing,’ the traveler said. ‘The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.’
‘Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That’s hell.’
‘Doesn’t it make you mad for them to use your name like that?’
‘No, we’re just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.

Soooo ..

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this will explain.
When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes.
When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes. When you have something to say, but don’t know what, and don’t know how, you forward jokes.

Also to let you know that you are still remembered , you are still important , you are still loved , you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.

So, next time if you get a joke, don’t think that you’ve been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you’ve been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

you are all welcome @ my water bowl

Visual Tricks

The story of Steve Job, by Steve Job

What drives a person to leadership? Case 1 - Anwar Ibrahim

I hope to evolve this into a series that covers a number of leaders.  We will start with Anwar Ibrahim, the former Deputy Prime Minster of Malaysia, who was thrown into jail in APRIL 1999 for 6 years, is now back with a force and who has united an opposition that has been un-united for 50 years and is on the brink of toppling the BN government which has ruled over Malaysia for the last 50 years (since independence) .

So where does he get the energy and motivation? What keeps him going?  Our answers lie in both what haunts hims and what his ideal are…

 

We start by reading a letter he sent out in 1999 while in Prison:

Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohtar Abdullah, in responding to criticism against his person and his office, has once again displayed his arrogance and bad faith. Adopting the tone and manner of his boss, Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he tries to avoid answering his critics – the latest among whom was Mohamed Ezam Mohamed Noor – by threatening to use the Sedition Act against them. He hopes that this will put a stop to accusations that his office is negligent and impotent.

I repeat my reproach of Mohtar and his office over the practice of both selective and malicious prosecution and for colluding with political conspirators. Mohtar stands out as the most repulsive attorney-general in Malaysian history, one who would pawn principles and the dignity of his office for mere self interest. Indeed, he has reduced the attorney-general’s office to the level of a department subservient to the executive branch of government.

Following are among my reasons for saying so:

1. Lim Guan Eng, Member of Parliament for Kota Melaka, was prosecuted for championing the cause of an underaged Malay girl who had reported that she had been raped. But the case against Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, accused of a sex crime and corruption, was dropped.

2. The affidavit presented by Mohtar’s office in the case of Dato Nallakarupan was tailored to suit Mahathir’s political strategy. It received wide publicity on 3 September 1998, a day after I was sacked. This affidavit was presented together with one prepared by Musa Hassan, the official henchman of Tan Sri Rahim Noor (the former Inspector-General of Police). The contents include accusations of graft involving 60 million ringgit, sex offences and that I leaked government secrets and served as secret agent to a foreign country.

3. He ignored my verbal assurance, which was backed by a letter from my solicitor, that I would surrender to the police any time I was required to. Instead there was a Gestapo-style raid on my residence that could easily have resulted in bloodshed. Under his instruction, I was detained under Section 377B of the Penal Code.

4. His right-hand man, Dato Gani Patail, was at Bukit Aman on the night of 20 September 1998, while criminal violence was being inflicted on me in the same building. It was afterwards decided that I should be detained under the Internal Security Act so that my injuries would be concealed from the public. This led to widespread suspicion that his office was involved in a conspiracy to cover up a crime.

5. Gani knew I was severely wounded and saw for himself the condition I was in when I first appeared in court. Despite this, he tried to prevent me from making a complaint, saying the injuries were too slight. It is patently clear that he lied in court. In fact, he has lied to the entire nation. Coming from a senior official, such a blatant attempt to deceive must count as a serious crime indeed. It is nothing less than abetment in a cover-up.

6. In dealing with the issue of my injuries, Mohtar deliberately ignored the report submitted by police investigator ACP Mat Zain Ibrahim, which implicates Gani and Deputy Public Prosecutor Azhar Mohamad. They plotted to downplay the findings of doctors and specialists who examined me. Instead, Mohtar appointed his own consultant, Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof, who gave his findings without examining me. Mohtar said in a statement that some of my claims were false. The royal commission which inquired into my injuries found, on the contrary, that Rahim Noor’s assault was so severe that I could have died. Mohtar’s negligence and feebleness in handling the case – how he dragged his feet before acting upon the police and medical reports — were plain for all to see.

7. The statutory declaration of lawyer Manjeet Singh Dhillon implicates Mohtar, Gani and Azhar in a scheme to pressure Nallakarupan to disgrace me in exchange for a guarantee of release from prosecution that could lead to the death sentence. But Dato Nalla would rather face prosecution than lie.

8. Mohtar and his office have ignored serious allegations by Dr Munawar Anees, Sukma Darmawan, Mior Abdul Razak, Azmin Mohamad Ali and others that the police were guilty not only of extortion and torture to extract false confessions that they had been sodomised but also of calumny against me, Ustaz Dato Harun Din and the late Tan Sri Yahaya Ahmad. Instead of prosecuting the police or even investigating the allegations, Mohtar’s office has decided to prosecute Sukma, Mior and Azmin for questioning police methods.

9. Mohtar connived with Mahathir to use malicious prosecution as a threat to pressure me to resign. Mahathir denies this, but I spoke of this threat even before 20 September 1998, in front of scores of friends. Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak was reported on 5 October to have confirmed that there was indeed such a threat.

10. Mohtar discussed with Tun Daim Zainuddin proposals to charge me with either leaking government secrets or committing sex offences if I refused to resign. Tun Daim intimated this to me on 12 August 1998. In court, I asked why in the world would the Attorney-General plot and scheme with Tun Daim? Can money buy and decide everything?

11. Throughout my trial, Mohtar used the full strength of his official power, his penchant for issuing threats and his arrogance and vengefulness to destroy my character. Then, after doing everything he could to shame me as much as possible, he changed the charges. In fact, a witness testified to being intimidated and to catching prosecutors and prosecution witnesses in the act of planning this vilification.

12. During the trial, I was prepared to provide proof that there was a political conspiracy in a case of selective prosecution. This pertained to a document, signed by Gani and presented to me by Mohtar, recommending that a senior minister be prosecuted for corruption. He can make excuses, or threaten me with the Official Secrets Act, but here nevertheless was proof that he practises selective prosecution under Mahathir’s direction. Furthermore, as I stressed in court, the Official Secrets Act cannot be used to cover up the malpractices, corruption and greed of those in power.

13. I have referred to personal letters which three corporate figures wrote to Daim during his previous stint as Finance Minister. These letters pledge to Daim’s person funds and corporate shares worth a total of nearly half a billion ringgit. Mohtar, who is wont to loquaciously condemning corruption among minor officials, seems to be tongue-tied in this particular case. He has to wait for Mahathir to issue an order of selective prosecution, so close is the cooperation between them.

14. During the trial, I was prepared too to provide evidence of selective prosecution by mentioning serious sex charges against Mahathir. However, I do not have Mahathir’s capacity for the cruelty that is born of vengefulness; I would not name the sex partners or the witnesses. After all, he is 73 years old and a grandfather. My intention here is only to show how Mahathir, using Mohtar, would seize upon any opportunity to apply selective prosecution against those he disfavours, even if it means concocting evidence. What about Rahim Tamby Chik’s case and other cases, implicating others who are still in Mahathir’s favour? What about the official said to have used his private jet to import women through the VIP lounge at Subang? Customs and immigration officials know about this. And what has happened to allegations that a minister was involved in the Mustakizah murder case?

15. I tried to mention in court many other cases of corruption, but these were declared irrelevant. Indeed, prosecuting officers would jump to their feet to object every time I tried to present evidence of corruption, especially if Mahathir’s or Daim’s name was mentioned. I referred to the Perwaja issue, to the nation’s loss of nearly 6 billion ringgit, saying I had documents showing that Mahathir directed Tan Sri Eric Chia to give a contract to a certain firm. Is it not corruption when Mahathir, who is directly responsible for Petronas, approves nearly 2 billion ringgit for his son? And what about the approval of privatisation projects, contracts and corporate shares for his children, whose wealth runs into billions of ringgit and who sit as directors in hundreds of companies?

16. Mohtar too has studied the Anti-Corruption Agency’s reports regarding leaders who own enormous wealth in the form of corporate shares, land, and personal and family property. But these documents are simply filed away. And, surely, Mohtar is well aware of Daim’s obvious wealth, which he accumulated during his previous tenure as Finance Minister. In fact, he has now become the one Finance Minister with a bank of his own, the International Bank of Malaysia. All of these are open secrets, but the practice of selective prosecution has obstructed the effort to eradicate corruption and establish justice.

I do believe that by issuing this firm statement, I expose myself to further prosecution on various counts, including corruption, sex offences and treason, for which evidence will be vigorously invented. The prosecution’s intrigues are well known to the people and they will make their judgment. Mahathir’s lust for revenge is not yet satisfied, even though I have been physically assaulted and jailed for six years. The instruments of state, including Mohtar and the Attorney-General’s Office and media organisations under the control of the powers-that-be and wealthy businessmen will be worked to their maximum capacity to blind the people to injustice, corruption, cronyism and nepotism, especially as the election approaches. So-called leaders who are unjust and corrupt are terrified of the possibility that I would continue to expose their misdeeds. I will be kept away from the people. But they can plan; it is Allah Almighty Who disposes.

I am not sure why Mohtar’s ill will towards me had increased. It could have been caused by talk about the ACA investigating a report that he had holidayed in Italy with a corporate figure. I explained in my letter to the PM, dated 25 August 1998, that I knew nothing of such an investigation although it was alleged that I had ordered it. Nevertheless, I would not have prevented the ACA from doing its work. Another possible cause was a rumour spread by an ambitious lawyer that I would have him replace Mohtar as soon as I had the opportunity. This was false, but it nevertheless worried Mohtar.

I would like to stress to Mohtar that his worth is measured by his courage in ensuring justice without fear or favour, even if it means acting against a national hero or a wealthy merchant. It is not counted courageous to persecute an ordinary policeman for receiving a 20-ringgit bribe or a minor official for taking a tiny plot of land while we allow the big-time marauders to run amok, fleecing the nation of millions of ringgit and grabbing land by the thousands of acres.

Mohtar has no claim to glory when all he does is act as a gofer in a conspiracy serving the interest of a greedy and corrupt political clique. He should set himself free and repel attempts by the PM or Daim to control him. He should drop his phony conceit; he has no reason to feel great over his ability to make threats against young people who voice their concern over injustices in our system, including the practice of selective and malicious prosecution.

Anwar Ibrahim
Sungai Buloh Prison
May 20, 1999

 

Another piece by Anwar:

 

ANWAR delivered the following address in court on April 14, 1999 after Judge Augustine Paul pronounced him guilty on charges which most people believe were trumped up.

First, I would like to thank my lawyers, who have conducted the defence with such dedication and spirit. They deserve the greatest admiration.

Right from the beginning, I had no hope whatsoever that I would be tried fairly. I say this not out of prejudice; I base my statement on information I have been privy to. When I was in government, many senior officials, noting my reformist attitude, used to complain to me about all kinds of afflictions within the government machinery, including the judiciary. A very senior judge, out of his own volition, submitted a detailed report which showed how serious the crisis in the judiciary was. He gave several examples of personal misbehaviour and professional misconduct in the handling of court cases.

I have no hope of justice. The charges are part of a political conspiracy to destroy me and ensure Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s continued hold on power at whatever cost, even if it means sacrificing whatever little is left of the judiciary’s integrity. “You resign or I charge you.” That was the ultimatum the Prime Minister gave on the morning of 2 September 1998. Isn’t this corruption? The Prime Minister uses the judicial system as a tool to exert political pressure.

All the instruments of government–including the Attorney-General’s Office, the Police and, indeed, the Judiciary–are under the Prime Minister’s thumb. In the days of absolute monarchies, the king could do no wrong, rex non potest peccare. That is precisely how this country is ruled now; members of the ruling clique are immune from prosecution and those who go against them are humiliated and disgraced through trumped-up charges.

At the begining of the trial, the Honourable Judge exhibited some courage when he cautioned members of the administration against commenting on the case. But courage left him when the Prime Minister blatantly committed contempt of court by remarking that there would be chaos if I was found innocent. Was this not a warning to the court? And neither did the Attorney-General utter a single word. However, the honourable judge recovered his “courage” and “vigour” when my lawyers tried to question his rulings.

Indeed, this trial has influenced perception regarding our judiciary, not just among Malaysians but the international community as well. It has opened the people’s eyes. The court, in ruling that a political conspiracy was irrelevant and that certain witnesses were irrelevant, has helped me prove to the people that my prosecution was indeed part of a political conspiracy. I could not guarantee achieving this on my own even if I were to go on a nationwide campaign.

Charges were trumped up against me because I worked against corruption, power abuse, cronyism and nepotism in government. And the judge has declared: “Let the whole country be corrupt; it still has nothing to do with this case.” But corruption is precisely the issue; it was because I opposed corruption that I was expelled and it is because of corruption that this case cannot be tried fairly.

And while I am accused of corruption, the Attorney-General has not brought an iota of evidence—indeed he has not even tried to prove—that I used my position to enrich myself or my family. But the Prime Minister has directed Petronas to bail out Konsortium Perkapalan, which is owned by his son, Mirzan Mahathir. Isn’t this corruption? In my possession there is a report of an investigation over corrupt practices by a cabinet minister which was submitted to me by the Attorney General. It ends with this sentence: “The Anti-Corruption Agency and the Prosecution Division of the Attorney-General’s Office recommends that B1 (the minister concerned) be charged in court.” The report was signed on 14 March 1995 by a prosecutor named Gani Patail. And I have letters written by corporate figures to Tun Daim Zainuddin (when he was Finance Minister) which conclude thus: “In the event of my death or permanent disablement, this letter shall serve as irrefutable proof of your claim against my estate.” The amounts involved run into hundreds of millions of ringgit. I repeat my challenge to the ruling clique to give full disclosure regarding the approval of licences, contracts and shares by Tun Daim and me and privatisation approvals by the Economic Planning Unit.

The corruption charge against me is not a charge concerning pecuniary gain but one of abuse of power. But in the process of prosecuting me there have been so many startling incidences of abuses of power by the Prime Minister which point clearly to the existence of a conspiracy.

Coercion, ultimatums, even torture were used by the parties charged with the responsibility to fabricate evidence against me. I have evidence of such a conspiracy: from the involvement of the Attorney-General in the police affidavit calculated to vilify me in Dato’ Nallakaruppan’s case, alleging sexual misconduct on my part, treason, leaking government official secrets and corruption, to the cases of coercion and torture of Dr. Munawar Anees, Sukma Darmawan, and Mior Abdul Razak, the statutory declaration of Manjeet Singh, to the meeting between the police and Gani Patail at Bukit Aman on the night of 20^th September 1998. But the judge simply did not have the patience to hear all this. As Socrates once said: “A judge must be patient enough to hear the evidence of both parties.” On the contrary, in my case, my counsel Zainur Zakaria was found in contempt of court and others were warned that they too would be subject to the same punishment. I have overwhelming evidence concerning the deception and conspiracy but all this was brushed aside; even more so when the names Dr Mahathir and Tun Daim were mentioned, as if the court was more interested in protecting them than getting to the truth.

When I was still in office I referred to the need for legal reform, the need for the independence of the judiciary to be further strengthened. Many of the rich and powerful did not take kindly to my statement while many of the people read my statement with scepticism. Now they are no longer sceptical. As they say, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. The actions of a small group of people have destroyed the judicial institution. Only that I had unwittingly become the victim in order for people to be convinced about this. I have no regrets whatsoever. Perhaps this is just a small sacrifice on my part to convince the people how urgent and vital is the need for reform in this country, especially in the police force, the AG’s Department and the Judiciary.

Justice is the soul of a nation. Our tragedy is that there are people who are prepared to sell their souls for a pittance.

I was brought up on the adage: a tiger’s legacy is its stripes, a man’s legacy is his name. So, if I may ask, what is a judge’s legacy? Surely nothing if not his judgments. If his judgments be just, then they would be remembered for generations. Otherwise, his injustices will stink till Kingdom come.

I have been dealt with a judgement that stinks to high heaven. This is an absolute disgrace. An interpretation of corruption which is ludicrous, nauseating, in fact, when one considers how in Malaysia billions of ringgit of the people’s money are being squandered by leaders to save their children and cronies. They have made greed and unethical behaviour their private domain, rendering themselves above the law.

I have been convicted, but the people know that my conviction was according to the script written by the conspirators. It is not the Court but the conspirators who are sending me to jail. But remember that man is made of body and soul. My body may be incarcerated, but my soul remains free. However, there are those who are outwardly free, but their spirits remain forever shackled, imprisoned by their rank and status. Indeed their souls can be bought and sold.

This trial has been political persecution hiding behind the cloak of the law. I would advise the conspirators to stop this nauseating charade. To all Malaysians, regardless of race or age, I am grateful for their support. Hold fast to the struggle. Love Malaysia. And if we do love Malaysia then the fight against injustice, to establish justice and freedom, must be invigorated. The corrupt and despicable conspirators are like worms wriggling in the hot sun. A new dawn is breaking in Malaysia. Let us cleanse our beloved nation from the filth and garbage left behind by the conspirators. Let us rebuild a bright new Malaysia for our children.

 

If you look at what he talks about and then look at all the expose’s that are coming to light, example the surfacing of the Lingam Video, the themes that are uniting the “opposition” together - like the abolishment of ISA, one can almost sense where Anwar’s energy is coming from.

 

To succeed at the TOP, you need to be fueled by an internal desire, belief or even anger/hurt that is so strong it causes you to act on it.  

 

Is MAS impacting AirAsia share price?

 

The above 2 charts do tell a story, In the last 3 months Air Asia has seen its share price drop from RM1.40 (highest price on the 2nd April 2008 ) to RM0.86 (lowest price on 20th June 2008 ) a drop of 62% in value.  Air Asia’s IPO price was RM1.25 and closed at RM1.40 and (140.1 million shares).  At todays prices, AIR AISA is well below it IPO prices while it’s highest recorded price was RM2.14 on Oct 26, 2007.

MAS likewise has seen a decline in share price over the same period from RM4.20 (highest price on 6th May 2008 ) to RM3.18 (lowest price 19th June 2008 ) a drop of 32%. MAS is currently trading at its lowest since the 1st Jan 2007 and in the same period its highest has been RM6.20 on the 27th Feb 2007.  However the current price of RM3.18 is still above the level of RM2.2 (i think) when Idris Jala took office.

 

AIR ASiA - Recent Financial Results

Announcement Date		Financial Yr. End		Qtr	Period End		Revenue RM ‘000		Profit/Lost RM’000		EPS		Amended
29-May-08		31-Dec-07		Other	31-Mar-08		535,156		161,277		6.80		-
27-Feb-08		31-Dec-07		Other	31-Dec-07		632,792		245,723		10.40		-
23-Nov-07		31-Dec-07		1	30-Sep-07		461,585		179,977		7.70		-
30-Aug-07		30-Jun-07		4	30-Jun-07		432,154		185,050		7.90		-

 

MAS - Recent Financial Results

Announcement Date		Financial Yr. End		Qtr	Period End		Revenue RM ‘000		Profit/Lost RM’000		EPS		Amended
20-May-08		31-Dec-08		1	31-Mar-08		3,752,918		120,530		7.19		-
02-Apr-08		31-Dec-07		4	31-Dec-07		4,072,045		242,253		16.49		-
01-Apr-08		31-Dec-07		4	31-Dec-07		4,072,045		242,253		16.49		-
25-Feb-08		31-Dec-07		4	31-Dec-07		4,072,045		242,253		16.49		-

 

Looking at the financially, its is quite clear that AirAsia is still much more efficient at converting revenue into profit - based on 29 May 08 announcement Air Asia profitability was at 30.1% of revenue while MAS’s 20th May 08 results puts its profitability at 3.21% of revenue. Of course we don’t know what is on the balance sheet - but as it is AirAsia has much more capacity to absorb increases in oil price surges than MAS has.
For Malaysia , it comes down to a simple question - Will MAS buy AirAsia or will Air Asia buy MAS?  For the sake of competition - I hope neither scenario happens.  

Has MAS checkmated AirAsia?

First let me get this off my chest. I just flew in form Singapore this afternoon on MH612. We were made to sit in the plane for almost and hour in Changi with no air conditioning - and this was in the blazing heat at 3 pm in the afternoon. The reason for the delay was some technical problem that needed to be fixed but for pete’s sake - do put on an APU and pump in some air conditioning. MAS I understand you needing to be cheap, but stop being a cheapskate.

Anyway it is interesting to watch the MAS - AIRASIA battle unfold. MAS has launched its 2 million super cheap seats, by the way, not in retaliation to AIR ASIA but to flog of excess inventory it says….. Well I am sure that this is a move that Air Asia could never have imagined MAS doing.

Inadvertently MAS has used it otherwise unsold capacity to effectively put a lid on AIR ASIA’s pricing. After all if I am going to fly I will check both MAS’s and Air Asia’s fares and if MAS is a bit more expensive, the same, or cheaper - I will fly MAS. I don’t have to pay extra for my meal on board and I know get 20kg of luggage allowance to go with it.

Essentially what MAS is doing is shifting over “price shoppers” to consider MAS as a real alternative. Look at the amount of advertising MAS is doing - and MAs has historically done zero price advertising.

With the high fuel prices MAS still has the advantage of the business class and first class passengers to who are really paying for the full flight cost , which Air Asia doesn’t have. I laud Tony Fernandez’s initiative to say he will not hike up fuel surcharges but instead turn to merchandising to recover cost. In reality Tony needs to get his other businesses up and running - Tune Hotels, Tune Money etc and well managed he may actually outlast MAS in this tit for tat war.

Whatever it is, this is what the consumers wants - competition that eliminates inefficiencies and passes on the benefits to customers. Unlike other GLC’s like TNB and Telekom;s where the modus operandi is make the customers pay for the inefficiencies, MAS has actually worked hard to take out significant cost while recognizing that customers have a choice.

Converting internal departments/divisions into free standing businesses

This is a specific issues that I have been dealing with over the last 3 months with 2 different clients. Client A converted an internal division into a stand alone company a good 6 years ago - with the view that as a stand alone company they could also sell their services to other companies in similar industries.

Client B is now just about thinking of converting an internal division into a stand alone company - for the exact same reason as Client A, that is the services can be sold to other companies.

Somehow for those people who are running service departments - often referred to as cost centers, there is a seductive logic to becoming independent and it is quite easy to understand why. After all it cannot be to much fun constantly being referred to as a “Cost Center” and the fastest way to change that is to be a “Profit Center.” Then there is the lure of potentially better salaries and bonuses as well as upward mobility and recognition just like all the other “Profit Centers.”

Equally for management, if a Cost Center can be spun off to become a profit center - why not?

The move to create shared service organizations in large global companies is an example - however the motivation for such shared service organizations is not be a profit center but to deliver a service at the lowest possible cost.

Some organizations have found that they have strong and deep internal competencies that there is an outside market for such competencies, but this is more the exception than the rule. Having said that, some companies have successfully spun off internal departments into profit centers and those profit centers have gone on to take a whole new life of their own.

What makes the difference then between the internal department that gets spun off into a profit center and becomes successful and another internal department that goes down the same route only to flounder around?

The answer is “business acumen.” In most cases, the people who run the internal department do not realize that the competencies required to manage a departments are significantly different from that off a profit center. It is just like the person who enjoys cooking then opens a restaurant, only to find running a restaurant has nothing to do with enjoying to cook. Which is, by the way, why so many mom and pop restaurants fail.

As an internal department - one’s focus in on delivering services internally and if possible at the lowest possible cost - the prime concern here is all about service delivery. Whereas as a profit center - it is how to build a business, generate positive cash flows and make profit. The new competencies are all about product development, pricing, going to market, negotiations etc. There are a whole set of external and internal competencies required for success.

My advise for any company that is planning to go down this route is:
1. take a hard look at the business case, just like you would for any other investment.
2. put in a “CEO” with a proven track record for successfully growing businesses
3. put the business under the same level of Board scrutiny and standards of performance as one would do with any other business

Somewhere along the line there has to be a balance between “promoting entrepreneurship” hence giving
space to people to try out new things and pandering to internal whims and fancies.

The last thing one ones is the huge mistake IBM made in not listening to Ross Perot (who was an employee of IBM) ideas and Ross Perot left IBM to start up EDS and the rest is history. But I woudl strongly suggest EDS is more the exception rather than the rule.

Becareful of what you ask an old lady..

IT’s been a while since i posted any jokes so here is one that I hope you enjoy and it is specially for Doc Zawi…of Life as I see it.

Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren’t prepared for the answer.
In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand.

He approached her and asked, ‘Mrs. Jones, do you know me?’

She responded, ‘Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you’ll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.’

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, ‘Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?’

She again replied, ‘Why yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.’

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said,
‘If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I’ll send you both to the electric chair.’

How NOT to recruit a HR Director

I picked this up in the Saturday 10th May Star. Bank Simpanan Nasional is advertising for the position of Director, Human Resource. Read through the ad and see if you can spot what is wrong with it.

IF you did not spot it, let me share with you. The Ad request anyone who is interested in the HR Directors job to send the CV to Manager, Human Resource….who potentially will be the HR Directors subordinate.

If I were interested in applying for this very senior position, can you imagine the reluctance I would have, because my subordinate will be screening the applications.

As a note of advise, if one is recruiting for the jobs reporting to CEO, always ask the interested parties to mail their CV’s to the CEO. It just sends all the right messages.

Idris Jala - MAS offers 1 Million “free” tickets

IF you missed it, read all about it here: “MAS to launch zero fare tickets for domestic destinations today”

Is it really possible for an airline or for that matter any business to make money by giving away its product for free? In the case of MAS, it’s Managing Director has publicly stated that it will price 30% of its seats or 1 million seats as RM0 = USD 0.  All you have to pay is the fuel surcharge and airport tax. Is Idris out of his mind? The answer is No.

IF it is the right move or not, only time will tell, but any triz expert will probably agree that it is in the right direction.

 

If we look at the banking industry, over the last 15 years they have changed their main source of income from interest income (that is the difference in interested earned on loans disbursed and interest paid on deposits on hand) to fee based income. As the banking sector, like in any sector becomes more open and competitive, the power to set price erodes and the sector has to look for new ways to make money. In the case of banks, lending is so competitive that in certain categories like housing loans we even see negative base lending rate offers.  Banks have had to shift their paradigm from interest income to fee income - where people pay for “the value” of the service - like wealth management, advisory, and even down to transaction fees.

In the telco sector - look at how fixed lines have become dinosaurs as compared to mobile operators (Think de-merger Telekom Malaysia and TMI). Look at how pricing for mobile rates have just come crashing down - to the extent, phone companies are prepared to “give a way” free phones in return for a guaranteed subscription period.

 

Then against mobile co’s you have competitors like SKYPE and AIM, where you make video calls anywhere in the world for free, and now there is fring - using phone wifi to make phone to phone calls for free. Again you see how price comes crashing down.

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Newspapers - Paid papers like the STAR are seeing market share drop then there is the SUN for free which is increasing in circulation (read here).

 

So why is IDRIS Jala doing it and is it viable?

 

1. IDRIS is probably doing it to preempt the open skies agreement in 2009.  He is saying, yes let’s go for open skies but for a competitor to come in they too better have zero fare and still offer full service.  It will be interesting to see how AIR ASIA responds to this.

2. Is it viable? Probably yes. Its all down to cost structure and understanding of the P&L. If we start from cost, imagine you are an airline of 1 plane.  Once you have bought it / or leased it, your cost starts rising. Interest cost, depreciation, maintenance, parking charges. And you incur this even if you plane just sit on the tarmac and never moves.  

Then you decide to fly the plane and assume you have ZERO passengers. Again you will incur another set of cost to fly albeit empt. There is fuel cost, a crew to pay, landing charges etc.

Then you decided to carry passengers - now you need ticketing, sales staff, phones etc to answer calls, catering, more fuel etc.

So you see how quickly cost piles up with no certainty of the revenue yet.  I am sure DRB HICOM, previous owners of Air Asia can a test to this. 

 

Now with planes, there is one more bit to it, if all you have is 1 plane, and even if you give your tickets for free, people may not fly with you.  The one one more bit you need is frequency. How easy is it to get to a destination and back.  And this is MAS’s trump card in the domestic sector.

So how will MAS make money - they will do it using business 101:

a: accept that with open skies prices will come crashing . So crash your price first while building up non ticket related revenue like from selling services e.g. Engineering and maintenance, travel insurance…

b: convert as much as their fixed cost into variable cost; e.g like rent aircraft engine using “power by the hour“

c: eliminate all unnecessary cost or erosion of margin e.g. avoid ticketing agents and go direct through the web:http://www.malaysiaairlines.com

d: Give away you know unsold capacity for free (of course you recover fuel and airport charges). If MAS knows that on average 30% of its capacity is unsold, it is much better to give it for free and at least recover the fuel cost and airport tax to defray some of its cost. Conservatively, at RM81.45 per seat and with 1 million seats on offer, MAS will collect RM81.45 million in revenue as compared to ZERO if the seats were left empty. It will earn a cool RM4.1 million of interest on that money, or if it is used to pay down debts it will save RM6.5 million in interest expense per annum.

 

Now, all of the above is just me trying to figure Idris Jala and not facts from MAS, but I must say that this is move is really audacious! 

He is going to make money while protecting his market and at the same time consumers will benefit enormously.

 

Now if only Proton can start thinking like IDRIS!

 

 

 

 

 

911 Immortalized in US 20 bill

1) Fold a NEW PINK $20 bill in half.

2) Fold again, taking care to fold it exactly as shown below.

3) Fold the other end up as shown below.

4) Now simply turn it over.

What a coincidence! A simple geometric fold creates a catastrophic premonition printed on all $20 dollar bills!

COINCIDENCE? YOU DECIDE.

And, as if that wasn’t enough…

Here is what you’ve seen.

Firstly, The Pentagon on fire.

Then, the Twin Towers

And now, look at this!

A triple-coincidence on a simple $20 dollar bill!

And it gets better too! 9 + 11 = 20

History Mystery - Lincoln and Kennedy

Have a history teacher explain this—– if they can.

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday
Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln ’s secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy’s Secretary was named Lincoln .

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln , was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln , was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who ass assinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theater named ‘Ford.’
Kennedy was shot in a car called ‘ Lincoln ‘ made by ‘Ford.’

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials .

And here’s the kicker…

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

MindSpring

From now til the 27th of April, there will be few updates to the blog as I will be traveling.

My apologies…..

BTW - did you know if you downloaded FRING to your mobile phone you can make free calls to any FRING user anywhere in the world via WiFi!   Go Google search FRING and check it out.

What “walking the talk” is not

I said in an earlier post that we will get lots of data to study leadership and change for the aftermath of the elections.   One of the Critical Success Factors to bring about change and confidence in that change is for the leadership to be seen walking the talk.

The Prime Ministers post election cabinet is a good example of what not to do. Please bear in mind, that I have always maintained, you can make 100 correct choices but people will remember you for the 2 wrong ones you made.

In Pak Lah’s case his mistakes are:

1. Retaining Zulhasnan Rafique as FT Minister.  The Federal Territory saw 12 out of 14 seats go to the oppositions.  Simply on the basis of accountability, Zulhasnan should have done the right think and offered himself to not become minister or if that did not happen Pak Lah should have not picked him up as minister.

2. Bringing in Mohamed Taib.  One of the reason’s that BN was decimated in the elections was that Pak Lah had failed miserable to deal with the issue of corruption, which was the platform he stood on at the last elections.  Obviously he doest not read to well in between the lines.  Muhammad Taib was not even offered as a candidate for the elections , then he gets picked up as a Minister. This is the man who was caught with a brief case full of money at Brisbane airport and has to resign as chief minster of Selangor.

No amount of reason or rational can justify their selection.  The only message is send out is that BN/UMNO/PM will continue to say one thing and do another - so this is not how you walk the talk.

Strategy - Pak Lah’s fatal choice

I have always contended that the worse strategy to take is the “middle line” which puts you neither here nor there.  In strategy - be it corporate or political, the goal is alwys to find leverage = the least amount of effort for the most amount of results.

A middle line choice is always the worse - neither here, not there.

To test if my theory is correct, let us watch the political games that are in full swing in Malaysia right now.  The Prime Minister - Abdullah Badawi or Pak Lah just lead his party to its biggest white wash in Malayisa’s 51 year history. He is still PM but a PM on very shaky ground.

He had  the opportunity to make some very difficult choices (read PakLah Seize theDay), instead he went for the middle line - which has hugely compromised his position (read The Bells are tolling for Pak Lah).  safe to say if he survives through the UMNO General Assembly then my theory about the middle line is wrong, but if he doesn’t, then there is merit to my theory.

Now only time will tell, so keep watcing to watch how the story wil unfold.

SARAH & the Symptoms of Denial

In my last post titled : SARAH & the Malaysian Elections  I about how massive change can throw people in denial - which shows up as Shock, Anger and Resentment.    The person himself will say “no I am not in denial” or “we must accept the reality and move on” or words to that meaning but subconsciously the person is in denial.   (This is the espoused state vs operand state - espouse - what I say, operand - what I do)

(See MindCergas for the same on Ali Rustam)

We can easily differentiate the espoused from operand by looking closer at the contextual detail of speech.  In this case I will share with you what Nazri Aziz said in today’s STAR. I will annotate the article to show the tests that we can use to see what he is saying is being said in denial or as a statement of fact:

Nazri: We may see end of NEP

By SHAHANAAZ HABIB

KUALA LUMPUR: The election results signal the beginning of the possible demise of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and special rights for the Malays, said Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. (This is the assertion he makes, now we have to look for the evidence.)

The Umno supreme council member (Nazri)said it appeared that the Malays, especially in the town areas, had become more confident now and felt they could compete with the other races on a level playing field. (This the the assumption that drives the assertion)

“We (Umno) have to really sit down and think. It looks like the educated Malays do not care about Malay rights anymore,” he said when contacted.  (This is the basis of his assumption.  Do the Malay’s not care about Malay rights anymore?)

“The Malay doctors, lawyers, engineers feel they have made it on their own merit. (Now we start to see the conclusion he as arrived at - see ladder of inference)

“It looks like the NEP is not something that can be used to persuade the Malays to support the Barisan Nasional.  (This statement gives powerful insights to how Nazri has arrived at his conclusions - that the NEP is a tool to persuade MALAYS to support BN) 

(Nazri asserts)“The Malays are saying ‘you can’t scare us by talking about us losing our rights, because we are here on our own merit’.”  Nazri said it looked like some Malays felt that the NEP was unfair, and questioned  why special rights should be given to the Malays.   He described the new confidence among the Malays as good for the Malay psyche.
(He further elaborates his statement)

In the just concluded election, the Barisan only managed a simple majority in Parliament, and lost five states (Kedah, Selangor, Kelantan, Penang and Perak) to the Opposition. (The event that has shaken Nazri to make the above statements)

The Opposition had largely said they would dismantle the NEP and put in a place a new affirmative action policy based on need rather than race. (Nazri says, this was the opposition platform and the Malays , by not voting for Barisan, therefore support this platform)

Nazri, who retained his Padang Rengas  parliamentary seat by a majority of  1,749 votes, said he barely survived the political tsunami. (Nazri only got 53% of the votes)

He said the youngsters – Chinese, Indians and Malays – who returned from Kuala Lumpur to vote in Perak had tried to persuade their parents, who are Barisan supporters, to either not go out to vote or vote for the Opposition. (An assumption he holds)

“I only survived because of my personal touch with the voters,” he said. (Laugh, laugh, looking at the numbers, it was Siti Salmah Mat Jusak N19 Cenderoh who saved him, and Nazri says it later in this article, its the wakil rakyaats who must work hard…)

He believed the political landscape in the country had changed irreversibly and that all parties would now have to work harder. “Every wakil rakyat will have to work to win the hearts of the people. This is good for Malaysia because, at the end of the day, it is the rakyat who benefits,” he said. (So after making all those allegations and assumptions about the Malays, he actually knows the reason why UMNO/BN was white washed…. UMNO/BN had gotten fat and lazy and  just didn’t work hard enough and the people felt that enough was enough.)

As you can see, Nazri is angry and just lashing out at the Malays when in reality he knows that BN/UMNO lost it support because the Ministers had lost touch with reality and had become so arrogant. Remember it was Nazri Aziz who said - we (the politicians) are called Political Masters and you (the civil service) are called Government Servants , insinuating that the civil service as servants to the political masters.

Nazri’s is in denial and the longer he remains in denial, the faster he will sink.

SARAH and the General Elections - advice for BN

When massive change happens people go through a process that slowly helps them adapt to the change. Using the outcome of the recent elections - where the ruling coalition was whitewashed, we will be able to see the process unfold. The process is called SARAH an acronym for Shock, Anger, Resentment, Acceptance then Hope.

I think we can all relate to the Shock phase as the election results were being reported. In this Shock phase people are too stunned to do anything and the word you will hear are “I am stunned,” “I don’t believe it,” “Unbelievable,” “This cannot be happening”…….

From Shock we then move into Anger. Here people stat venting out and lashing out. Anger can be directed externally at others or internally to one’s self. “How could they have done this,” “Ungrateful people,” “Its all his fault,”…. You will see lots and lots of blame in here.

Then we move from Shock to Resentment. Here there is a lot of self pity…..”why me?”"What did I do wrong?” “Poor Zakaria, now he is dead,” … there is lots of words of sympathy and feeling sorry here. Here morale and energy is at its lowest.

From Resentment we move to Acceptance. Here the mind starts to think positively and focuses on how to move on. “Lets Regroup,” “its happened and there is nothing we can do,” “we have to work harder,” “they deserved to win,”….

And soon after Acceptance comes Hope . Hope is where the new beginning starts. People start to focus on plans and take action. Energy levels rise again and the future looks better….

No matter what, we all go through SARAH. Some faster then others, some better than others. The bigger the EGO the harder it is. HOWEVER, many a time people get stuck in the SAR range. Those stuck in SAR manifest high degree of denial, “The people still want me,” “I can fix the problem,’…

These people become bitter and vengeful and become dysfunctional and dangerous. If you get to AH then you are on your way.

For the winners - when you opponent is in SAR - do not antagonize them. They must have the space to heal if not all hell will break loose.

Lets look at quotes from election candidates and see if we can examples of sarah talk…

Najib said the unanimous support was also made at the Barisan supreme council meeting, in which all component party leaders indicated their full support for Abdullah’s leadership.

“With this pledge, the supreme council hopes that there will be no doubts in the leadership of Umno. Najib

“We have to get out of being in a state of denial. We have to be introspective; self evaluate or search within in a sincere manner. The people are demanding that. There is no time to lick wounds and find faults in others,” he said when asked to comment on whether it was true that anti-Pak Lah and anti-Khairy sentiment was one of the factors leading to voters voting for the Opposition. Hishamuddin

The Kelantan Barisan Nasional chief described its sixth consecutive loss in the general election since 1990 as a humiliation which was brought on by a tsunami-like wave from the west coast.

He blamed outstation voters who were presumed to be Barisan supporters, but voted for PAS instead.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu put on a brave front as feedback came from his supporters that he had lost his parliamentary seat.

He told them he was going home for a bath and did not return.

“I give you my word, ladies and gentlemen, that I will continue my efforts to strengthen Umno and Barisan Nasional, to launch the manifesto that we have promised so that our country will be safe, peaceful and properous (selamat, aman dan makmur),” he said. Pak Lah

Abdullah dismissed rumours that he was stepping down. “Why should I step down? Our party has won. I do not fear anyone except Allah,” he said

“I am very grateful for being given the opportunity to serve this constituency and I believe I have done whatever possible to make the people of Sungai Siput happy. “But times have changed and every good thing has to come to an end but there is always a new beginning,” he said. Samy Vellu

“It is not that they love Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PAS more that they voted against me,” he said, adding that Indians who were loyal Barisan supporters turned against him due to certain dissatisfaction. “The Chinese showed their resentment because of the economic backlash they often complained about,” he said in accepting his defeat. ZAM

Coping with Political Change - making the BR coalition work

The recent outcome of the elections is a massive example of large scale change. There is so much data coming out from it to show how people respond to change. I hope that we use the opportunity try and understand how people respond to change because the sooner we master it the more powerful we become.

Quoting Nelson Mandela:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”

In this recent GE, Malaysians showed that they are indeed powerful beyond measure With a simple X on a piece of paper, people who thought they were immensely powerful and had been treated so, lost every vestige of power. Samy Vellu, Sharizat Jalil, Awang Adek, Tajol Rosli, Khir Toyo. People use to kiss their hands for the power that they held. In one sweep, it all changed.

I am sure as the polling results were coming and and you saw the massacre, you must have gotten scared. What if its a total tsunami. What if the opposition does become government. Will there be riots linke may 13? All these are natural fears and it even came up in me as the results were being announced.

The new people who just came into power have a number of major issues to contend with, and if they do not deal with it effectively, the coalition will fail miserably.

Issue no 1: A picture of the future

They must quickly give people a picture of what the new will be. People must know what is going to change, when it will change, how i will change and the part that they can play in the change. If this is not done, the credibility of the new people will be reduced to rhetoric and credibility will go down the drain fast.

Issue no 2: Respect the past

It is so easy to start trashing talking the past and ponting out all that is wrong. This is the very reason you were voted in so don’t waste time surfacing the trash. Yes you have to deal with the corrupt and wrong doers but there is no need to humiliate them. Remember, many of those who voted for you were part of the previous system, and by respecting the past, you are showing respect to them too.

Issue no 3: Quick Wins

The new coalition needs to deliver quick wins. What they achieve in the next 100 days matters more then what they do in teh next 5 years. The voters took a huge risk and now they want to be reassured that it was well worth it.

Issue no 4: Over communicate

What ever the issue are or plans or ideas or roadblocks, just communicate. The grass roots want to know. many of you got voted in because you were over communicating in a very direct manner with your constituents. Also by over communicating, the propoganda channels of BN will be neutralised and trust me, BN will find fault at every single step you take.

Issue no 5: Talent & meritocracy.

Bring in professionals quickly. All the issues from policy issues all the way to municipal issues should be dealt with, with business like proficiency. This is the only way to eliminate corruption. No more Zakaria Deroses or Mokhtar Dahlans who rely on patronage to hold power.

Dear Rosfarina….

Thank you for you comment which you posted here…

Rosfarina, the reaction that you are getting from people is typical, so very typical. You should hear the GEMs of comments coming out from MAS (former) big wigs today about Idris Jala. They say, What Idris is doing is nothing great, “we too wanted to do it but was not allowed then to do it”.

Idris has accomplished what he has accomplished not because he is more special or much cleverer than the average Joe. He has accomplished it becasue he has been taught and he has learned to be a master of “understanding why we behave the way we behave and the impact it has on business performance.” He has mastered the process of “dreaming the impossible” and the “discipline of action.”

The steps and methodology to large scale turnarounds are similar, no matter what industry. Just read Who said elephants can’t dance - which chronicles Lou Gerstner’s turnaround of IBM.”

The difference between the Shell, IBM’s, Philip, Unilever, Nestle, etc of the world and the average malaysian GLC is that these companies invest a huge amount of money in developing their people. Not just in training but also in exposure. These companies tap into the top brains around the world not so much to figure out where their business must go, but how to get their people all fired up.

I said during the conference, the most dangerous person is a person who doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. And when confronted with new knowledge, the first reaction is to reject it. And the way we reject it is by trivializing it. So don’t get stressed by what you hear, it is only to be expected.

I said in the conference that human behavior in response to change is fairly predictable. “if we have to change or to find proof of why not to change, we get busy on finding the proof” - remember - my second slide!

The key quality of a good change leader is to be able to anticipate the respondent behavior and not get fazed by it.
So don’t be stressed, don’t be frustrated, don’t be angry. Just keep “preaching” and soon enough people will follow. The reaction you are getting is to be expected.