About dad...

I bought my dad a lazy sofa for him today and he was so happy. What happened was he wanted to take one of my prized posessions away. I have this 2 pieces of Castilla limited editions lazy chairs which I bought in Singapore. He said he wanted to take away one as he needed one for him to watch TV. I told him there is no way I would give up those chairs even if he only wanted to borrow them. I know dad so well. He would take my cars for a ride and I could guarantee my own life, they would end up getting bumps and knocks here and there! No I am not exaggerating. At one time he took my Ford Ranger and it came back with a big dent right on the front bumper. I actually asked him how it happened and he said he was hit by a car. I know dad so well. He would not admit to anything. Anyone who saw the dent on the Ford Ranger could actually tell that it was caused by a self accident. I didnt want to argue with dad so I ended buying him another Ford Ranger so that he wont wreck my own! strangely enough, his Ford Ranger is now nearly 2 years with him and there is yet to be a single scratch on the car. it still looks brand new and he wont let another soul touch that Ranger! I guess for him its ok to wreck his sons' cars but big no no to his own.

ATI

if an organisation doesnt have accountability, transparency and integrity (ATI) mechanisms in place, believe me its people inside will try every opportunity to abuse its powers. These 3 pillars form the very principle of good governance. The best form of accountability is still public scrutiny. That is why public offices are encouraged to have feedback mechanisms such as having in place suggestion boxes and customer satisfaction surveys.

dont pass your judgement until you read the full facts

ไม่ให้ตัดสินจนกว่าคุณจะอ่านเต็มข้อเท็จจริง

The right to expose but not to criticize

As a public officer, you should never ever make any disparaging remarks about the Government policies.  But this does not mean you cannot expose abuse of powers or excesses of public officers.

what does this mean? well as an example, you should never ever make public criticism the government ban on smoking in certain public premises but you can certainly expose any public officer who flouts this ban!

Natural justice

there are 2 principles:

1.  you must listen to both sides of the argument

2. you cannot be fair if you are interested in the outcome

sebelum buat keputusan, dengar dulu deh kedua pihak dan kitane inda akan belaku adil kalau kitane ada kepentingan dalam keputusan atu.

clarity of silence

The privacy and clarity of silence
Can cleanse the heart
And heal it more easily and swiftly
Than all the words we so desperately try to find.

Silence gives space to thoughts and images,
Reflecting gently on details
Otherwise lost
In the murky water
Of the noisiness of life.

Silence brings wonder
At life’s meticulous design.
It purifies our surroundings.
Greater yet,
It distills our world within.

All at once we can breathe freely.
Gone is the smothering effect of trying too hard.
Gone is the pressure of fear and pain.

Silence is a great gift to ourselves.
It is a gift we ought at times
Give to others.

~Viola Jaynes

Paradox of plenty

In her book, The Paradox of Plenty Terry Lynn Karl explains why, in the midst of two massive oil booms in the 1970s, oil-exporting governments as different as Venezuela, Iran, Nigeria, Algeria, and Indonesia chose common development paths and suffered similarly disappointing outcomes. She contends that oil countries, while seemingly disparate, are characterized by similar social classes and patterns of collective action. In these countries, dependence on petroleum leads to disproportionate fiscal reliance on petrodollars and public spending, at the expense of statecraft. Oil booms, which create the illusion of prosperity and development, actually destabilize regimes by reinforcing oil-based interests and further weakening state capacity.

Karl's incisive investigation unites structural and choice-based approaches by illuminating how decisions of policymakers are embedded in institutions interacting with domestic and international markets. This approach—which Karl dubs "structured contingency"—uses a state's leading sector as the starting point for identifying a range of decision-making choices, and ends by examining the dynamics of the state itself.

isnt this a wake up call for us?