Let’s together stop the third wave
For the first time in history we can track the evolution of a pandemic in real time. Influenza viruses are notorious for their rapid mutation and unpredictable behaviour. – Margaret Chan, Chinese-Canadian physician who served as the WHO director-general Crowded coffee shops, markets, supermarkets and streets. This is although we are in the middle of […]
Adapting to new norms
Adaptation seems to be, to a substantial extent, a process of reallocating your attention. – DANIEL KAHNEMAN, ISRAELI-AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST AND ECONOMIST ‘Be Prepared’, something I remember from my time in the scouts. Sometimes no matter how forewarned we are about an impending situation; we tend to take it easy. Perhaps we have an over […]
Leadership and making hard choices
A good leader leads the people from above them. A great leader leads the people from within them. – M. D. Arnold, author Leadership is about a person’s ability to guide a group of people or an organisation towards achieving some predetermined vision and goals. True leadership is much more than just a person […]
Here we go again!
All political careers are a rollercoaster. – KENNETH CLARKE, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY POLITICIAN WHO SERVED AS CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER FROM 1993 TO 1997 The political rollercoaster in Malaysia since the 14th general election has always been in high gear. This election saw the ouster of the Barisan National (BN) government and the installation of […]
Unity in festivals — that’s Sarawak
Festivals promote diversity, they bring neighbours into dialogue, they increase creativity, they offer opportunities for civic pride, they improve our general psychological well-being. In short, they make cities better places to live. – DAVID BINDER, BRITISH-BORN AMERICAN JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR I always find there is ‘something’ about festivals, any festival. Whether it is just a […]
Better safe than sorry
The worst pandemic in modern history was the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed tens of millions of people. Today, with how interconnected the world is, it would spread faster. – BILL GATES, AMERICAN SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, INVESTOR, AND PHILANTHROPIST An epidemic as defined as the rapid spread of infectious disease to a large number of […]
Importance of a legacy
What do we intend to pass on after we move on? Legacy is about ‘passing on’ things that have lasting value to those who live on after us. It involves living intentionally and to build for the future of the next generations to ensure their success. Ideally, a legacy comes about when a leader does […]
Ban plastic bags and straws now!
Banning plastic bags so that people use paper bags or imported reusable bags that will end up in local landfills soon thereafter is not the only solution to our plastic bag challenge. – Kevin de Leon, American politician It seems that many still cannot live without plastic bags. The first man-made plastic was demonstrated at […]
Resolutions and visions of 2020
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. I think if you want to change something, change it today and don’t wait until the New Year. — GEORGINA BLOOMBERG, OWNER OF THE EQUESTRIAN TEAM NEW YORK EMPIRE, A PROFESSIONAL EQUESTRIAN, AND A PHILANTHROPIST Yes, it is that time of the year when we make promises to […]
Minimum wage — boon or bust?
The issue of minimum wage has grabbed the headlines. This is because starting January 2020, the minimum wage will be raised to RM1,200. However, before all employees get too excited, this RM1,200 minimum wage base rate will be limited only to workers in areas under the administration of 57 city councils and municipal councils. The […]
