Servant leadership, a term coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf, is an approach to leadership development. He explains that the servant leader is being servant first, which begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve. According to him, servant leadership addresses the following questions:

• Do others around the servant leader become wiser, freer, more autonomous, healthier and better able for themselves to become servants?
• Will the least privileged of the society benefit or at least, no further deprived?

Concept and Impact of Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is an approach to leadership that puts serving others – including employees, customers and community, as the number one priority. Servant leadership emphasizes increased service to others, a holistic approach to work, promoting a sense of community, and the sharing of power in decision making. In short, servant leadership focuses on follower needs more than organisational outcomes.

Many world-class organisations have adopted servant-leadership as a guiding philosophy or as a foundation or as a foundation of their mission statement. Among these are TD Industries, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, and the The Men’s Wearhouse. These high-performance organisations teach and practice servant leadership. For individuals, servant leadership offers a means to personal growth – spiritually, professionally, emotionally and intellectually.

Characteristics of Servant Leadership
Are you a servant leader? According to Barbuto & Wheeler, there are 11 characteristics that describe a servant leader, namely:

Calling. Do people believe that you are willing to sacrifice self-interest for the good of the group? Servant leaders have a natural desire to serve others. This notion of having a calling to serve others is deeply rooted and value-based. Servant leaders have a desire to make a difference for other people and will pursue opportunities to impact others’ lives. A servant leader is willing to sacrifice self-interests for the sake of the others.

Listening. Do people believe that you want to hear their ideas and will value them? Servant leaders are excellent listeners. They are receptive and genuinely interested in the views and input of others. People instinctively understand that servant leaders want them to share their ideas and that these ideas will be valued.

Empathy. Do people believe that you will understand what is happening in their lives and how it affects them? Servant leaders can walk in the shoes of others. They understand and emphatize with the situations and problems of others.

Healing. Do people come to you when the chips are down or when something traumatic has happened in theirs lives? The ability to create an environment that encourages emotional mending is crucial for those who want to become great servant leaders. They are good at facilitating the healing process and others gravitate toward them when emotional needs arise.

Awareness. Do others believe you have a strong awareness for what is going on? Servant leaders have a keen sense for what is going on? Servant leaders have a keen sense for what is happening around
them. They are always looking for cues from the environment to inform their opinions and decisions. They know what’s going on and will rarely be fooled by appearances.

Persuasion. Do others follow your requests because they “want to” or because they believe they “have to”? Servant leaders seek to convince others to do things rather than relying on formal authority. They are naturally very persuasive and offer compelling reasons when they make requests. They never force others to do things.

Conceptualization. Do others communicate their ideas and vision for the organisation when you are around? Those who want to be great servant leader must develop an environment that fosters conceptualization.

Foresight. Do others have confidence in your ability to anticipate the future and its consequences? Servant leaders have an uncanny ability to anticipate future events. This is not to say they are psychic or always right, but they are adept at picking up patters in the environment and seeing what the future will bring. They usually anticipate consequences of decisions with great accuracy.

Stewardship. Do others believe you are preparing the organisation to make a positive difference in the world? Servant leaders are often characterized by a strong sense of stewardship. A steward in an organisation is responsible for preparing it for its destiny, usually for the betterment of society. Making a positive difference in the future is characteristic of the stewardship mentality.

Growth. Do people believe that you are committed to helping them develop and grow? Servant leaders have a strong commitment to the growth of people. They believe that all people have something to offer beyond their tangible contributions. Servant leaders work hard to help people in a number of ways – spiritually, professionally, personally.

Building community. Do people feel a strong sense of community in the organisation that you lead? Servant leaders have a strong sense of community spirit and work hard to foster it in an organisation. Those who want to be great servant leaders must develop an environment that fosters conceptualization.

In short, servant leadership is a leadership model which pays attention to the needs of employees and customers and as a result has significant impact on the bottom line of organisations. As a servant leader. The manager engages the hearts and minds of the employees who are the most valuable assets of the organisation.

As a pensioner, I frequent the golf clubs, not only in Kuching but also Miri, Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. I must also admit that I do frequent the kopitiam and eateries within Kuching city to meet up with friends as well as to discuss activities of a few NGOs in which I am involved. During these outings, I often met friends, former civil servants and academicians, who had retired from their respective Government agencies and universities. After exchanging the normal greetings, I normally asked them what they had been doing since retirement. The majority would say they were not doing anything special, except doing some gardening around the house, golfing and other forms of exercise, reading books and sending grandchildren to school. Some lucky ones had their services extended for two to four years in various Government agencies or private sectors; of course, not to forget, many muslim retirees spend more time in the surau and mosques to enhance their knowledge about the religion and thus preparing for the afterlife.

Recently, I was playing golf with a man in his early sixties with an engineering qualification from an Autralian University. He had just retired from an international oil and gas company, and before that was with Petronas in Miri and Bintulu. I also had coffee with two senior Professors who had just retired from a local University. All the three of them had nothing specific to do, and are willing to contribute something useful to the State and society, if their services and expertise are needed, even with a small remuneration or none at all. I said to myself, what a waste of all the talents and expertise?

For one thing, I know that most of these retired senior Govt officers and academicians are very well qualified; the academicians, especially have PhD degree from good universities in the UK, USA, Australia New Zealand and of course from local Universities. Most of the Senior Civil servants in the State service have got a Master degree; some of them had attended advanced executive training courses at Harvard University or other institutions of learning overseas or in the country. They had been sponsored by the government or its agencies under the various scholarship and short-termed training programs. Besides that, they had vast experience and knowledge after serving some thirty years or more in various capacities, including as directors, managers, educators and researchers in their fields of specialization. I strongly believe there is a lot of talent and experience out there that should be harnessed to enhance the talent pool and capability of both the public and private agencies in the State as well as national level. Thus the government and private sectors should find ways on how they couldencourage these retired people to contribute to society in their areas of expertise, especially in  policy analysis and impact assessment, research (both in physical and social sciences) and in the area of critical and creative thinking skills.

In developed countries, most of these experienced people are still contributing and productive until they are in their eighties; they are engaged as advisors, policy and financial analysts, research fellows, Adjunct professors, commentators on TV or as volunteers in hospitals or welfare homes. Let take for example, the recently appointed US Cabinet to start with. Most of the members have well passed their 60s, and some are in their 70s. Many of them are former ambassadors, experienced administrators, former Captains of industries and retired army general. The president himself is 78 years old, and so too, is John Kerry, the Climate Change Secretary. The Secretary of the Treasury, formerly with the US Central Bank is 73 years, and the Secretary of Defence, a retired four stars general, is over 65 years old. On top of that, there is the ever-green and articulate Nancy Palosi, The Majority House Leader, and Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical advisor to the President , both of them are 80 years of age; they are still very articulate and contributing to the nation. I believe more than half of the people appointed into the cabinet by President Biden recently are above 65years old, and many had left their previous appointment before they got appointed. Despite their age, They all seem to be highly energetic and enthusiastic about their new appointment. By the way, the majority of winners of the Noble prizes in Science, medicine and economics were well into their sixties and seventies when they were received the awards.

Apart from getting appointed or reappointed into public offices, I also noted that many analysts and commentators appearing on CCN, BBC and AlJazeera TV news are retired people, either from the Diplomatic service, armed forces or big corporation. In most cases, they are employed, most probably on part-time basis, as Research fellows, political or financial analysts by reputable NGOs and think-tanks in the USA or UK. These NGOs recognized the depth of knowledge and experience possessed by these retired people. They are normally being invited by the big international media to give their views on important events happening around the world, especially in countries where they had served. CNA of Singapore is also doing the same, but our TV stations do not seem to be in the habit of doing that yet, unless the pensioners join politics or get reappointed in the government service.

I strongly believe the government and private sector, including NGOs, should harness the wealth of experience and skills available with these recent retirees, many of whom are still in their early or mid sixties. They still have many more fruitful years to contribute to society. One condition is, of course, they are healthy both physically and mentally and still willing to contribute. I am not proposing that they be reappointed full-time in the service or in private corporation, as this may be seen as depriving the younger people of job opportunities. It is supposed that they could be appointed as advisors, Sernior Research Fellows/fellows or analysts to fill up the gap not readily available or to supplement existing talent in the organization in which they are going to be placed. They could be appointed on a part-time basis or on specific assignment basis, and be given a small allowance which could be negotiated. Their terms and condition must be worked out properly for a win-win situation. Some of the tasks that could be assigned to them include undertaking scientific research on specific topics of interest to government agencies, policy review and impact assessment of certain projects, lecturing and mentoring and even to assist in reviewing consultant reports of the numerous studies commissioned and financed by the Government.

To start the ball-rolling, MASA could act as the secretariat for this project. It could start an inventory which would list down the names of the retirees who are interested, their addresses, contact numbers and their areas of expertise. MASA could act as a match-maker between government agencies and corporations, on one hand and the retirees, on the other. Your comments are most welcome.

]]> /motivating-employees-with-praise/ Thu, 10 Nov 2022 01:57:56 +0000 https://masasarawak.com/?p=5407 by: Abdul Rahman Deen

Studies in organisational behavior and management indicate that an employee’s performance is dependent upon his or her ability and motivation, underlining the importance of employee motivation in the success of any organisation. Consequently, the challenge of motivating employees to perform to the best of their anility has been recognized as a manager’s primary task and an integral part of his or her responsibilities.

The root word of motivation is “motive” suggesting that the process of motivating a person to engagein a particular behavior is basically to give the person a good motive or reason to do so. Hence if I motivate my son to study hard by promising him a reward of a trip to Singapore if he achieves excellent result in his examinations, essentially what I have done, is to give him reasons to put in the extra effort and study harder. The challenge then, is for managers to identify and provide appropriate reasons that are important to the individuals concerned.

Research on work-motivation has spawned many theories that have been categorized as reinforcement theories, content theories and process theories. The reinforcement theories postulates that the probability of a particular behavior being repeated or not would depend on the consequences of that behaviour. In other words, the perceived consequence is the reason why the individual either repeats or avoids a particular behaviour in the future.

One very powerful reason that can elicit desired behavior and act as a positive reinforcement that unfortunately managers do not use often enough is PRAISE. Peter Black, a noted journalist and TV critic wrote:

“I am very fond of praise, by which I mean a compliment that the receiver knows is earned. As a lubricant and a stimulant, praise is so undervalued. Is it the ingredient that supplies motivation and power. It is the distilled water that tops up the flat batteries of life, but there is not enough of it about…”

Similarly, General Smuts of the US army once said: “Praise can bring the color of the drabbest of lives, it can make a life worth living and help a man to succeed.” Several bestsellers in the field of management have sold the virtues of praise. Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson’s “ONE MINUTE MANAGER” has the simple message: ‘one minute praising’ can do wonders to uplift the spirit of workers. In another management classic “GUNG HO”, Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles discuss the importance of congratulations and cheering each other as a surefire way to boost employee enthusiasm, productivity and performance in an organisation.

In their book “HOW FULL IS YOUR BUCKET”, co-authors Tom Rath and Don Clifton says that there are twenty thousand moments in a given day to make our interactions with others positive emotions.
Consider the following fact presented by Shary Hauer in her article “Have You Said Your Praise Today?”:

The number one reason people leave their jobs: They don’t feel appreciated. Sixty-five percent of employees received no recognition in the work place (this was in USA, it could be much higher here in Malaysia).

Praise is powerful because people have an inherent need to be appreciated. Praise satisfies the higher order needs of ego and self-actualization as identified by Abraham Maslow in his theory on the hierarchy of needs.
The Executive Chairman of a local company believes that showing appreciation and recognizing contribution are the foundation for building a positive human relation with his staff. “If we do not acknowledge the extra effort or special consideration that others have made for us and show our appreciation with a simple ‘thank you’ or ‘terima kasih’ they may have feel that their efforts are taken for granted and will be disappointed. It is the same when they do something well. If we don’t recognize their achievement, they will be disappointed. Every manager must know the significance of saying ‘thank you’ and ‘syabas’. Doing so connect us positively with what they have done and themselves.”

However, do not make the mistake of thinking that any praise is good praise. Indiscriminate use of praise would be counter-productive. Here are some guidelines on using praise:

• Praise with a purpose.
  The purpose of praise is to improve employee morale and productivity, not to get the
  employees to like the manager.
• Target your praise.
  Be very specific. Do not say “Ahmad, you are doing a great job”. Instead, be more focused and
  say “Ahmad, you did a great job in preparing our new work schedule.”
• Be sincere.
  Praise is not flattery – flattery is lying. Praise must be given sincerely and only when it is
  justified. Insincere praise may cause you to lose your credibility.
• Praise in proportion.
  Praising an employee too frequently waters down the praise; on the other hand, praising too
  little is also not effective. Some employees may require more praise than others. The manager
  needs to understand the employee and use discretion is giving praise.
• Don’t praise the employee, praise their works or abilities.
  Instead of saying “you are a brilliant person”, sat “that was a brilliant speech” or “you are a
  very talented speaker.” By doing so, we do not judge the person but his actions.

Providing genuine and sincere praise is not difficult and does not cost much. All levels of managers can give it and all levels of employees seek it. However, do not assume that praise alone is enough. Excellent performance over time deserves more than just compliments. Praise loses its value if that is all that the employees ever get. Meaningful goals, supportive leadership, challenging and interesting job assignments, equitable pay, bonuses and other form of rewards to recognize and appreciate superior performance are also necessary.

For a country benefit from globalisation, it has to be internationally competitive, that is, it has to be able to compete with others in order to penetrate into other’s domestic economics, investment or market. There are three main areas of competition arising from globalisation: investment, technological development and market penetration.

Investment

Malaysia’s economic growth had largely been propelled by foreign direct investment (FDI). However, of late, FDI in Malaysia had declined as many foreign investors from countries such as the United States of America and Europe have turned to China, Vietnam and others. To attract more FDIs to the country, there is a need to look at the factors that influence international of foreign investment in Malaysia. Among them are:

• Labour cost – Malaysia is a medium wage country. However, wages are rising at a faster rate compared to its neighbouring nations such as China, Vietnam and Indonesia. Thus, Malaysia can no longer just bank on low wage as competitive advantage. Instead, it has to improve its labour productivity in order to attract more FDIs to the country.
• Infrastructure – Malaysia has a well-developed infrastructure which is an attraction to foreign investors. However, it has less developed infostructure. Thus, Malaysia needs to develop both its infrastructure and infostructure in order to make it a more attractive destination for foreign investors.
• Political and social environment – Political stability and a conducive social environment are important factors that enhance foreign investment. Malaysia is a country where there is racial harmony. This has helped to some extent to attract FDIs to Malaysia. However, Malaysia needs to continue to nurture a tackling the problems of the increasing number of foreign labours in the country and the rising number of social problems such as crime.
• Diverse cultures/multiracial society – The racial harmony among the three major ethnic groups in the country, namely Malays, Chinese and Indians, provides an assurance of peace in the country which eventually will encourage foreign investment. However, Malaysia needs to continue harnessing the richness of her culture and use it as an advantage in attracting more FDIs to the country.
• Malaysian government has been emphasizing the importance of education, especially the learning of English as it is an international medium of communication. The ability to converse well in English is extremely vital as it is an attraction for foreign investors to invest in our country.
• Social, health and recreational amenities – the government is concerned with the social needs of the foreign investors in Malaysia. For instance, the government provides international schools for the children of the expatriate families. However, better health and recreational amenities need to be provided to cater for the needs of these foreign investors.

Technological development

Technology has been found to be an important determinant of competitiveness. Many of the advanced countries today such as Japan, USA and the European nations built their competitive advantage based on technological development. The use of technology also has been found to be able to reduce if not eliminate the traditional barriers of time, space and form. Thus, it is important for Malaysia to enhance her technological development. However, the life span of technology is short. This calls for the need to update our technology. The presence of adequate infrastructure, for instance the educational infrastructure and qualified human capital such as scientists and engineers, are important to enhance technological development. In addition, Malaysia needs to develop its indigenous technology in order to compete internationally. For instance, it should develop the technology to manufacture products from local agricultural produce which Malaysia has comparative advantage. Joint venture is another aspect that should be considered for technological development.

Market penetration

The local market has limited scope for expansion due to its small population. We must be able to penetrate into the global market. In deciding where to export, we need to conduct research on potential foreign markets. Pricing and product quality have been the two major considerations for firms in marketing products. Generally, in making purchasing decisions, price rather than the quality is the main concern among consumers in developing countries due to their lower purchasing power. In developed countries, the opposite is true.

There is a trend for countries in a region to cooperate and form a common market. This trend towards regional collaboration and regional unity is to broaden the market. For instance, the creation of ASEAN + 3 is to create a bigger regional market. In Malaysia, the government promotes the marketing of its products, in particular the agriculture products through the creation of “Kitchen Malaysia” – a good initiative to help in establishing restaurants all over the world to promote Malaysian food.

In international trade, free trade is an idealised market model whereby trade of goods and services between countries flow unhindered by government -imposed prices. The history of free trade is a history of international trade focusing in the developments of open market. The free trade theorists offered trade as the reason why certain cultures prospered economically. However, trade barriers have restricted the development of free trade among countries in the world.

In fact, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was established to promote international trade through the reduction of trade barriers and provide a platform for countries to negotiate trade issues. Despite the efforts of the WTO to develop trade among nations, international trade today is hampered by a myriad of trade barriers. International trade is dominated by the superpowers, namely United States of America, the United Kingdom, Japan and the fast-rising China. Developing countries such Malaysia have to strategically compete with the bigger powers.

In conclusion, the future global trading environment is becoming more complicated and competitive. This calls for ongoing efforts to upgrade products and services, and to inculcate a high technological and knowledge society. In particular, Malaysia needs to focus on R&D in product development for higher value-added product, and identify our strength and weaknesses as it is better to compete on strength and not on weaknesses. For Malaysia to meet the challenges of globalisation and be internationally competitive it must develop its own niche products, focus continuously on human capital development, be visionary, improve productivity and enhance product quality, improve the government’s service delivery system, enhance innovation and creativity among domestic enterprises,improve the scientific technology infrastructure, and enhance value-added creations.

]]> /are-you-a-leader-or-a-manager/ Thu, 10 Nov 2022 01:06:22 +0000 https://masasarawak.com/?p=5399 by Kuldip Singh, MASA Board Members

Leadership and management are often used as if they are synonymous; some authors treat leadership as if it is good management. Although there is considerable amount of overlap between leadership and management as suggested by Peter Northhouse (2001), there are significant differences between the two as evidenced by the distinction made by Bennis and Nanus (1995) that:

“Managers are people who do things right and leaders are people who do the right thing.” As Stephen Covey in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” puts it, ‘Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.’

Management can be defined as an activity relationship between a manager and at least one subordinate, where they coordinate activities in order to produce and sell products or services.

Leadership, however, is an influence relationship between leadership and followers, with the intention to change something. Joseph Rost (1991) argues that leadership is ‘a rare phenomenon, not a common one in organizational behaviour’. Rost also believes that management is unidirectional (top-down), as oppose to leadership which is multi-directional (i.e. leaders influence other leaders and followers, and followers influence other followers and leaders.)

Zalesnik (1997) argues that managers are reactive and prefer to work with people to quickly solve problems in an unemotional style. Conversely, leaders are emotionally active, seek to share and expand ideas, and intend to change the way people think about what is possible. John Kotter (1990) addresses the distinction between leadership and management by listing the most important aspects of each.

For management, they are planning and budgeting, organizing and staffing, controlling and problem solving – all of which produces a degree of predictability and order to attain short-term results for stakeholders. For leadership, he lists establishing direction (vision and strategies), analyzing people (communication and team-building), and motivating and inspiring (overcoming barriers and satisfying human needs) – all of which are intended to produce change, often to a dramatic degree. Kotter (1990) also points out that leadership and management are learnable skills that are complimentary to each other. Similarly, Warren Bennis in his book, “On Becoming a Leader” states that management is more focused on implementation, compliance and tactical orientation while leadership is focused on innovation and change inclusion and development, and a strategic orientation.

To illustrate the difference between management and leadership, consider the construction of a new road. To build that road there are workers, machinery and tools which are all vital in the road’s construction. The managers help ensure that the workers, machinery and tools work together in the most efficient way possible. They will mare sure those workers are well trained, motivated, rested and that they know what they are supposed to do next. The manager does the same thing with the tools and the machinery to ensure that they are working correctly and that the workers are able to use them efficiently and safely. This is the role of a manager. However, a leader makes sure that the road is going in the right direction before the construction begins. That leader also monitors conditions in new situations to ensure that the road under construction is still the correct one and still going in the right direction.

People will comply with a manager but will commit only to a leader. The title of a leader cannot be given. It only comes once employees respect the leader, and respect cannot be imposed or ordered. It must be earned. John Maxwell puts it clearly in his best-selling book “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” that people must buy into the leader before they will buy into the leader mission.

In conclusion, it can be argues that the difference between leadership and management is a question of projection. It is increasingly agreed that where management is a question of projection. It is increasingly agreed that where management is the art of achieving results within the reality and constraints of today, leadership is about creating and articulating the vision of where we want to be tomorrow, and the skill to get people to follow you there. John Kotter in his book, “Leading Change” suggests that during times of change 70-90% of a manager’s time should be spent on leading and 10-30% on managing. Whereas the disciplines of the former have perhaps been better recognized and applied in the past, the successful organizations of the future will be those that recognize, develop and apply both in equal measure.

23 April 2022

Kepadatan Kawasan Letak Kereta di Kuching

Ibu negeri Sarawak, iaitu bandar Kuching kini pesat membangun dengan aktiviti ekonomi semakin rancak yang menjadikan bandar ini sebuah tarikan bagi warga Sarawak untuk bekerja di bandar. Kemasukan lebih ramai warga negeri ke bandar ini diikuti dengan perkhidmatan kenderaan awam yang kurang baik, telah menyebabkan lebih banyak orang mengguna kenderaan sendiri seperti motorsikal dan kereta. Untuk urusan tertentu. Salah satu masalah yang timbul ialah wujudnya kepadatan kawasan letak kereta dan terdapat banyak pengguna jalan raya telah meluahkan rasa kecewa dengan kesukaran yang berlaku akibat daripada keadaan ini. Malah, tidak ada jalan penyelesaian jangka panjang dalam menangani isu ini. Berdasarkan apa yang telah diperhatikan dan juga pendapat orang ramai mengenai masalah ini, Institute of Management Sarawak (MASA) melakukan kajian ringkas di sekitar bandar Kuching.

Untuk mendapatkan maklumat lanjut mengenai keadaan ini, tiga lokasi telah dipilih untuk kajian ialah Bazaar Utama (Waterfront), Satok dan Padungan. Walaupun terdapat kawasan lain seperti Kenyalang Park dan Metrocity, kepadatan kawasan letak kereta tidak begitu sesak berbanding tiga lokasi yang telah dipilih. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa ketiga-tiga kawasan ini merupakan lokasi yang rancak dengan aktiviti ekonomi dan pelancongan. Hal ini kerana terdapat ramai pengunjung yang memasuki ke kawasan yang mempunyai pelbagai barang keperluan dan tujuan seperti bank, pejabat, bahan rempah, makanan segar, restoran, kafe serta kedai pakaian. Malah terdapat kawasan yang menjadi tarikan pelancong, perhotelan dan pusat beli belah yang meningkatkan lagi jumlah pengunjung serta sebilangan lagi merupakan pekerja yang turut menggunakan kawasan letak kereta.

Berdasarkan pemerhatian dan maklumat yang diperolehi daripada temubual bersama pihak berkuasa tempatan seperti Dewan Bandaraya Kuching (DBKU) dan juga pihak polis, mereka menyatakan bahawa kepadatan kawasan tempat letak kereta berlaku pada waktu tertentu sahaja. Contohnya, Satok dan Padungan yang sibuk mulai jam 7.00 pagi sehingga 2.00 petang sahaja dan kawasan tersebut menjadi kosong terutamanya pada waktu malam dan hujung minggu. Tindakan telah diambil seperti (pihak polis) mengenakan saman ke atas kenderaan yang melakukan kesalahan meletak kereta tetapi tindakan ini masih belum dapat mengurangkan tahap kepadatan di kawasan tersebut.

Kebiasaannya kepadatan kawasan letak kereta berlaku pada waktu tertentu sahaja iaitu pada jam 9.00 pagi sehingga 2.00 petang, seperti kawasan di Satok dan Main Bazaar yang mana banyak kenderaan seperti kereta, motorsikal dan lori telah memenuhi jalan raya. Kebanyakan pengguna di kawasan tersebut sekadar singgah untuk menghantar atau membeli barangan keperluan, sarapan dan makan tengahhari. Selain itu, terdapat juga sebilangan pengunjung yang tiba pada waktu malam atas tujuan riadah namun keadaan tidak begitu sesak berbanding pada waktu siang.

Keadaan yang sama turut berlaku di Satok yang padat dengan kenderaan seawal jam 9.00 pagi sehingga jam 2.00 petang. Kawasan ini merupakan sebuah pusat komersial yang terdiri daripada bank, restoran, pusat kewangan, kedai pakaian, bengkel kenderaan, perniagaan kecil serta pelbagai pejabat syarikat yang menyebabkan kepadatan kawasan letak kereta berlaku apabila ramai yang berkunjung ke kawasan ini. Selain itu, terdapat ramai pengunjung yang telah singgah ke Satok atas urusan perbankan, makan tenggahari dan juga membeli belah turut meningkatkan lagi kepadatan kawasan letak kereta di kawasan tersebut. Kesalahan meletakkan kenderaan kerap berlaku seperti double parking, yellow line parking, dan motorsikal yang mengambil ruangan letak kereta dan kesalahan ini telah menyebabkan kesukaran kepada pengguna yang lain. Selepas jam 2.00 petang, kawasan ini masih lagi sibuk tetapi tidak seperti pada waktu pagi yang mana kawasan letak kereta kurang padat.

Keadaan ini turut berlaku di Padungan yang mana jalan raya utama menjadi sesak apabila terlalu banyak kenderaan (terutamanya kereta) terpaksa meletakkan kenderaan mereka di bahu jalan. Kepadatan Kawasan letak kereta bermula seawal 7.00 pagi sehingga jam 2.00 petang kerana pengunjung mahu singgah bersarapan dan makan tengahhari. Namun keadaan kepadatan kawasan letak kereta mula berkurangan selepas waktu tersebut. Di kawasan ini, terdapat banyak restoran yang menjadi tarikan utama kepada pengunjung selain sebuah pasaraya yang menjadi tumpuan untuk mencari barang keperluan harian. Keadaan trafik di Padungan terlalu sesak sehingga mengambil masa yang lama untuk melalui kawasan ini terutamanya pada waktu tenggahhari.

Antara punca kepadatan kawasan letak kereta adalah kawasan letak kereta yang berdekatan dengan tumpuan pengunjung tidak mencukupi. Namun begitu, setelah beberapa siri pemerhatian dilakukan di kawasan lain seperti Main Bazaar dan Padungan, terdapat beberapa buah kawasan letak kereta yang disediakan seperti Taman Kereta, Saujana Parking, Medan Pelita dan juga Plaza Merdeka tetapi tidak digunakan sepenuhnya disebabkan kedudukan yang dianggap jauh daripada destinasi pengguna. Keadaan ini turut berpunca daripada sikap pengguna jalan raya sama ada mahu meletakkan kenderaan mereka ditempat yang telah disediakan atau meletakkan kenderaan berdekatan dengan destinasi yang hendak dituju. Kebanyakan warga Kuching bersikap mahu meletakkan kenderaan dekat dengan lokasi yang menjadi tumpuan mereka sahaja bahkan terdapat juga segelintir pengguna tidak mahu berjalan kaki atas faktor jarak yang dianggap jauh. Maka mereka memilih untuk melakukan kesalahan meletak kenderaan seperti double parking dan yellow line parking.

Malah terdapat segelintir pengguna motorsikal telah menganggu ruangan letak kereta apabila mahu meletakkan motorsikal berdekatan dengan destinasi mereka dan keadaan ini menyukar pengguna kereta sehingga ada yang terpaksa melakukan kesalahan meletak kereta. Selain itu, terdapat juga lokasi yang mempunyai kawasan letak kenderaan yang terhad serta sukar untuk membina kawasan letak kenderaan kerana ruang yang tidak mencukupi. Maka, berlakunya pelbagai jenis kesalahan meletak kenderaan akibat daripada kesukaran yang dihadapi seperti di Satok kerana lokasi tersebut semakin padat bagi bilangan pengguna yang semakin banyak.

Kurangnya tindakan penguatkuasaan daripada pihak berkuasa seperti polis juga turut menjadi salah satu faktor penyumbang kerana pengguna jalan raya akan melakukan lebih banyak lagi kesalahan meletak kenderaan tanpa perlu risau akan kehadiran daripada pihak berkuasa. Malah, pihak berkuasa tempatan juga tidak mampu mengambil sebarang tindakan kerana isu sebegini luar daripada bidang kuasa mereka. Maka situasi ini menyukarkan pihak berkuasa tempatan untuk mengambil tindakan.

Berikut adalah beberapa cadangan yang boleh diajukan menangani isu ini khasnya menganjurkan kempen kesedaran atau peringatan daripada pihak polis dan pihak berkuasa tempatan seperti DBKU untuk membentuk sikap prihatin pengguna jalan raya serta mengalakkan pengguna jalan raya untuk merancang waktu berkunjung, contohnya pergi ke bank pada sebelah petang agar dapat mengurangkan kepadatan kawasan letak kereta di waktu pagi. Cadangan kedua ialah pihak polis hendaklah melakukan rondaan dengan lebih kerap dalam menangani masalah kesalahan meletak kenderaan agar dapat menimbulkan kesedaran terhadap para pemilik kenderaan. Seterusnya, memberi kuasa kepada pihak berkuasa tempatan seperti DBKU bagi mewakili pihak polis untuk mengenakan kompoun kepada pengguna jalan raya yang melakukan kesalahan meletak kenderaan.

Keempat adalah mengkaji sistem pengangkutan awam dalam kawasan bandar agar dapat memudahkan perjalanan para pengguna. Secara tidak langsung akan mengurangkan kebergantungan terhadap kenderaan peribadi. Kerap melakukan promosi untuk menarik pengguna jalan raya meletakkan kenderaan mereka di tempat letak kenderaan bertingkat sebagai usaha dalam mengawal kepadatan kawasan letak kereta yang sedia ada. Bagi menjayakan pelaksanaa ini, kerjasama daripada pelbagai pihak seperti polis, pihak berkuasa tempatan dan pemilik tempat letak kenderaan bertingkat amat diperlukan kerana dengan usahasama akan dapat mengurangkan kepadatan dan kesalahan di kawasan letak kereta.

20 Mei 2022

Keadaan dunia pada hari ini semakin berubah menjadi lebih mudah dan pantas, hal ini disebabkan perkembangan pesat teknologi yang memacukan kepada perkembangan segala urusan kita. Antara perkara mengalami kemajuan ialah mengenai ease of doing business atau mesra niaga yang membawa maksud sistem ranking sesebuah negara dalam melakukan perniagaan. Segala urusan perniagaan seperti permohonan lesen atau permit menjadi lebih mudah, sistem pemprosesan yang ringkas dan pantas serta tanpa urusan birokrasi yang banyak.

Namun begitu, keadaan yang berbeza telah berlaku di Malaysia apabila terdapat beberapa buah syarikat asing telah berpindah keluar dari Malaysia. Terdapat pelbagai faktor yang menyumbang kepada scenario ini, antaranya ialah keadaan pasaran yang lemah, penurunan jualan dan permintaan serta peningkatan kos operasi. Ketidakstabilan politik dan juga pertukaran SOP telah memaksa sebahagian syarikat asing untuk menutup operasi di negara ini. Keadaan begini akan menyukarkan lagi syarikat asing untuk beroperasi di Malaysia. Selain itu, faktor mesra niaga juga menjadi nadi penting dalam menarik syarikat-syarikat asing.

Apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan mesra niaga?. Menurut Pawan Kumar dan Dilip Kumar (2021), mesra niaga bermaksud hasil gabungan undang-undang dan proses yang dipermudahkan seperti urusan cukai, memudahkan operasi perniagaan dengan sokongan berstruktur seperti pengangkutan, perundangan, sistem perbankan dan kewangan yang kondusif kepada perniagaan. Berdasarkan kedudukan mesra niaga di peringkat global, Malaysia berada di kedudukan ke12 dan ianya kelihatan baik berbanding negara-negara lain. Namun, negara jiran iaitu Singapura berada dalam kedudukan lebih baik serta mampu menarik lebih banyak lagi syarikat asing untuk masuk ke negara kota tersebut.

Singapura adalah sebagai contoh terbaik dalam pengurusan ease of doing business. Banyak perkara yang boleh kita pelajari daripada negara kota tersebut. Berdasarkan rekod Bank Dunia, Singapura berada di kedudukan kedua terbaik dunia selepas New Zealand pada tahun 2020. Walaupun memiliki saiz negara dan populasi yang kecil, mereka telah berhasil dalam meningkatkan prestasi urusan perniagaan agar dapat menarik lebih ramai lagi para pelabur asing. Berdasarkan laporan profil ekonomi Singapura, proses untuk memulakan perniagaan hanya memakan masa selama kurang daripada satu hari. Manakala bagi kelulusan pekerja asing hanya memakan masa tujuh hari berbanding Malaysia yang mengambil masa sehingga enam bulan. Manakala untuk mendaftar insurans pekerja pula mengambil masa satu hari sahaja. Antara kelebihan dalam Singapura ialah mereka hanya menggunakan sistem atas talian bagi segala urusan pendaftaran atau permohonan dan tidak perlu sebarang pergerakan fizikal. Kita boleh mengikuti Langkah sebegini untuk memudahkan urusan perniagaan. Tambahan pula dengan kesukaran untuk bergerak secara fizikal akibat penyebaran wabak Covid-19, penggunaan digital amat diperlukan ketika ini.

Satu lagi elemen yang memudahkan urusan perniagaan di Singapura ialah sistem perundangan yang kukuh dalam melindungi hak serta kepentingan para peniaga. Sebagai salah sebuah negara yang memiliki sistem perundangan yang kuat, para peniaga dan juga pelabur tidak perlu risau dengan sebarang kerenah birokrasi dan korupsi. Urusan perniagaan akan menjadi lebih stabil tanpa sebarang kesukaran dan ancaman terhadap perniagaan dan pelaburan.

Dasar Singapura yang mesra niaga turut menjadi tarikan utama kepada banyak perdagangan seperti sektor pembuatan dan kewangan untuk bertapak di negara tersebut. Dasar yang tidak terlalu lama dalam membangunkan perniagaan serta struktur perundangan bersifat terbuka dan menjimatkan kos menjadi faktor utama dalam sesebuah perniagaan dari dalam dan luar negara berminat untuk beroperasi di Singapura. Seterusnya adalah perbandingan dari segi kos, masa dan prosedur dalam memulakan pernigaan di Singapura dan Malaysia.

Dengan kelebihan ekosistem perniagaan yang menempatkan pelbagai jenis kemudahan, sesebuah perniagaan akan memperoleh manfaat seperti kemudahan dalam membina hubungan dalam perniagaan seperti mencari pakar dan rangkaian, penempatan sesebuah perniagaan bersama rakan kongsi serta mudah untuk mencari rakan kongsi kerana kebanyakan syarikat atau perniagaan telah ditempatkan dengan lokasi yang dekat agar memudahkan perhubungan sesama mereka. Berikut adalah langkah awal yang boleh diambil Malaysia dalam memperbaiki proses ease of doing business:

• I. Memendekkan masa proses pendaftaran atau permohonan permit, lesen dan kelulusan untuk mengambil pekerja asing
• II. Memperluaskan lagi kemudahan internet
• III. Memperbaiki dan meluaskan lagi penggunaan sistem digital
• IV. Mengurangkan proses dalam segala urusan pendaftaran atau permohonan
• V. Mengkaji semula proses dalam agensi Pusat Sehenti dan;
• VI. Membina agensi Pusat Sehenti untuk kelulusan permit, lesen, permohonan untuk memulakan niaga serta pengambilan pekerja asing.

Malaysia memerlukan proses kejuruteraan semula perniagaan dalam memperbaiki kedudukan mesra niaga dan menarik syarikat asing untuk beroperasi di negarai ini. Proses kejuruteraan semulaperniagaan atau business reengineering process adalah membentuk semula teras perniagaan dalam memperbaiki semula operasi untuk mencapai hasil yang lebih baik dan berkualiti. Dengan penstrukturan semula segala proses di peringkat agensi kerajaan, sesebuah perniagaan dapat dimulakan dengan lebih cepat, kelulusan untuk projek pembangunan atau permohonan lesen dalam masa yang singkat turut meningkatkan produktiviti seterusnya menyumbang kepada ekonomi negara.

Antara lima Langkah utama dalam proses kejuruteraan semula perniagaan adalah:

• Fokus semula kepada nilai prinsip organisasi dan kehendak pengguna
• Membentuk semula proses utama (permohonan lesen, permit, atau pekerja asing) dengan menggunakan teknologi yang membolehkan penambahbaikan
• Mengatur semula sesebuah agensi ke dalam cross functional teams dengan tanggungjawab untuk memperbaiki proses dari permulaan ke penghujung
• Nilai semula asas sebuah organisasi atau agensi serta isu dalam tenaga kerja
• Memperbaiki proses urus tadbir dalam keseluruhan agensi

Kesimpulannya, dengan mengikuti jejak Singapura akan membuka lebih banyak ruang kepada peluang perniagaan namun begitu negara kita hendaklah mengecapi kemajuan terlebih dahulu seperti memaksimumkan kemudahan internet dengan kapasiti yang laju agar dapat mempermudahkan lagi segala urusan tanpa fizikal. Dengan mengikuti langkah-langkah awal yang telah dicadangkan, ia menjadi satu laluan kepada negara kita memperbaiki kedudukan ease of doing business.

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