MY FULL SPEECH DURING THE #SSNC LAUNCH

TITLE - WE ARE WHAT WE PAY ATTENTION TO

Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh
Menteri Pendidikan Tinggi Malaysia

YBhg. Datin Paduka Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir
Ketua Pengarah Pendidikan Tinggi

YBhg. Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Abdul Rahman Arshad,
Canselor, UCSI University

Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Musa Mohamad,
Pengerusi, Kumpulan UCSI

Dato' Peter Ng
Pengasas dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan UCSI

Senior Professor Dato' Dr. Khalid Yusoff,
Naib Canselor dan Presiden UCSI University
Selaku Penaja Tempat Perasmian Kempen #SaySomethingNice 2017

Dato' (Dr.) Hj. Mohd. Karim bin Hj. Abdullah Omar
Pengerusi, UCSI University Trust

Azree Anis Zubedy, Pengarah Zubedy - Rakan Kongsi Saya

Dif-dif jemputan, klien-klien zubedy, rakan2 seperjuangan perpaduan, Ahli Jawatankuasa Kempen #SaySomethingNice 2017

Serta

Hadirin dan hadirat sekalian.

SALAM SEJAHTERA.


PENGENALAN
1. #SaySomethingNice (#SSNC) merupakan sebuah kempen perpaduan.

2. Ia merupakan sebuah kempen tahunan yang dianjurkan oleh Zubedy dan rakan-rakan kami sejak tahun 2011. Kempen ini bermula dari 31 Ogos (Hari Kebangsaan) sehingga 16 September (Hari Malaysia) selama 17 hari.

3. Kempen ini bermatlamatkan membina negara Malaysia yang positif dengan ‘mencipta jutaan detik perpaduan’ atau dalam Bahasa Inggerisnya  ‘creating million moments of unity’.

4. Di negara Malaysia, kita sering berbolak-balik antara detik-detik perpaduan dan detik-detik perpecahan. Lebih banyak detik perpaduan yang kita cipta, lebih tenggelam suara perpecahan yang ada. Inilah cara kita maju ke hadapan.

5. Untuk membawa visi dan impian ini lebih jauh, slogan kempen kami tahun ini ialah ‘MELALUI PANDANGAN SEORANG RAKYAT MALAYSIA.’
- ‘THROUGH THE EYES OF A MALAYSIAN.
’
6. We want Malaysians to choose how we see Malaysia, that is to see Malaysia as Malaysians. Not just as a Malay… not just as a Chinese, Indian, Eurasian, Kadazan or Iban… not just as Orang Sabah, Orang Sarawak, Orang Semenanjung, etc. but the sum total of all the above and perhaps more.

7. This is very important because at the end of the day, we are what we choose to pay attention to.


WHY ARE WE WHAT WE CHOOSE TO PAY ATTENTION TO?

8. It is about consciousness. It is about awareness. When we are conscious of something, it becomes more real. It becomes a bigger part of our daily living. Let me explain.

9. Have you experienced when a friend or a family member buys a new car, say, a Proton Iriz and the very next day you noticed many Proton Iriz everywhere you go?

10. Before that, we seem to be blind to that particular model. It is the way our minds work. Until we are conscious of something, we are not mindful of it. But once we are, we start to pay attention to it and it becomes more prominent and more relevant in our lives.

11. When we choose, a particular experience becomes more real and assumes a larger position in our lives. Thus, a small matter can become big and a big issue may become small – based on what we choose to pay attention to.

12. A teenager who pays attention to a pimple on his or her face may go through a complete breakdown and refuse to meet people. At work, a staff who choose to pay attention to a small cut on his finger will not be able to perform the whole day through.

13. On the other hand, our national cyclist Azizulhasni Awang managed to complete his race with a giant splinter going through his legs because he was focusing and paying attention to winning.

14. The former becomes a lousy employee, Azizul went to become a world champion.

15. In short, our reality and experiences in life are governed by this simple patterning system. When we choose, we pay attention. When we pay attention, it becomes our reality.
16. This makes what and how we choose to pay attention to central in making our lives full of happiness and laughter or otherwise - sorrows and misery. Key in making our organisations like UCSI a success or a failure. Our country MALAYSIA, united or broken.

17. What we choose to pay attention to becomes even more crucial because as shown in the examples above, as we choose, we act… as we choose we act!

18. The Quran at chapter 39 verse 18 tells us that,

“Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.”

 … Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best (meaning) in it.

19. As such, to make Malaysia great and united, the Government and people of Malaysia must choose what we pay attention to. New and old media must choose how much airtime we should give to moments of Unity as opposed to news that creates disunity.

20. Semantically, we need to choose FOCUS WORDS that can create semantic fields in our daily vocabulary that promotes the culture of UNITY. We used to have a FOCUS WORD that facilitates this – it was the word MUHIBBAH.

21. A focus word like MUHIBBAH has the ability to pull together KEY WORDS in our daily living like BERSATU, HORMAT MENGHORMATI, TOLERANSI, EMPATI, GOTONG ROYONG, KASIH SAYANG etc and make them relevant to our daily practise. At the same time, a focus word like MUHIBBAH has the ability to show us the ‘anti-muhibbah’ key words that we must avoid like PENDATANG, PI BALIK KAMPUNG and PARIAH.

22. At Zubedy, we hope to play our role in shaping the culture of our nation by introducing and promoting positive FOCUS WORDS and KEY WORDS through campaigns like this #SaySomethingNice campaign.

23. We plan to bring forward and promote words, action and thoughts that can help Malaysians pay attention to UNITY and GOOD CITIZENSHIP.

24. An example of a FOCUS WORD that we seek to promote is RUKUN NEGARA.  We are working together with JPNIN with a poster contest specifically towards making the RUKUN NEGARA a FOCUS WORD through the #RukunNegaraSomethingNice campaign.

25. Thousands of this poster will be distributed via KELAB RUKUN TETANGGA, KELAB RUKUN NEGARA IN SCHOOLS and all the other charges under the JPNIN. We ask Malaysians to #SaySomethingNice about the RUKUN NEGARA.

Ladies and gentlemen,

26. RUKUN NEGARA as a FOCUS WORD can generate important keywords like UNITY, PROGRESSIVE, JUST, DEMOCRATIC, FAIR, EQUITABLE and LIBERAL … yes in RUKUN NEGARA liberal is a good word.

27. Slowly but surely, RUKUN NEGARA after being paid adequate attention, will act as the pillar that unites us.

28. I would like to take this opportunity to ask a little help from YB Dato’ Seri Idris Jusoh if he can forward some kind words about the campaign to all the charges under his Ministry namely JABATAN PENDIDIKAN TINGGI, JABATAN PENDIDIKAN POLITEKNIK AND JABATAN PENDIDIKAN KOLEJ KOMUNITI and help us ensure each of the higher institute of learning under them carries at least one or two giant posters as like the one UCSI’s example here. YB Menteri, please make it not just for this year. Please make this a yearly event.
29. It is our hope to take this campaign to our schools in the coming years. Imagine #SaySomethingNice Campaign is celebrated from standard 1 to form 5, 11 years of UNITY filled 17days each year.

PENUTUP

30. Sebelum saya mengakhiri ucapan saya ini, ingin saya mengucapkan ribuan terima kasih kepada Yang Berhormat DATO’ SERI IDRIS JUSOH kerana sudi melancarkan kempen ini.

31. Kepada pihak UCSI yang menaja perlancaran ini. Terima kasih banyak-banyak. Pehak media, tolong jangan lupa berikan UCSI liputan yang positif. Tanpa pertolongan dari pihak2 seperti UCSI, kami di Zubedy tidak akan dapat membawa projek2 perpaduan begini kepada Malaysia.

32. Terima kasih kepada kawan-kawan seperjuangan Perpaduan Zubedy yang termasuk pelanggan2 kami, NGO-NGO, individu-individu dan geng-geng dari media massa ..”old and new media”.

33. Tidak lupa terima kasih kepada team saya dari Zubedy Ideahouse dan Zubedy Sdn Bhd yang telah bertungkus lumus menjayakan projek ini terutamanya kepada Encik Abdullah atau Aby dan Cik Syairah, yang mengetuai kempen tahun ini.

34. Ingin saya mengakhiri ucapan ini dengan mengulangi ayat Al Quran, Surah 39 ayat 18 tadi dalam Bahasa Malaysia.

“  Yang berusaha mendengar perkataan-perkataan yang sampai kepada-Nya lalu MEREKA MEMILIH DAN MENURUT akan yang SEBAIK-BAIKNYA; mereka itulah orang yang diberi HIDAYAH PETUNJUK OLEH ALLAH, dan mereka itulah ORANG YANG BERAKAL SEMPURNA.”

We are what we pay attention to.

Salam sejahtera dan terima kasih.

#HostSomethingNice

We need your help. Can you help us get your company to #HostSomethingNice between Hari Merdeka to Hari Malaysia? Bring this idea and propose it to your top

management or corporate affairs department.

What is #HostSomethingNice? 

#HostSomethingNice is a campaign to get corporate leaders and organisations to encourage their staff to host a makan-makan at their

homes or office in small groups between people of different races, religions and origins between Hari Merdeka to Hari Malaysia

Why #HostSomethingNice? 

We have strong convictions that the business organisation is one of the best platforms to bring Malaysians together – a platform for UNITY. Business

leaders need to provide leadership and avenues to unite the nation. We need to fill up the leadership gap - urgently. Many Malaysians who grew up

apart, make friends from another race and faith at the work place either as colleagues or customers. This is a strength that we can work on. As

such, we would like to ask for your help to tap this strength the coming Merdeka month to unite Malaysians.

How?

#HostSomethingNice as part of the #SaySomethingNice Campaign

#SaySomethingNice Campaign (#SSNC) is a UNITY campaign.

It is an annual campaign organised by Zubedy and friends since 2011 covering the period between August 31^st Hari Merdeka to September 16^th Hari Malaysia. The aim

of the campaign is to create a positive Malaysia by 'creating million moments of unity'.  As a nation, we swing from moments of unity to moments of disunity and vice

versa. The more moments of unity we create, the more we dilute the voices of disunity. This is our way forward.

For further information on the #HostSomethingNice, please do not hesitate to contact our

campaign coordinator Syairah at 03-7733 6919 or email syairah@zubedy.com

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Interested in being part of the #SSNC? Watch this space for updates!

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Let us #HostSomethingNice and pay attention to our strength as one nation

  

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zubedy has been around since 1994. We are a for-profit organisation with a social cause. Our experiences in human development training and unity efforts have benefited many individuals and organisations over the years. 

Salam Aidilfitri - Khamis di Sinar Harian

Jadikan Malaysia Negara CEMERLANG:

Pimpin dengan Menghapuskan Ketidakpastian*

Untuk jadikan Malaysia Negara Cemerlang, kita perlukan pemimpin yang efektif di semua peringkat. Pemimpin yang boleh menghapuskan ketidakpastian. Mereka yang mampu membawa visi dan matlamat yang rakyat Malaysia impikan dan pada masa yang sama dapat menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi pada hari ini. Pemimpin yang boleh melahirkan kerelaan dalam hati rakyat untuk bertindak secara bertanggungjawab dan beretika demi faedah bersama.  

1.    Apakah itu pemimpin?

Apakah perbezaan asas antara seorang pemimpin dan pengikut? Secara mudahnya, pemimpin ada pengikut. Maka, untuk mengenali apakah itu pemimpin, kita mesti mengkaji kenapa seseorang manusia itu rela mengikut manusia yang lain. Kunci jawapannya ada pada prinsip followership iaitu psikologi dalam kerelaan mengikut. Setelah kita faham psikologi ini, kita akan dapat kenal pasti rahsia kepimpinan.

 

2.    Kenapa seseorang manusia itu rela mengikut manusia lain?

Adakah sebab karisma? Suri teladan? Kepandaian? Kewarakan? Wang? Kuasa? Jenama? Umur? Keturunan dan sebagainya? Tidak. Itu semua hanya alat untuk memimpin; kaedah-kaedah yang boleh digunakan untuk menghapuskan ketidakpastian dalam minda pengikut. Misal kata kita terperangkap dalam kebakaran, kita rela ikut budak yang hanya berumur 10 tahun jika dia dapat tunjukkan jalan keluar yang pasti. Ini menunjukkan bahawa sesiapa saja boleh menjadi pemimpin asalkan dia dapat menghapuskan ketidakpastian. Pemimpin yang dapat menghapuskan ketidakpastian akan berjaya. Kalau tak, dia akan ditinggalkan pengikutnya.

3.    Bagaimana menghapuskan ketidakpastian?

Amalkan sifat amanah dan bersih. Bina kepercayaan dalam kalangan pengikut melalui hubungan yang jujur, berintegriti dan beretika. Penuhi semua janji. Jangan balas kejahatan dengan kejahatan. Sentiasa fokus pada arah tuju yang ditetapkan dan sedia beristiqamah untuk mempertahankan nilai-nilai murni tersebut walaupun dilanda kesukaran dan cabaran yang menggunung. Konsisten selalu dan jangan flip-flop. Adakah anda akan terus bertindak untuk menghabiskan kerja kalau bos asyik-asyik ubah arahan dan tidak pasti?

Di zubedy, sumber kekuatan program latihan kami ialah nilai-nilai murni dan tradisi yang dikongsi bersama. Kami percaya dalam hati rakyat Malaysia, kita mahukan yang terbaik untuk setiap anak-anak Malaysia kerana negara kita tidak akan berjaya jika ada yang tertinggal.

Kita semua harus Hapuskan Ketidakpastian dan jadikan Malaysia Negara CEMERLANG.

Usahakan yang terbaik,

Salam Aidilfitri.

*Idea dalam mesej ini adalah sebahagian daripada konsep teras program Making A Difference through P3 (Laksana Perubahan melalui P3) kami.

Have A Meaningful Aidilfitri - Thursday in The STAR

Make Malaysia GREAT:

Lead by Removing Uncertainties*

To Make Malaysia Great, we need effective leaders at all levels. Leaders who can remove uncertainties. Those who are able to present vision and goals of the future that Malaysians can desire while at the same time are able to solve problems we face today.  Leaders who can generate a willingness within the rakyat to follow along a socially responsible, ethical and mutually beneficial course of action.

1.    What makes a leader?

What is the fundamental difference between a leader and a follower? Basically, leaders have followers. To know what makes a leader, we must ask why people follow people. The answer is in followership. Why do we choose to follow a leader while others do not? How does followership work?

2.    Why people follow people? What triggers and maintains followership?

Is it Charisma? Good Role Modeling? Intelligence? Religiosity? Money? Power? Branding? Seniority? Lineage, etc? No. These are simply tools of leadership. Tools that one can use to remove uncertainties in the minds of the followers. Trapped in a fire, we will even follow a 10-year-old who can show a passage to safety because he can show us a certain way out. People want to be sure and seek what is certain. Leaders can either clarify the uncertainty and confusion experienced by their followers and come out on top, or they can submit to the uncertainty, and end up being abandoned.

3.    How to Remove Uncertainties?

Be authentic - build legitimacy through honest relationships with followers by telling the truth, being ethical, doing what is right, keeping your promises and practising mercy. Be focus and show that you are willing to stay the course in keeping with the values even when the time is tough and you are pushed to a corner. Be consistent, don’t flip flop.  Don’t you realise that you do not move to action when you have a superior who is uncertain and changes his mind ever too often?

At zubedy, our programs and activities draw strength from our shared values and traditions. We believe that at heart, all Malaysians want good things for themselves and for their brother and sister Malaysians, simply because our nation cannot prosper as a whole if some of us are left behind.

You and I, must Remove Uncertainties and Make Malaysia GREAT.

Let us add value,

Have a meaningful Aidilfitri.

*The idea presented in this message is part of our Making A Difference through P3 program’s core concepts.

#BuildSomethingNice - Providing Access to Clean Water for People of Pulau Banggi

THE VILLAGERS on the Banggi Island has to travel hours to get clean water and when they could not, they rely on rainwater, dried up streams and wells contaminated by dead rats that were also looking for water. But things can change with #BuildSomethingNice. You can be part of this project to build a water supply system and solve the issue once and for all.

#BuildSomethingNice Initiative for Gravity-Fed Water Supply System

This year, #SaySomethingNice will continue its fundraising initiative from last year called #BuildSomethingNice - to build and maintain a gravity-fed water supply system on Banggi Island, specifically at Kampung Palak and its five surrounding villages. This project will benefit at least 1,000 villagers in the area.

The funds collected will be channelled to Beyond Pitas and Kupi-Kupi FM, an NGO and a radio station both based in Sabah respectively who brought the #BanggiWaterCrisis into the limelight. We are looking for more contribution to help bring clean water to the villagers. Refer to the poster below for more information.

Moving forward, a water catchment area on a hilltop is going to be reinforced and expanded. Inlet tubing will also be increased from 2 inches to 4 inches to ensure enough water pressure. A concrete reservoir that would store 2,400 gallons of water will be built. The remaining 3.5km poly pipes will be installed which will run straight to the centre of the village.

Background on Pulau Banggi

Situated some 40km northeast of Kudat, Pulau Banggi is the largest island in Malaysia. It can be reached by ferry in two hours and one hour by speed boat. An estimated of 20,000 people live on the island in some 50 villages in total. The Banggi people are Sabah’s smallest indigenous group and they speak a unique non-Bornean dialect.

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Let us #BuildSomethingNice and bring water to the people of Banggi.

Have a Meaningful Gawai

TODAY is June 1^st and it is the first day of the Gawai Dayak. Celebrated every June 1^st to June 2^nd by the Dayak community in Sarawak, the festival is similar to the Kaamatan festival which is celebrated every May 30^th to May 31^st by the Kadazandusun Murut community in Sabah. Many Malaysians, especially in Peninsular Malaysia may not know this but, Dayak is a collective name for the tribes of Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Murut and more. The Gawai Dayak festival is both a religious and social celebration. It is a form of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest and marks the preparation for a new farming season and life in general.

Celebration of Unity

The Gawai Dayak festival is a symbol of unity, aspiration and hope for the Dayak community and is an integral part of the Dayak social life today. It was only formally gazetted as a public holiday at the state level in 1964 in place of Sarawak Day. Initially, the colonial government refused to declare it as a public holiday for the Dayak people because they were afraid that other minority groups would make similar demands. After two years, Sarawak gained independence from Britain and formed Malaysia and now, Malaysians never fail to observe Gawai Day. It has become a celebration of Sarawak’s rich cultural heritage and a tourist attraction for the Land of the Hornbills.

Gawai Dayak 101

Preparations for the festival begin with the brewing of tuak (rice wine). On the evening of May 31^st, a ceremony called Muai Antu Rua (to cast away the spirit of greediness) is initiated to stop bad luck during the celebration. Around 6 pm, the offering ceremony known as miring will take place in the longhouse ruai or common place where the feast chief would give thanks to the gods for the good harvest, to ask for guidance, blessings and long life as he sacrifices a cockerel. At the stroke of midnight, everyone will drink Ai Pengayu (tuak for long life) and there will be eating, singing and dancing known as the ngajat. The longhouse never sleeps until the next day. In the morning, they will visit family and friends, known as ngabang.

Today, let us enchant ourselves with the rich cultural heritage of our brethren in Sarawak and Sabah.

Selamat Ari Gawai. Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai.

Kotobian Tadau Tagazo Do Kaamatan.

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Let us #SaySomethingNice and celebrate Gawai Dayak festival.

Salam Wesak

Jadikan Malaysia Negara CEMERLANG:

Tangani Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama*

Dalam mesej sebelum ini, kita berbincang tentang Sempadan Palsu - satu tindak balas automatik bermula di minda yang berikan kita alasan seolah-olahnya wajar untuk tidak bertindak. Mesej kali ini, kami kongsikan dengan anda bagaimana menghalang Sempadan Palsu sebelum ia menyerang kita dengan menangani Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama.

1.    Apa itu Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama?

Pernahkah anda beli buku tapi tak baca pun lagi? Ada tak benda yang perlu dibaiki di rumah sejak berbulan lamanya – mentol rosak mungkin? Anda mahu telefon ibu bapa atau orang tersayang tapi tak buat? Anda ada niat nak sambung belajar tapi tak sambung? Mahu daftar pemilih tapi belum daftar? Atau tak boleh berhenti melayan Facebook atau main permainan komputer walaupun waktu tidur anda sudah lama berlalu? Ini semua adalah contoh Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama.

2.    Kenapa dengan Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama?

Ia memang wujud dalam diri kita. Kita cenderung untuk tak memulakan langkah pertama. Ramai orang tak sedar akan masalah ini. Ia bukan seperti sikap berlengah-lengah walaupun ia mengakibatkan berlakunya kelambatan atau tiada tindakan langsung. Sikap berlengah-lengah mungkin menyerang mereka yang kurang kemahiran, ada perasaan takut, kurang motivasi dan mereka yang sentiasa inginkan kesempurnaan. Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama menyerang semua orang termasuk mereka yang tidak mempunyai simptom-simptom tersebut. Orang yang berlengah tahu yang mereka sedang melengahkan kerja; kita tak sedar yang kita ada Masalah Memulakan Langkah Pertama.

3.    Bagaimana menangani MASALAH MEMULAKAN LANGKAH PERTAMA lantas MENGAMBIL LANGKAH PERTAMA?

Pertama sekali, sedar akan wujudnya masalah ini. Akui yang kita ada masalah ini. Setelah kita sedar, kita dapat atasinya dengan mengikut moto, “Lakukan Saja.” Senaraikan semua tugas sama ada kecil atau besar yang kita perlu buat dalam senarai tugas harian (to-do list) dan mulakan tindakan. Ya, elakkan terlalu banyak berfikir, lakukan saja! – AMBIL LANGKAH PERTAMA! dan kecapi kejayaan. 

Di zubedy, sumber kekuatan program latihan kami ialah nilai-nilai murni dan tradisi yang dikongsi bersama. Kami percaya dalam hati rakyat Malaysia, kita mahukan yang terbaik untuk setiap anak-anak Malaysia kerana negara kita tidak akan berjaya jika ada yang tertinggal.

Mulakan Langkah Pertama dan jadikan Malaysia Negara CEMERLANG.

Usahakan yang terbaik,

Salam Wesak.

*Idea dalam mesej ini adalah sebahagian daripada konsep teras program Making A Difference through P3 (Laksana Perubahan melalui P3) kami.

U-Thant (1909 - 1974) merupakan Setiausaha Agung Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu yang ketiga. Kehidupan beliau ialah sebuah kisah kejayaan seorang lelaki yang Memulakan Langkah Pertama untuk mewujudkan keamanan dan menjadikan dunia tempat yang lebih baik. Beliau merencanakan perundingan dalam Krisis Peluru Berpandu Cuba dan berjaya mengelakkan satu malapetaka global daripada berlaku.