A special two-hour meeting was held early last year at Perdana Putra to launch the Asean-Malaysia 2025 chairmanship, which was chaired by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. – Bernama file pic, January 2, 2025
When a Minister walked out of a meeting –Terence Fernandez
Patriotism and professionalism go out the window when businessmen and CEOs hold Government to ransom
Terence Fernandez
Updated 9 hours ago
3 January, 2025
8:00 AM MYT
A WEEK before Christmas a senior minister walked out of a meeting in a huff.
He was supposed to be updated on the readiness of infrastructure crucial to Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN which came into effect yesterday (Jan 1).
Instead of keeping to the timeline, the parties responsible – which included a mega corporation and a local construction firm which is partnering a global systems company dropped a bombshell.
The said item will only be delivered around the end of the first quarter.
What prompted the Minister to get up and leave was the sheer apathy shown by those at the meeting.
Sources close to the discussions said there was no demonstration of urgency nor patriotism – and the fact that this is a national event; and any shortcomings could lead to a national embarrassment.
I’m witholding the identities of the Minister and parties involved as am awaiting responses. (Although I must admit it’s taking awhile).
There was a time, when the Prime Minister or Government made a special request to the private sector to help when the country played host to regional and global events, the response would be “Yes Sir we will get it done.”
“Even if you don’t know how you’re going to to do it yet, you will never say no to the Government and will find a way,” said a senior corporate figure.
“After all you’re the CEO, it’s your job to find a solution, not shrug your shoulders and say I cannot or I don’t know,” said the personality.
Historically entrepreneurs like the late Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan and the late Ting Pek Khiing had been known to answer the government’s SOS and came through.
When Malaysia hosted the inaugural Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) in 1991; the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and the APEC Summit the same year, corporate Malaysia came through with hotels, facilities and infrastructure in record time.
Of course one could say it was an investment, as a grateful government would certainly reward these tycoons later for coming through at the hour of need.
But at that time too, who dared say “no” to then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. One imagines what the consequences would have been.
Our current PMX is probably too nice and accommodating. And with the perceived fragility of the Unity Government, perhaps some of these corporate big wigs are already picking a side.
CEOs saying no to their government without good cause – especially after earlier promising they could deliver on jobs they bid and was awarded for – is almost unheard of.
Of course no one is expecting them to say “yes” to requests with 1MDB-type characteristics.
But to pull the trousers of your Government and people down to their ankles is not something that one should take kindly.
Perhaps it was the fault of the Government for awarding the job to these firms in the first place.
The prudence and integrity of the evaluation and award process will now come under scrutiny – as it should.
Corporations and businesses who make millions from government contracts cannot at the same time put their paymasters on the backfoot.
Regardless if they make amends for their behaviour towards the minister and do deliver according to the promised timeline, this episode will be at the back of the mind of the Minister and his Government colleagues, when it comes to future projects.
Their apathy and unreliability will be as prolific as any successes in their track record. – January 3, 2025
When a Minister walked out of a meeting –Terence Fernandez
Patriotism and professionalism go out the window when businessmen and CEOs hold Government to ransom
Terence Fernandez
Updated 9 hours ago
3 January, 2025
8:00 AM MYT
A WEEK before Christmas a senior minister walked out of a meeting in a huff.
He was supposed to be updated on the readiness of infrastructure crucial to Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN which came into effect yesterday (Jan 1).
Instead of keeping to the timeline, the parties responsible – which included a mega corporation and a local construction firm which is partnering a global systems company dropped a bombshell.
The said item will only be delivered around the end of the first quarter.
What prompted the Minister to get up and leave was the sheer apathy shown by those at the meeting.
Sources close to the discussions said there was no demonstration of urgency nor patriotism – and the fact that this is a national event; and any shortcomings could lead to a national embarrassment.
I’m witholding the identities of the Minister and parties involved as am awaiting responses. (Although I must admit it’s taking awhile).
There was a time, when the Prime Minister or Government made a special request to the private sector to help when the country played host to regional and global events, the response would be “Yes Sir we will get it done.”
“Even if you don’t know how you’re going to to do it yet, you will never say no to the Government and will find a way,” said a senior corporate figure.
“After all you’re the CEO, it’s your job to find a solution, not shrug your shoulders and say I cannot or I don’t know,” said the personality.
Historically entrepreneurs like the late Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan and the late Ting Pek Khiing had been known to answer the government’s SOS and came through.
When Malaysia hosted the inaugural Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) in 1991; the Commonwealth Games in 1998 and the APEC Summit the same year, corporate Malaysia came through with hotels, facilities and infrastructure in record time.
Of course one could say it was an investment, as a grateful government would certainly reward these tycoons later for coming through at the hour of need.
But at that time too, who dared say “no” to then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. One imagines what the consequences would have been.
Our current PMX is probably too nice and accommodating. And with the perceived fragility of the Unity Government, perhaps some of these corporate big wigs are already picking a side.
CEOs saying no to their government without good cause – especially after earlier promising they could deliver on jobs they bid and was awarded for – is almost unheard of.
Of course no one is expecting them to say “yes” to requests with 1MDB-type characteristics.
But to pull the trousers of your Government and people down to their ankles is not something that one should take kindly.
Perhaps it was the fault of the Government for awarding the job to these firms in the first place.
The prudence and integrity of the evaluation and award process will now come under scrutiny – as it should.
Corporations and businesses who make millions from government contracts cannot at the same time put their paymasters on the backfoot.
Regardless if they make amends for their behaviour towards the minister and do deliver according to the promised timeline, this episode will be at the back of the mind of the Minister and his Government colleagues, when it comes to future projects.
Their apathy and unreliability will be as prolific as any successes in their track record. – January 3, 2025
Terence Fernandez wishes everyone a Happy 2025 with less BS to deal with. He is Editor in Chief of Big Boom Media, which publishes Scoop.
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