Saturday, May 27, 2017
Tan Sri Hassan Marican (Part 3)
S: Tan Sri ada jet Petronas, tapi jika menggunakan
penerbangan komersial, adakah Tan Sri turun gred ke kelas perniagaan?
HASSAN: Saya tidak turun gred ke kelas perniagaan, saya
kekal di kelas pertama kerana dua sebab. Pertama, saya boleh sampai ke London
dan terus bekerja, jadi saya nak ambil peluang untuk tidur dalam pesawat,
kedua, kedudukan yang saya bawa. Kalau tidak naik kelas pertama dan naik kelas
perniagaan orang akan perhati dan you adalah CEO Petronas, ini soal imej dan
persepsi orang, itu kena jaga juga.
Tapi jika saya pergi London atas urusan peribadi dan bersama
keluarga, mungkin saya pergi ekonomilah.
S: Tan Sri ini betul-betul kedekutlah?
HASSAN: Kalau nak kata kedekut, kedekutlah. Kita kena bagi
tahu anak-anak kita benda ini susah, bukan dapat mudah, dapat pi London dan
naik kapal terbang itu sudah cukup baik. Ia adalah bagaimana kita membentuk
minda mereka, kalau tidak depa ingat kita dapat senang-senang saja. Anak saya
ada empat orang, dua masih kecil darjah enam dan tingkatan tiga, seorang di
universiti habis tahun depan dan seorang lagi dah kahwin.
S : Kita pernah nampak, Tan Sri bawa bungkusan dalam plastik
ulam dari rumah ke meja makan semasa berbuka puasa dengan para wartawan.
Nampaknya Tan Sri adalah peminat ulam?
HASSAN: Betul, saya suka makan ulam. Ulam raja, pucuk
janggus (gajus), pucuk putat. Saya tanam sendiri, pokok munggai pun ada di
rumah. Di pejabat setiap hari, saya makan nasi bekal. Isteri saya masak dan
dihantar ke pejabat. Kalau saya keluar makan tengah hari, habis banyak masa.
Puas makan makanan dari rumah, ada gulai ikan ka, dan macam-macam lagi,
puaslah. Kerana kadang-kadang kita pun ada macam-macam majlis dan makan malam
yang perlu hadir, jadi tengah hari kita ambil kesempatan makan lauk dari
rumahlah, sambal ikan kering mesti kena ada (ketawa).
S: Bolehkah Petronas menyedut lebih minyak bagi menambah
pendapatan kerajaan?
HASSAN: Dalam usaha melanjutkan hayat simpanan minyak kita
dan berdasarkan polisi syarikat, kita hanya hasilkan 650,000 tong sehari. Dari
segi teknikal, pelantar dan keupayaan simpanan kita, ia direka untuk
mengeluarkan 650,000 ke 700,000 tong sehari.
Kita tidak boleh sewenang-wenang sedut keluar macam buka
pancur air, kerana ia akan memusnahkan telaga simpanan minyak kita. Jika kita
paksa, telaga itu akan musnah. Macam paru-paru, jika ia tembus, anginnya akan
keluar perlahan-lahan, jika kita tekan kuat, ia akan kecut terus. Macam itu
juga telaga minyak di dasar laut.
Maknanya, walaupun ada permintaan supaya disedut lebih, kita
tak boleh buat kerana ia akan memusnahkan telaga minyak itu.
Lebih penting lagi, kita memegang amanah, untuk generasi
akan datang, anak cucu kita boleh tumpang sama.
Nota: Selepas mengundurkan diri dari Petronas kira-kira tujuh
tahun lalu, anak jati Sungai Petani, Kedah itu kini dilantik sebagai Pengerusi
Singapore Power, Pavilion Energy, Pavilion Gas dan Lan Ting Holdings dan ahli
lembaga pengarah Regional Economic Development Authority of Sarawak, Sarawak
Energy, Lambert Energy Advisory dan MH Marican Advisory. Beliau juga adalah
penasihat kanan antarabangsa Temasek.
Tan Sri Hassan Marican (Part 2)
S:Tan Sri buat macam itu di Petronas?
HASSAN: Falsafahnya sama. Kalau kita nak buat apa-apa sama
ada RM1 atau RM10 atau RM1 juta atau RM10 juta itu bukan relevannya, pertamanya
anda perlu justify (membuktikan) perbelanjaan itu adalah wajar dan membawa
faedah.
Saya mengaku saya kedekut, lagipun ia bukan duit saya, duit
rakyat. Saya di sini hanya sebagai pemegang amanah.
S: Di luar, Tan Sri seorang yang cukup sederhana. Walaupun
antara CEO bergaji paling tinggi di Malaysia, Tan Sri masih tinggal di rumah
biasa berkembar dua, mengapa?
HASSAN: Saya selesa, lagipun ia hanyalah sebuah rumah. Saya
tinggal di Ampang Jaya. Bagi saya ini semua sementara sahaja. Saya beli rumah
itu 20 tahun lalu dengan harga RM240,000, tanah dia besarlah juga. Masa itu
saya di HRM. Arwah bapa saya dan arwah tok wan (datuk) saya selalu mengajar
saya jangan membazir dan jangan hidup menunjuk-nunjuk. Kita hidup sederhana
saja. Ini semua cara saya dibesarkan. Tok wan saya kastam dan bapa saya polis,
bapa saya pun beli rumah teres di Ampang Jaya sebelum dia bersara sebagai
pegawai polis.
S : Betul ke semasa Tan Sri berjawatan ini, Tan Sri pernah
balik kampung di Kedah naik bas?
HASSAN: Ya, saya pernah naik bas balik kampung. Apa
salahnya. Isteri saya pun naik bas ke Singapura. Ini semua atas diri kita.
Kadang-kadang ada orang tegur kerana kita makan di gerai, tapi bagi saya apa
salahnya, bukan kita buat perkara-perkara yang tidak bermoral. Tidak bolehkah
kita jadi orang biasa? Di kampung kalau balik, saya naik Honda Cup pak menakan
(bapa saudara) saya punya, pakai kain dan kemeja-T keliling sampai Semeling
(dekat Merbok, Kedah) (ketawa).
S: Jadi inilah siapa Tan Sri sebenarnya. Kalau macam itu
duit Tan Sri yang banyak itu buat apa?
HASSAN: Apa sahaja kemewahan yang ada, saya letak tepi untuk
pendidikan anak-anak saya. Itu sahajalah yang akan mereka ada, pendidikan. Sama
seperti bapa saya buat, tak ada harta benda apa pun, pelajaran sahaja.
S: Tapi jika mengambil kira itu pun, duit Tan Sri masih
banyak?
HASSAN: Yalah, kita laburlah sikit sana sikit sini (ketawa).
S: Benarkah Tan Sri adalah CEO yang paling tinggi dibayar di
Malaysia?
HASSAN: Persepsi kata Petronas bayar gaji tinggi sebenarnya
tidak benar. Jika dibandingkan dengan kakitangan kerajaan lain, tinggilah
sikit. Malah jika dibandingkan dengan naib-naib presiden saya gaji mereka tidak
ke mana berbanding pegawai-pegawai kanan di bank-bank tempatan.
Kalau ahli lembaga pengarah, dapat RM3,000 sahaja sebulan,
itu pun saya baru naikkan, sebelum ini hanya RM1,000 sebulan sahaja.
Pengerusi Petronas (yang dipegang oleh Allahyarham Tan Sri
Azizan Zainol Abidin) hanya RM5,000 sahaja sebulan.
Saya pernah katakan kepada kakitangan saya, siapa yang
sanggup berkhidmat dengan Petronas ialah jenis orang yang luar biasa. Mereka
ini, terutamanya di peringkat senior mempunyai semangat nasionalisme dalam
darah mereka. Berkhidmat untuk negara. Saya datang dari sektor swasta, ada
orang kata apa sangat masuk kerajaan. Tapi saya kata ini adalah untuk
negara dan saya mendapat kepuasan kerana saya dapat bagi balik kepada negara.
Cabaran hari ini ialah untuk mendapatkan anak-anak muda dalam organisasi ini,
untuk berkongsi dengan jenis orang yang luar biasa itu. Kerana generasi muda
ini, dia semua nak cepat, nak tengok material.
Jika sekarang kita kakitangan dan dinaikkan pangkat sebagai
naib presiden, dia kena berhenti sebagai kakitangan Petronas dan masuk dalam
skim kontrak selama tiga tahun. Apa yang dia nikmati sebagai kakitangan dulu
termasuk faedah-faedah persaraan dalam KWSP dipindahkan ke skim kontrak.
Jumlah kakitangan Petronas, termasuk anak syarikat Malaysia
International Shipping Corporation Berhad (MISC) sekarang 20,000 termasuk luar
negara semua sekali 25,000.
Pada masa yang sama, saya juga ingin menafikan bahawa
Petronas tidak pernah menyiarkan penyata kewangannya. Walaupun, kami bukan
syarikat senaraian awam tetapi kami mengeluarkannya dan menyiarkan dalam laman
web, bahan bercetak yang kemudiannya diagih-agihkan. Petronas diberikan
penarafan kerana ia memudahkan kami membuat pinjaman untuk operasi.
Tan Sri Hassan Marican (Part 1)
Dilatih sebagai seorang akauntan, Tan Sri Hassan Marican
menyertai Petronas pada Februari 1989 sebagai naib presiden kanan
kewangan. Beliau pernah bekerja sebagai
pengurus audit di Touche Ross & Company di London (1972–1980) sebelum
pulang ke Malaysia dan bekerja di firma Hanafiah Raslan & Mohamed / Touche Ross & Co (1980–1989).
Beliau adalah fellow di Institute of Chartered Accountants
di England dan Wales serta ahli Institut Akauntan Malaysia.
Ketika di Petronas, beliau berada di bawah bimbingan seorang
lagi tokoh yang begitu disegani Allahyarham Tan Sri Azizan Zainul Abidin. Azizan
dan Hassan menerajui pasukan pengurusan yang mantap dan komited yang
bertanggungjawab ke atas banyak kejayaan Petronas hari ini.
Petronas, yang ditubuhkan pada 1974 untuk menjaga sumber
petroleum negara membuat penerokaan antarabangsa pertamanya pada permulaan era
1990-an, sejajar dengan strategi integrasi perniagaan, tokokan nilai dan
globalisasinya dan sejak itu ia tidak lagi menoleh ke belakang.
Hassan dilantik sebagai presiden dan CEO pada 1995 dan
menyandang jawatan sebagai pemangku pengerusi selepas Azizan meninggal dunia
pada 2004 pada usia 69 tahun. Hassan dikatakan begitu sedih dengan pemergian
Azizan.
Dibantu dengan barisan pengurusan yang mantap, Mohd Hassan
memacu Petronas yang bermula sebagai sebuah syarikat kecil pada tahun 1974
dengan modal RM10 juta untuk memiliki modal pemegang sahamnya berjumlah RM232.1
bilion pada Mac 2009 dan aset bernilai RM388.1 bilion!
Syarikat minyak tempatan itu melalui operasi di seluruh
dunia menjadikannya mampu untuk ‘berdiri sama tinggi dan duduk sama rendah’
dengan syarikat-syarikat gergasi minyak asing.
Konsortium yang disertai Petronas juga terpilih untuk
memajukan dua blok medan minyak terbesar Venezuela selepas baru-baru ini turut
bersama-sama Shell untuk menerokai medan minyak di Iraq diberi nama Majnoon,
sebuah kawasan yang terbesar di dunia yang belum diterokai.
Beliau sememangnya dikagumi. Bukan mudah untuk mengerakkan
Petronas yang mempunyai lebih 30,000 kakitangan kesemuanya bukan hanya di
Malaysia tetapi juga di 30 buah negara dunia. Kejayaan yang dikecapi telah
meletakkan Petronas jauh ke hadapan sekali gus menyerlah kemampuan negara di
mata dunia.
Kekukuhan Petronas kini boleh dilihat seperti teguhnya
berdiri Menara Kembar di ibu kota yang masih mengekalkan gelarannya sebagai
menara kembar tertinggi di dunia.
Berikut adalah petikan temubual dengan Tan Sri ...
S: Tan Sri dikatakan seorang yang kedekut dalam soal
perbelanjaan Petronas. Betul ke?
HASSAN: Ya, saya kedekut. Tapi bukanlah dalam erti kata
kedekut sebenar. Cuma saya tidak suka melihat pembaziran. Kalau nak kena
belanja, walaupun RM10 juta, kalau kita kena belanja dan belanja betul, kita
belanja. Tapi kalau kita nak belanja RM10 tapi tak berfaedah, saya kata tak
perlu. Saya datang dari satu tempat dulu (semasa menjadi rakan firma audit HRM)
kita bagi pen dan pensel free kepada kakitangan buat kerja. Tapi kalau depa mai
nak ambil yang baru, dia kena bawa balik yang sudah habis dipakai. Kalau dia
tak bagi, saya bagi tahu kepada penjaga stor, jangan bagi. Kalau tidak dia akan
membazir. Saya guna amalan ini di Petronas.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - A Perspective
We're seeing artificial intelligence grow in the workplace
and take over a variety of responsibilities, from data entry to customer
service, with great success, but could management positions ever be replaced by
AI?
It may seem like a far-fetched idea, but the growth of AI
has already crossed borders into areas many people previously didn't think
technology could go, like robots completely running retail stores or AI being
used to manage hedge funds. Artificial intelligence is getting increasingly
smarter and becoming more humanlike, meaning its capacity to make decisions and
take on larger roles is increasing.
The main role of management has always been to enforce
protocol and make decisions for others in the organization. AI is already being
used to make decisions in the workplace on things like who to hire or how to
assemble the most effective teams, so what happens when we get to the point when
AI can make all decisions typically made by mangers? Would we ever get to a
point where the role of managers is obsolete?
The answer to the question isn't totally black and white.
While it seems likely that technology will increase and eventually get to the
point where all business decisions could likely be made my AI, computers will
never be able to match the emotion and human aspects of real managers.
This is
both good and bad--machines are capable of making decisions without emotions,
meaning everything would be fueled by an algorithm, eliminating the need for
guesswork and gut reactions that could prove false. For less-effective managers
whose main purpose is just to make decisions and sign timecards, AI could be a
realistic replacement because they already aren't doing anything that a
computer can't do.
However, replacing all managers with AI takes out another
vital part of a manager's role--the human aspect. Good managers do more than
just make decisions for their organization; they also lead the company, build
relationships with employees, and connect on an emotional level. The best
companies around the world are led by enthusiastic and charismatic managers who
could never be replaced by computers.
These are the leaders who inspire,
engage, and empower their employees to drive the company forward and meet
strategic goals. A real threat to AI managers would be a loss of employee
engagement and morale, especially because most humans likely wouldn't want to
work for a machine and would miss out on the important relationships and
emotional connections with a human manager.
Managers play an increasing important role
in the future of work as they set the stage for transparency, employee
experience, corporate culture, and more. With these human-driven principles
playing such an important role in an organization's success, managers will
stand out even more from AI.
Be Replaceable
I might shock you when I say the following: Be replaceable
(at work). Think about it, but don’t take it so literally. What kind of person
do you want to be at work? I have worked with many types of personalities. The
one that I found to be the most frustrating to work with are the ones that
don’t share information.
These are the people that are afraid that if they tell someone how they accomplish their job, that they will be replaced. To them, it’s job security that no one else knows how to do what they do. To me, that’s the worst kind of person for any organization.
These are the people that are afraid that if they tell someone how they accomplish their job, that they will be replaced. To them, it’s job security that no one else knows how to do what they do. To me, that’s the worst kind of person for any organization.
I walk into work everyday telling myself, “be replaceable.”
What does that mean? It means I work to improve processes every single day and
make those around me smarter. These processes when put in place will automate
tasks (and I don’t mean electronically).
I give my team the tools they need in order to do their job more efficiently. My hope is that as I fix and implement certain processes, that function/task will no longer require my “managing” and attention; the team will be on autopilot once everyone is equipped to successfully execute it.
I give my team the tools they need in order to do their job more efficiently. My hope is that as I fix and implement certain processes, that function/task will no longer require my “managing” and attention; the team will be on autopilot once everyone is equipped to successfully execute it.
Work should never be a secret. What people work on; how they
accomplish their task; best practices.
None of it should be a secret. I am 100% transparent and that is the
expectation I have of everyone at work.
When I learn something new, I share it. When I solve a problem, I share the situation and how I resolved it. Being replaceable means you are arming those around you with the knowledge you have. You are helping people work smarter and be more efficient by being an open book.
When I learn something new, I share it. When I solve a problem, I share the situation and how I resolved it. Being replaceable means you are arming those around you with the knowledge you have. You are helping people work smarter and be more efficient by being an open book.
Be replaceable. There should always be someone on your
“bench” that can do your job if and when you leave the organization. I measure
my success by one rule: If I leave an organization, they will be able to
continue right where I left off. If a company can continue marching on after my
departure without skipping a beat, that means I have succeeded. It's when things go bad and a company takes
three steps back that I know I failed and didn't do my job prior to leaving.
Be replaceable. Put systems into place and share your
knowledge so that everyone learns from it. Being replaceable means you have the
confidence that you will not lose your job because you are sharing your
knowledge and creating a succession plan. Being replaceable is the most
selfless act one can do for any organization. By being replaceable, it means
you are putting the company above your own agenda and needs.
An Interview with MD of Daimler Benz (Part 2)
With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water.
Desalination of salt water now only needs 2kWh per cubic meter (@ 0.25 cents).
We don't have scarce water in most
places, we only have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone
can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.
Health: The
Tricorder X price will be announced this year. There are companies who will
build a medical device (called the "Tricorder" from Star Trek) that works with your phone, which takes your
retina scan, your blood sample and you breath into it.
It then analyses 54 biomarkers that will identify nearly any
disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have
access to world class medical analysis, nearly for free. Goodbye, medical
establishment.
3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down
from $18,000 to $400 within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100 times
faster. All major shoe companies have
already started 3D printing shoes.
Some spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote
airports. The space station now has a printer that eliminates the need for the
large amount of spare parts they used to have in the past.
At the end of this year, new smart phones will have 3D
scanning possibilities. You can then
3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at home.
In China, they already 3D printed and built a complete
6-storey office building. By 2027, 10%
of everything that's being produced will be 3D printed.
Business opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to
go in, ask yourself: "in the future, do you think we will have that?"
and if the answer is yes, how can you
make that happen sooner?
If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the idea. And any
idea designed for success in the 20th century is doomed to failure in the 21st
century.
Work: 70-80% of jobs
will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is
not clear if there will be enough new jobs in such a small time.
Agriculture: There
will be a $100 agricultural robot in the future. Farmers in 3rd world countries
can then become managers of their field instead of working all day on their
fields.
Aeroponics will need much less water. The first Petri dish
produced veal, is now available and will be cheaper than cow produced veal in
2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows. Imagine if
we don't need that space anymore. There are several startups who will bring
insect protein to the market shortly. It contains more protein than meat. It
will be labelled as "alternative protein source" (because most people
still reject the idea of eating insects).
There is an app called "moodies" which can already
tell in which mood you're in. By 2020
there will be apps that can tell by your facial expressions, if you are lying. Imagine
a political debate where it's being displayed when they're telling the truth
and when they're not.
Bitcoin may even become the default reserve currency ... Of
the world!
Longevity: Right now,
the average life span increases by 3 months per year. Four years ago, the life
span used to be 79 years, now it's 80 years. The increase itself is increasing
and by 2036, there will be more than one year increase per year. So we all
might live for a long long time, probably way more than 100.
Education: The
cheapest smart phones are already at $10 in Africa and Asia. By 2020, 70% of
all humans will own a smart phone. That means, everyone has the same access to world class education.
An Interview with MD of Daimler Benz (Part 1)
In a recent interview the MD of Daimler Benz (Mercedes Benz)
said their competitors are no longer other car companies but Tesla (obvious),
Google, Apple, Amazon 'et al'. There have always been the 3 constants. Death, Taxes and CHANGE!
Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the
next 5-10 years.
Uber is just a software tool, they don't own any cars, and
are now the biggest taxi company in the world
Airbnb is now the biggest hotel company in the world,
although they don't own any properties.
Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially
better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best Go
player in the world, 10 years earlier
than expected.
In the US, young lawyers already don't get jobs. Because of
IBM Watson, you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff)
within seconds, with 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy when done by
humans.
So if you study law, stop immediately. There will be 90%
less lawyers in the future, only specialists will remain.
Watson already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, 4 times more
accurate than human nurses. Facebook now has a pattern recognition software
that can recognize faces better than humans. In 2030, computers will become
more intelligent than humans.
Autonomous cars: In 2018 the first self driving cars will
appear for the public. Around 2020, the complete industry will start to be
disrupted. You don't want to own a car
anymore. You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location
and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it, you only pay
for the driven distance and can be productive while driving. Our kids will never get a driver's licence and will never
own a car.
It will change the cities, because we will need 90-95% less
cars for that. We can transform former parking spaces into parks. 1.2 million
people die each year in car accidents
worldwide. We now have one accident every 60,000 miles (100,000 km), with
autonomous driving that will drop to one accident in 6 million miles (10
million km). That will save a million lives each year.
Most car companies will probably become bankrupt.
Traditional car companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better
car, while tech companies (Tesla, Apple, Google) will do the revolutionary
approach and build a computer on wheels.
Many engineers from Volkswagen and Audi; are completely
terrified of Tesla.
Insurance companies will have massive trouble because
without accidents, the insurance will become 100x cheaper. Their car insurance
business model will disappear.
Real estate will change. Because if you can work while you
commute, people will move further away to live in a more beautiful
neighborhood.
Electric cars will become mainstream about 2020. Cities will
be less noisy because all new cars will run on electricity. Electricity will
become incredibly cheap and clean: Solar production has been on an exponential
curve for 30 years, but you can now see the burgeoning impact.
Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than
fossil. Energy companies are desperately trying to limit access to the grid to
prevent competition from home solar installations, but that can't last.
Technology will take care of that strategy.
To be continued ...
Renungan Ibu untuk Anak Gadisnya
Aku: "Mak, saya dah umur 31 tahun ni. Tak kahwin2
lagi."
Mak: "Rilek."
Aku: "Nak rilek camana lagi. Dah lebih usia. Dah
expired."
Mak: "Rilek."
Aku: "Dulu masa saya umur lepas SPM sampailah 31, orang
asyik tanya, 'BILA NAK KAHWIN?'
Sekarang, orang duk tanya
'PASAL APA TAK KAHWIN LAGI? BILA NAK KAHWIN?'
Sedih."
Mak: "Kamu dah usaha sedaya upaya kan? Bukan tak pernah
approach, bukan tak pernah menerima, bukannya tak pernah ada orang suka dan
tolak, kan?"
Aku: "Ya, mak."
Mak: "Boleh tak kita paksa biji durian yang kita baru
tanam hari ini, terus berbuah hari ini?"
Aku: "Tak boleh."
Mak: "Jodoh pun macam tu lah. Kita memang nak cepat.
Tapi, takdir Allah dan sunnatullah itu kita tak mampu paksa. Kita siapa nak
paksa Allah? Kita cuma ada kudrat doa dan minta dengan baik dari-Nya."
menitis air mata aku... Sedih. Dah lama sebak terpendam
dalam hati. Orang sekeliling yang bertanya tak pernah faham, betapa pilunya
hati orang yang ditanya. Orang tak mengerti, bukan tak mahu. Tapi, dah tersurat
begitu.
Mak mencapai tangan aku..
Mak: "Andai tiada jodoh di dunia sekalipun, jangan
bersedih. Di akhirat pasti ada."
Aku: "Mana mak tahu ada? Yang saya tahu, orang yang dah
kahwin saja dapat bersama pasangan di Syurga."
Mak: "Siapa yang ciptakan suami di dunia?"
Aku: "Allah."
Mak: "Siapa yang mampu ciptakan suami di akhirat?"
Aku: "Allah."
Mak: "Diedarkan kepada mereka piring-piring dari emas,
dan piala-piala dan di dalam syurga itu terdapat segala apa yang diingini oleh
hati dan sedap dipandang mata dan kamu kekal di dalamnya."
Aku: "Kata-kata siapa itu, mak?"
Mak: "Allah yang berfirman dalam Surah al-Zukhruf ayat
71. Ada lagi yang Allah janjikan sebagaimana dalam Surah Fussilat ayat 31,
'..Kamilah Pelindung-pelindungmu dalam kehidupan dunia dan
di akhirat; di dalamnya kamu memperoleh apa yang kamu inginkan dan memperoleh
(pula) di dalamnya apa yang kamu minta..”
Maksudnya, kalau kamu inginkan suami, insya-Allah kamu dapat
suami di Syurga.
Apa yang mustahil bagi Allah? Tidak ada!"
Aku mengelap air mata yang mengalir..
Aku: "Tapi, orang duk kata kat saya tak laku. Buruk.
Hodoh. Memilih. Demand."
Mak: "Biaq pi. Biarlah tak laku di dunia, tapi laris di
akhirat.
Ingat apa Allah kata,
“Janganlah kamu merasa hina dan janganlah kamu merasa sedih
kerana sesungguhnya kedudukan kamu lebih tinggi (mulia) jika kamu beriman”
(Ali-Imran : 139).
Single ke, kahwin ke, tapi kalau taqwa dan iman tak berubah
duk takuk lama tu jugak, tak guna gak.
Jadilah full-time muslimah.
'Fasobrun Jamiiil'. Sabarlah dengan seindah-indah kesabaran.
Jodoh yang indah datang dari kesabaran yang indah.
Jangan bersedih. Wat lek wat biskut.
Aku tersengih-sengih dan happy balik dengar kata-kata mak..
Minum Kopi dengan Ayah
Ayah : Tolong buatkan kopi dua gelas untuk kita berdua nak,
tapi gulanya jangan engkau tuang dulu, bawa saja ke mari beserta wadahnya.
Anak : Baik, ayah
Tidak berapa lama, anaknya sudah membawa dua gelas kopi yang
masih hangat dan gula di dalam wadahnya beserta sendok kecil.
Ayah : Cobalah kamu rasakan kopimu nak , bagaimana rasa
kopimu?
Anak : rasanya sangat pahit sekali ayah
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : Rasa pahitnya sudah mulai berkurang, ayah
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula lagi, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : Rasa pahitnya sudah berkurang banyak, ayah
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula lagi, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : Rasa manis mulai terasa tapi rasa pahit juga masih
sedikit terasa, ayah
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula lagi, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : Rasa pahit kopi sudah tidak terasa, yang ada rasa
manis, ayah
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula lagi, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : sangat manis sekali, ayah.
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula lagi, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : Terlalu manis. Malah tidak enak, ayah
Ayah : Tuangkanlah sesendok gula lagi, aduklah, bagaimana
rasanya?
Anak : rasa kopinya jadi tidak enak, lebih enak saat ada
rasa pahit kopi dan manis gulanya sama-sama terasa, ayah.
Ayah : Ketahuilah nak.. pelajaran yg dapat kita ambil dari
contoh ini adalah.. jika rasa pahit kopi ibarat kemiskinan hidup kita, dan rasa
manis gula ibarat kekayaan harta, lalu menurutmu kenikmatan hidup itu sebaiknya
seperti apa nak?
Sejenak sang anak termenung, lalu menjawab.
Anak : Ya ayah, sekarang saya mulai mengerti, bahwa
kenikmatan hidup dapat kita rasakan, jika kita dapat merasakan hidup
secukupnya, tidak melampaui batas. Terimakasih atas pelajaran ini, ayah
Ayah : Ayo anakku, kopi yg sudah kamu beri gula tadi,
campurkan dengan kopi yang belum kamu beri gula, aduklah, lalu tuangkan dalam
kedua gelas ini, lalu kita nikmati segelas kopi ini.
Sang anak lalu mengerjakan perintah ayahnya
Ayah : Bagaimana rasanya?
Anak : rasanya nikmat, ayah.
Ayah : Begitu pula jika engkau memiliki kelebihan harta,
akan terasa nikmat bila engkau mau membaginya dengan org2 yang kekurangan.
Anak : Terima kasih atas ilustrasinya, ayah
A Success Story of 99 Speedmart Owner
His handicap becomes his forte. A star is born.
Some people blame their circumstances as why they are not
successful. But not Lee Thiam Wah.
Unknown to most people, the owner of 99 SpeedMart, dubbed
'The King of MiniMarts' was struck with polio at an early age, and it bound him
to the wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Being born into a lower income family, Lee did not enjoy the
support and helot that kids with his affliction should have been given. His
father was a construction worker, and his mother was a hawker, so he did not
lead a luxurious life.
But it was what Lee despite of his circumstances that got
the international business community to take notice, earning him an exclusive
profile in Forbes magazine.
His parents had to provide for 11 children, so it comes as
no surprise that Lee only finished 6 years of school, as they could not afford
to send him to school anymore.
But Lee did not use this as a reason for him to be lazy, and
just accept his circumstances. After he finished school prematurely, he read
books borrowed from neighbors, and sold snacks in a roadside stall to occupy
his time.
Lee said that he had to do all this, as a way to help
himself.
“I have to help myself. Nobody would hire me due to my
physical limitation,” he says.
His never say die attitude was forged by his grandmother, who
used to tell him "If you dont work hard, what will you amount to?"
By the time he was 23, he saved RM 5000, which was just
enough to start a grocery stall. So he began his retail education.
He said that he learned through experience, more than
anything.
“I learned what customers buy. I know all the suppliers and
their pricing. And I studied my competitors thoroughly," says Lee.
In 1992, Lee sold the business for RM 88,000. Armed with the
money and the know how, he opened a mini mart.
Lee said that he came to this decision because he wants a
challenge.
“I wanted the challenge of running a bigger business. If you
don’t have scale you can’t compete with Chinese medicine halls on pricing, and
you can’t compete with hypermarkets in terms of range.”
In 1999, he changed the mini mart's name to 99 Speedmart.
Initially building his empire in Klang with 175 stores, Lee
soon took his business nationwide, even extending his empire to East Malaysia.
By June 2016, 99 Speedmart had launched its 800th outlet in
Taman Pahlawan, Melaka.
During the Forbes interview in 2010, it was reported that
Lee's business was already rakingi n RM 150 million annually and employs 2000
people in Malaysia.
Recent media reports cite that 99Speedmart now employs over
6000 workers, a fleet of 100 lorries and 6 distribution centers.
Lee Thiam Wah is a real success story, and he has shown to
everyone that even physical disability cannot stop pure passion, grit, and
perseverance.
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