Earth Hour 2012

Today is the Earth Hour. Millions of people world wide is celebrating the Day by switching off their light between 8.30pm to 9.30pm. The Day is a day to remind people on the effect of climate change. Switching off the light will reduce demand on electricity, and hence the burning of fuel which is one of the major contributor to carbon dioxide generation. However, to me this is not the main purpose of organising Earth Hour, but rather on this Day, what commitment we should make to ourselves that we are going to do to combat global warming, to minimise degradation of environmental quality, to conserve natural environment, to produce less waste, to generate less CO2 and etc. It must be a personal pledge and action through out the Day, and not confining to an hour starting from 8.30pm. We might think of reducing our carbon footprint and water footprint. Perhaps sleep early is a good choice as no electricity is supposed to be used. On this respect, the activities planned by many commercial establishments during that hour, to me is not favourable. Celebration activities that involve shopping crowd to participate is a commercial marketing decision and part of the corporate social responsibility of the businesses to raise awareness. However, I must say that I would not agree to such celebration activities if many people from far and near making a special trip to join the celebration. These are people who might not want to come to shop but choose to do so with plenty of activities and prizes are promised. They might come with their own vehicles which will generate more CO2. They might eat and shop more with their lavish spending habit. The streets are jam up with sudden increase of vehicles.

To me, less celebration with mass gathering is better answer for the intended message for Earth Hour. Happy Earth Hour 2012.

Professional Self Responsibility

Professional self responsibility means minimum regulatory intervention. Every individual professional has to bear his own responsibility for his own decision, and hence absorbing risks incur related to any of his decision. For building construction sector, the designer has to design, endorse, build and certify his work until completion and compliance. The designer has to adhere to the agreed standard operating procedures, to observe professional code of ethics and conduct as well as standing firm on his decision without any compromise that will affect the quality of the projects. Professional self responsibility is parrallel to the call for good governance and corporate social responsibility. Professional are trained in their field of specialisation and entrusted by the society to work with high ethical value to perform their duties based on their professional knowledge and skills. In summary, they are trusted by the general public to safeguard societal interest and individual right. Thereby, rightly so if the professional observes self responsibility in full.

For professional self responsibiwlity to be implemented successfully and effectively, the professional must be ready to design with full technical and management capacity without fear and favour. The nation must have sufficient number of professional to undertake the jobs or else the shortage of manpower might have eluded into the quality of output if everybody is rushing to complete the jobs. The client must respect the work of the professional and should not trying to influence the professional of going against the rules, perhaps bending the rules is also not encouraged. The Authority should establish clear and transparent rules and guidelines to facilitate self regulation to take place.

Since 2007, Certificate of Completion and Compliance or CCC system has been introduced to replace the Certificate of Fitness for Occupation or CFO system for the building industry in Malaysia. Under the new system, architect or engineer as the submitting person for building plan approval is the authority to certify and acknowledge that the building has been completed and complied with the approved building plan and its conditions. They bear full responsibility of any defects and wrongdoings once the CCC has been issued. The building owners can take the authority issuing CCC to task if they are not satisfied with the work done. The Local Authorities can also report any non compliance of building work to the respective Board of Engineers or Board of Architect if it is found that CCC has been issued without compliance with the approved plan. The authority is given to the professional subjected to them absorbing full responsibility and risks.

During the 40th AGM of MIP recently, a motion to study the possibility of planners to become certified body on planning permission was discussed. It was mentioned that in Brisbane, Australia, registered planners that verified by the city council are empowered to recommend the issuing of planning permission by the council. They will help in analysing the submission and making recommendation for approval. The planners' involvement is to help expedite the process of evaluation and consideration, and hence the regulatory involvement of the council will be lesser. It was noted that absolute power to approve or reject the application is still laid with the council, and not the planners. In this respect, I think the principle of self responsibility is exercised in which duty of evaluation has been delegated to the planners. The planners have to practice higher code of ethic and professional practice in making recommendation to the Council for final approval. Their recommendation is highly at stake and can be challenged if inappropriate decision has been made.

I believe similar arrangement was institutionalised in the Town and Country Planning Act, 1976 (Act 172). Under the provision of Act 172, any submission of planning permission application has to be accompanied by the Planning Proposal Report (LCP) amongst others. LCP is the development brief or report detailing the proposed site profile, the development plan policies related to the site, site analysis, the proposed development concept and detail proposal, the implementation stages, phasing and financial and others. LCP is a document highlighting the suitability of the proposed development in concurrence with the development plan. It will help to bring to the attention of the local planning authority that the most suitable type of development is proposed for the site. Hence, the format, content and context of the LCP is very important and critical as an useful document and references to the local planning authority in making correct decision on planning permission application. In this respect, the planners is practicing self responsibility with high code of conduct and ethic if the LCP is prepared with high professional skill. LCP must make easy for local planning authority to refer for consideration or else it will not serve the purpose as stipulated in the law.

If a LCP is becoming a document because of its statutory requirement for submission without being use as a "MUST READ" document to be referred during the process of considering the application, then I strongly believe that the planners have not done the justice of practicing higher code of professional ethic as embeded in the Act 172. The more lightly we, the practicing planners and the public sector planners look at LCP, the lesser self responsibility we are, I presume. I believe in adopting the motion as brought up in the AGM, we need to discuss in details the way forward for LCD. We should study the modus operandi, the content, the context and the process of LCP preparation and evaluation for planning permission application. This, itself is the first step towards self responsibility.

Participatory Community Development

I have an interesting discussion with a RT chairman this morning. We spoke about participatory community development programmes at the ground level. It is commonly acknowledged that getting people to come out, let alone volunteer themselves to take part in the community programmes is a difficult task. More so asking them to take the driving role will never get a programme to start. For example, appealing to people to participate in the street patrolling will never work as their reason will always be this is the job of the policeman, and hence it is not necessary for them to be involved. Similarly, asking people to clean up their neighbourhood park based on self help programme is always being rejected simply because as tax payer they have entrusted the local authority to clean up and hence it is none of their business to help. To many, nothing wrong of sharing similar thought and I will concur if provided that we have widen our thinking for the community at large.

A safe community is what everyone envisioned for themselves, their family and place of living. We have the right of looking forward for a safe and peaceful community. However, right should come with full responsibility. While the security force is tasked with safeguarding the life and property as well as order of the society, other stakeholders such as residents, inesses and agencies share equal responsibilities. As house owners, we should reduce the opportunity for crime to be committed. We can walk on the street as a group and make it visible to the potential crime offenders. Businesses can provide logistic support to the community at large. For example, installing communal CCTV at strategic area or the passage from houses to the commercial centre, providing guarded service to the customers and of course know the neighbour well. As for agencies like local authority, crime prevention through environmental design can be incorporated into all facilities and infrastructure development. It is an action by all and for all. To me, the wisdom of none of my business is gone of the days.

If we have done a cause and effect analysis on any urban issues, be it security and safety, service delivery, development, pollution and etc, the root cause of the problem is always YOU AND ME, and not either you or me. Any consequences will have vicious circle of returning back to us the adverse effect, one day either soonest or later. For example, if we do not help out our neighbour next door who is in distress after robbery, for sure we might be the next target of crime because the robbers knew that no one in this neighbourhood is helping each others when the time is warrant. If the incidence of crime is so high, for sure the neighbourhood becomes black spot area and hence property value will be affected. For those who think that as long as i and my family are all right, never got injured due to criminal, the depreciation of property value will hit them as well. Nobody can hide from community development even though you are not part of the team emotionally.

Both of us agreed that perhaps to wake members of the community up is to create a crisis situation. However this might be construed as agencies are non performing. Another way of doing is creating a "kampung" setting with neighbourliness spirit and environment. People is knowing each others. People is willing to help each others. Caring towards each others and the public domain is not an issue. This, of course a tall order as many of the urban people especially in PJ hardly know each other, let alone mingle around. However, if you do not know other, how can you love him is the common saying and rightly so. The Local Authority perhaps has the responsibility of creating common safe and conducive space for greater interaction, top tip condition of the public facilities and facilitating or organising events suit to the need of the people. If all these have been put in place but no community initiative is forth coming, then i believe accusing local authority of not people friendly will lose it own cause naturally.

Time Is Essence

Time is essence must be the words appeared the most in any legal document or agreements. It is a reminder to many that respecting the timeline and schedule is important or else you will be penalised for non committed on deadline. Some said time is gold as it is something you cannot buy and renew. If time flied mean you have missed the space of opportunity. No wonder many like to say that if i have done this and that during younger age or how good i have taken the action earlier. Thereby, observing and respecting the time set is obviously essential for own self and others, worst still you might be regretting to the end tail of your life.

For individual, whether you regard time is important or not is very much subjective depending on how you want to optimise it and any consequences shall be self responsibility. However, if inaction that cause time loss and cost incurred that impacted others, then it is collective responsibility and rules should be set for all parties to adhere to. That explain why clause on time is essence always remain in the legal document.

Observing right time is very important as it is cost related. For example, if we are late in completing our task which is part of a whole process, we will be at fault as it will definitely disrupting the subsequent process. This will have big consequences especially for the projects require close coordination and harmonisation. These include construction, manufacturing, forex market and activities require no time margin error is allowed. For emergency services like ambulance, fire fighting and police, time adhering is more obvious.

For service delivery, getting a time table convenient to everyone is also important. We need the service provider and beneficiary to agree on the timing, schedule and frequency of service provision. For example, rubbish collection service can only be efficient if the truck comes on time, the people know when the truck is coming and hence prepare the rubbish for collection, the landfill operator will know by then that waiting time for disposal can be reduced if the truck reaches the landfill site on time. Of course, people making the same route as rubbish truck will be happy as they can avoid the route during time of collection.

Many complain about insufficient time and too much to do. Those complacent one will complain of too much time with nothing to do. To me, whether you have something to do or have nothing to do, it is your own decision and have nothing to do with the time. With or without we do something, the clock is moving. That by perhaps it is good to do something at all time rather than losing the precious asset for nothing, I presume.

World Water Day 2012

Today is the World Water Day, a day to remind us on the need to conserve this precious asset we have without fail all year long, either rainy or drought day. This Day also serve as an awareness raising day for us to conserve the water resource so that we will be able to enjoy non-stop, constant, clean and clear supply of water for recreational, irrigation, agriculture, transportation and living purpose. Well, if all the above have been done, perhaps everyday is the Water Day and we do not need to specifically reserve a Day to celebrate it.

The reality is the number of rivers getting polluted is increasing days by days. The drought day is longer now. The sea water level is higher. The area traditionally not affected by the flooding is threatened by flooding now. Food security becomes an issue now with the water shortage. Theme for this year celebration is Water and Food Security. What went wrong then?

My opinion is that due to the fact that we are not appreciating the precious resources we are enjoying now. We take it lightly as the treated water is flowing so freely by switching the tap only, and so cheap. That's why Malaysian consumes average of 226 liter of water daily compared to 165 liter as recommendated by United Nations. We also have the attitude of releasing the waste water onto other territories without thinking of what it has to do with me. That's why we always realign our basin in the back portion of our house and let the waste water discharge from our kitchen into the drains behind our house directly without realising that it is a direct pollution source to our river system. I believe unless we are facing with the water shortage problem, then only will we appreciate the importance of water. Of course, some people also argue that high consumption of water is not the only cause, but rather high loss in non-revenue water is the major cause. Whatever it is, it is good to have adaptation action plan to encounter such a situation, if it happens.

Happy World Water Day 2012 and please let's us working together making everyday the Water Day.

Art of Keeping Quiet

Keeping quiet is an art. For person with hot temper and can be very angry instantly the moment his mind was distrubed, keeping quiet will be the last thing he can do. Exploration with mouthful of bad words will be flowing freely and this, if involved personal attack can be hurt and painful. For a quiet person without much saying, keeping quiet can be confusing. Others might not be able to guess what is he thinking. This is especially painful if you are having such a person as your office mate. You received no reply even though asking repeatedly for an answer. You are facing with a stone wall. For a talkative person, you might at time disturbed by remarks making by him in which you would like to avoid at all cost. Under such circumstances, avoiding seem to be the best solution.

Hence, to me keeping quiet at the right time in front of wrong person can be an art, but of course keeping quiet in front of right person at the right time can be disaster as well. For example, if it is perfectly right and conducive situation for you to express your feeling towards a girl you admire, but you choose to remain silent, then it must be uncalled for keeping quiet. Similarly, you must be very embarassed if your phone ring all in a sudden during an occassion calling for a minute of silent was made. If a customer service officer remained silent but with expression of careless when he is confronting by the customers who lodged a complaints, then i am sure more explaination is needed not towards the complaints but rather on what his expression all about. Customer relationship becoming bad most of the time because a party choose to remain silent and queries are unanswered for.

Many of residents i met are vocal about non committment from officers they lodged complaints for. To many of them, it is not because of unresolved problems that they are angry but rather the non communication of their complaints. The minimum what they required is somebody to acknowledge their complaints and to update them regularly on actions taken. They are all right even though remedy action took more time than expected but feel unesay if nobody tell them what have transpired. Under such circumstances, remain silent is obviously not a good solution.

However, if you are confronting by a group of angry man in which no logical explaination is accpeted, then keeping quiet for a minute or let the emotional attached people calm down first should be the way forward. If we choose to counter what the angry man said with high tune and angry face, then for sure the situation can be chaos further. For example, if critics are targetted on some political differences which majority of people concur with except you during a public assembly, keeping quiet can be a better option or else you might be bully by the crowd. Similarly, it is unthinkable for supporters of different camp siting surrounded by supporters of another team in a football match, isn't it? How do you react if your opponent scores a goal and dare you celebrating your team scoring a goal? Under such circumstances, if you have stepped into opposing camp, remain silent should be the best option.

Keeping quiet can be an art because it can potrait level of your EQ. Keeping quiet complimented with the body expression at the right time can be a welcoming gesture. Chosing to remain silent if situation not warrant for you to speak up can be life saving. Ultering few words during right time responding to right question is easier said been done. This requires skill, knowledges and experiences.

I presume if I have remained silent on some subjects, I must have my own reason of doing so. Similarly, if I keep quiet although someone has asked me about my opinion of certain things, please do not ask me further.

Responsibility on Water

14th of March was a busy day for every household and businessmen in Klang Valley especially those in the F & B, laundry and car washing, beverage making sector. Prior that, announcement was made that water supply will be stopped on that day due to the operation of cleaning up the water treatment plant and reservoir. The cleaning is necessary due to disruption of the plant by sudden flooding and over flowing of muddy water from the river system the previous week. Although the water supply disruption did not materialise, i think a valuable lesson was learnt, that is water conservation is the responsibility of all and hence the impact is directly or indirectly on us.

While many people on the street are not aware about the importance of mitigation and adaptation on climate change and environmental degradation as many of us are not directly affected by the tsunami, typhoon, earth quake and other natural disasters, the sudden stopping of water supply is real and should be able to serve as an alarming notice to all. Many will not feel the pain and the need to change unless they themselves experienced it. Although anticipated disruption was not happened, but the troublesome of storing up the water has taught many of us a lesson. Perhaps more of such untoward incidents will aware us the urgent need of going green and sustainability. I presume people is more than willing to learn from mistake and mishap during difficult time rather than making a change during easy time at the comfort zone.