Daily Lessons from Life 23-24 December 2010 - Malaysia's 100-Storey Tower?

By the way, today is the Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to the believers on a religious level and happy shopping and spending for the 'commercialized' believers!

"M'sian PM under more pressure over 100-storey tower plan - Fri, Dec 24, 2010 AFP

KUALA LUMPUR - Nearly two-thirds of Malaysians are against a plan to build a 100-storey mega-tower that has become a headache for the country's prime minister, according to a survey released Friday.

The independent Merdeka Centre research firm said that 65 percent of 1,005 people surveyed disagreed with the controversial 1.6-billion-dollar "Warisan Merdeka" or "Heritage of Independence" tower, to be built by 2020.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is poised to call a snap election, has defended the project, which has faced widespread criticism online and from ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad.

The new tower would eclipse Mahathir's brainchild, Kuala Lumpur's 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers.

Close to 280,000 people have signed a Facebook petition against the new skyscraper, saying that taxpayers' money would be better spent on education, healthcare and public transport."

I am not sure why it is a headache for the PM of Malaysia. His idea was not a very well thought out one and he should just thank the people who opposed it and cancel the project. He has the power to do it. It is his decision. Should he worried about people will perceive him as weak? He need not be worried about it but should be worried if he continued with it when the people clearly had the solid reasons to ask him to cancel the project!

Lessons for me are:

1. when you are in a position of authority, you are expected to exercise caution when announcing public projects and policies. The announcements have to be supported by solid and well thought out plan and evidence that the ideas are really great ones and can produce positive results for the country. The best ideas can only come from vigorous scrutiny and comparison with many other ideas. This can take place within the originating team. It will be further augmented with a competing team whose sole purpose is to tear down whatever evidence and supports the originating team put up!;

2. it is apparent that in this case, the 88-Storey Twin Petrona Towers has not really earned their keeps and how can the addition of a 100-story tower help? If this question is not answer to the satisfaction of independent experts, it will be hard to push through as it will be against logic and the will of the people. Leader has to recognize that!;

3. of course as is so often commented, rightly or wrongly, many political projects are for emotonal reasons rather than rational reasons. This coupled with the often whispered "where can you get the money to fund your political ambition if there are no MEGA PROJECT!" complicate the rational model of evaluation and approving such projects. This is only rumours and speculations as the project had not being officially launch yet. May this scenario never have to be considered!

Malaysia is a rich country with immense natural resources, it can be a great country where its people rank in the top layer of the world. It can only be so if politicians are exercing the ETHICS of the 7e Way of Leaders. Whatever you do you do it because it will more good and benefits to a majority of the people whom you lead - willingly or unwillingly.