大馬首富郭鶴年在回憶錄中披露，第二任首 相敦拉薩因血癌末期在倫敦接受治療時， 他曾要求代首相胡先翁推行不分種族、唯才是用的 制度，但胡先翁直言無力改變。現在巫統領袖的首 要任務是保住政權，更不可能聽取建言。
國家錯失改革的契機，因此繼續走在種族政治 的道路上，借用郭鶴年的話：「國家的火車在錯誤 的軌道上，胡先翁沒有足夠的力氣抬起火車，讓它 駛入正確的軌道」。國家的方向錯誤，不是個人得 失，影響了數代人。
巫統創辦人翁惹化，也是胡先翁的父親，他當 年提出開放巫統、不分種族接納民眾加入，他的建 議被拒絕，他只好離開巫統創立新黨。儘管翁惹化 沒有得到馬來人的支持，但他卻得到歷史的正名。
回到郭鶴年向胡先翁的建言，這反映一位企業 家的務實思維，他看到種族政治的弊端。如果國家 領袖有大局觀，不分膚色的重用人才，今天國家會 有不同的面貌。
在經曆數十年歲月的洗禮，最近好像有一點 鬆動，譬如，柔佛州蘇丹依布拉欣建議政府重新檢 討房屋政策上的「種族固打制」，並規定發展商在 發展項目中建造讓不分種族皆可購買的「可負擔房 屋」。
馬航也先後聘請兩名外籍首席執行員，即慕勒 和彼得貝魯，儘管他們都未能完成轉虧為盈的任務 就離職，但是希望雇用外國專才的舉措陸續有來， 讓國家企業擺脫管理困境。
此外，已把49.9%股權賣給中國吉利的寶騰 （Proton）也委任中國人李春榮擔任首席執行員， 因為政府無法再支撐了，就只好交給中國人來挽 救。
李春榮日前首次公開演講非常坦率，他說，寶 騰的服務質量，包括銷售滿意度指數（SSI）和顧客 滿意度指數（CSI）很差，全國倒數第一，還沒看過 這麼差的。
他舉出一些例子來說明他所要求的高效。他 發現寶騰食堂廚師的烹飪技術太差，連空心菜都煮 不好，人事部總監提出兩個月的時間改善，他說兩 周。事實證明，這是做得到的，食堂食物的質量已 經提高。
他也發現檳城、怡保和柔佛的華人很多，但寶騰的很多銷售顧問不會講華語，所以他要求會說華語，甚至說淡米爾語的銷售和服務顧問，做到以客 為尊。
李春榮不只是為普騰改中文名，他還帶來務實、高效、革新、專業誠信、互相包容與融合，以 及追求卓越管理和品質的價值觀，這對大馬員工是 一種文化衝擊。
配合「一帶一路」戰略，以及設立數字自由貿 易區，政府已經開放門戶，今後會有越來越多中國 公司進駐、到來搶灘，他們會利用大馬作為平台， 進軍東協市場。
如果大馬企業繼續那種做事慢吞吞、馬馬虎虎 的工作文化，以中國人的高效、高技術、勤奮及龐 大資金，大馬企業將會失掉本地市場、被摘掉「甘 榜冠軍」的榮銜。
現在已經是高度開放及競爭的時代，政府的 保護政策已經無法阻擋這股潮流。電子商務講求的 是產品的質量、性價比、設計、包裝、品牌形象等 等，即使一些大馬公司享有特殊權利、政府補貼， 但沒有競爭力，最終會被市場淘汰。
所以，我們應該立即調整政策、思維、心態， 來應對新經濟時代的挑戰。
在上個世紀，我們可以抗拒改變、繼續推行 「拐杖政策」，現在我們不改變，世界將改變我 們。
郭鶴年的建言至今仍然是金玉良言，李春榮對 大馬人的要求也是一項指引，我們必須務實，停止 好高騖遠，才能快步趕上。
文章來源：星洲日報／風起波生‧作者：林瑞源‧《星洲日報》副執行總編輯·2017.11.28
Guiding light
Malaysia’s richest man Robert Kuok recalled in his memoir that the nation’s second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak had asked acting PM Tun Hussein Onn to implement the meritocracy system while he was undergoing treatment in London.
However, Hussein said admittedly he was powerless in effectuating the change.
With our Umno leaders today prioritizing their hold to power, getting the message across to them is even more unthinkable.
We have sadly missed the opportunity for some real reforms and as such we are destined to continue ploughing on down the road of racist politics.
Moving the train down the wrong track is not so much about the lapses of a single individual but the reverberations could be felt across several generations.
Quoting Robert Kuok: “The train of the nation had been put on the wrong track. Hussein wasn’t strong enough to lift up the train and set it down on the right track.”
Umno’s founder Onn Jaafar, the father of Hussein, had advocated a liberal Umno open to all Malayans irrespective of race. His proposal was rejected and he was forced to leave the party he founded. Although Onn Jaafar did not win the approval of the Malays, he would continue to be remembered by many of us today.
Back to Kuok’s advice to Hussein Onn which reflected a business tycoon’s pragmatism. He saw the stigma of racist politics and believed the country could be very different if our leaders had dropped race-based criteria when selecting people.
There seems to be a crack of late in the decades-old policy. Sultan Ibrahim of Johor has called on the government to review racial quotas for housing projects and requiring developers to build affordable homes for Malaysians regardless of race.
The national flag carrier earlier appointed two successive foreign chief executives, Christoph Mueller and Peter Bellew. Although they left before they managed to make the airline profitable, we still hope more foreign experts will be brought in here to reverse the destinies of our ailing companies.
Meanwhile, Geely, with its recently acquired 49.9% stake in Proton, has appointed Li Chunrong, a Chinese national, to head the national carmaker just because our government can no longer handle the company.
Li put it candidly in his first public address recently that Proton’s service quality (sales satisfaction index SSI and customer satisfaction index CSI) was downright disappointing. He said he had never seen anything this bad before.
He cited several examples to support his call for improved efficiency. He discovered that the culinary skills of the cooks at Proton’s canteen were so poor that they couldn’t even get kangkung cooked right. The HR director offered to fix the problem in two months, but the CEO only allowed two weeks!
It was later proven that the demand was never excessive, as the quality of canteen food has since improved remarkably!
Li also found that many of Proton’s sale consultants in Penang, Ipoh and JB could not speak Mandarin although there are many Chinese customers there. So he wanted more people who could speak Mandarin or even Tamil to serve the customers.
Li not only has given Proton a new Chinese name, he also ushers in pragmatism, efficiency, reforms, professionalism, integrity and integration as well as uncompromising pursuit of management and quality excellence. This invariably is a cultural shock to the Malaysian workforce.
In line with the One Belt One Road initiative and the establishment of Digital Free Trade Zone, the door of the country is now wide open. More and more Chinese companies are expected to set up operating bases here for expansion into Asean market.
If we continue to do things the way we used to, we will lose even our domestic market.
The government’s protective policy is no longer able to withstand the tide of a highly liberal and competitive marketplace. E-commerce is all about product quality, cost performance, design, packaging, brand image, etc. Non-competitive companies that bask on government privileges and subsidies will eventually be washed out of the market.
Consequently, we need to readjust our policies, mentality and attitude to tackle the challenges in the era of new economy.
While in the past we could still cling on to our patronage system and resist change, we can no longer do the same today. Change, or be changed by the world.
Kuok’s advice to the government remains relevant today, while Li’s demands from Malaysians should serve as a guiding light to lead us forward.
By LIM SUE GOAN
Sin Chew Daily