The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: To live and grow in a fair, sustainable and happy Malaysia. That is what the Government is hearing from youths around the country over and over again, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic).

“Young Malaysians want a sustainable country, in that they don’t want development at the expense of our lives. They also want a fair country with distribution of income and quality of life,” he added.

Khairy said over 20,000 specific aspirations were collected under the TN50 initiative  since this was launched two months ago.

Other aspirations by the youths, added Khairy, include wanting Malaysia to have more balance in food trade; no to smoking and the sale of cigarettes, fight against obesity and for each state to have two specialist hospitals.

“They also want Malaysia to have a civilisation, such as the arts and values,” Khairy said to the audience attending the Global Transformation Forum 2017 here yesterday.

He was part of the Delivering Transformation: The Malaysian Case Study panel, which also included Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan; International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa.

To a question from the floor, Khairy said Vision 2020 was a general statement of intent while the TN50 document, once completed, would have specific milestones.

“It would be an implementation document,” said Khairy, adding that this would  then be handed over to Abdul Rahman, who is in charge of Economic Planning Unit.

He added that whoever was in the Government in the future years were duty bound to see the aspirations through.

“This is the collective voice of the people,” he pointed out, adding that a “bottom up” initiative would insulate the document from political interference.

Mustapa said it was also important for youths to define the political model they wanted under TN50.

Earlier, he said despite recent challenges such as Trumpnomics and Brexit and economic uncertainty, Malaysia remained committed to openness.

“We are one of the biggest beneficiaries of open trade. We will continue to push for globalisation,” he said.

Malaysia, he said, had become big overseas in that its investments abroad were now larger than the foreign investments in the country.

The Global Transformation Forum is an event organised by Pemandu and the world’s single platform to share and discuss transformative actions and experiences at three distinct levels: governments, businesses and individuals.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/khairy-youths-want-sustainable-fair-malaysia/

By Sim Leoi Leoi, Tho Xin Yi, Patrick Lee, and Fatimah Zainal

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s a piece of advice that never gets old – always listen to your mother.

Stockbroker-turned-motivational speaker Chris Gardner spoke of how he was empowered by his mother to become who he is today.

“She told me ‘Son, you can do or be everything you want to be’. That is the greatest gift she gave me beyond life,” said Gardner, 63.

The author of The Pursuit of Happyness credited his mother with allowing him to dream big.

Gardner’s stories, particularly about the year when he was homeless, was made into a 2006 motion picture starring Will Smith and his son Jaden.

Snippets of the film were shown before Gardner addressed a packed hall at the Global Transformation Forum 2017 yesterday, where he gave an engaging session, filled with jokes and anecdotes.

Gardner recalled how he told himself at the age of five that he would be a good father, vowing not to become the man that his stepfather was.

And to further the role his mother played in his life, Gardner said he was now encouraging his granddaughter by giving her the “permission to dream”.

Gardner also advised his audience to focus on their Plan A in life instead of getting distracted by any Plan B.

To drill the message into them, he instructed the audience to repeat after him: “Plan B sucks!”

Citing Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama and Malaysia’s own Datuk Lee Chong Wei as inspiring figures who stuck to their Plan A, Gardner said that people must be clear, concise, compelling, consistent and committed to their plans.

He challenged them to strive for world-class excellence in whatever they do.

“I am going to be world class. Not good, not pretty good, but world class,” he said.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/gardner-mums-know-whats-best-for-our-happiness/

By Sim Leoi Leoi, Tho Xin Yi, Patrick Lee, and Fatimah Zainal

KUALA LUMPUR: It is important to appoint the right leaders for the ministries, agencies and enterprises to ensure that transformation happens, said Permodalan Nasional Bhd group chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar.

He said the Government and the country were a large entity.

“One leader cannot deliver transformation without getting the ministries and agencies to do their part.

“That is why it’s important to appoint the right leaders,” he said at the “National Transformation: Perspectives, Challenges and Impact” session at the Global Transformation Forum 2017.

He was part of a panel, which also included Delivery Associates founder and chairman Sir Michael Barber and Amref Health Africa International chairman Omari Issa.

Moderating was Datuk Charon Wardini Mokhzani, who is executive director in the managing director’s office at Khazanah Nasional.

On the issue of succession, Abdul Wahid said this was important to make any kind of transformation sustainable.

Without the right succession, transformation would collapse once the leadership which put it into place is gone, he said.

To a question from the audience, Abdul Wahid said it did not matter if a corporate figure was put in charge of running a government as long as he had the people’s mandate.

Omari said while it was important to achieve one’s Key Performance Index, it was also necessary to benchmark oneself against others.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/right-leaders-needed-to-ensure-transformation/

By Sim Leoi Leoi, Tho Xin Yi, Patrick Lee, and Fatimah Zainal

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia chose the “Road Less Travelled” when it embarked on its transformation plan, says Pemandu president and CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

Quoting the famous poem by Robert Frost, Idris said when he was asked to join the Government in 2009, it was at a crossroads.

He said a survey showed that 90% of the high-income nations had achieved their status via the “road most travelled.”

“However, there was a wide income disparity and unsustainable fiscal position with high government debt and fiscal deficit in these countries,” he said at the Global Transformation Forum 2017.

He cited countries like Greece, Japan, the United States and Italy which had high government debt levels, describing it as a floating iceberg.

“That was the pathway we followed until 2009. We looked at that road and we didn’t like it,” said Idris.

Malaysia, he said, decided to instead take the road less travelled, which was being followed by countries like Switzerland, Sweden and Denmark that had manageable debt levels and a sustainable fiscal position.

To put this into place, he said the Government made so many promises in the Economic and the Government Transformation Programmes that it was almost akin to being “pregnant”.

“And when you’re pregnant, you have to deliver,” he said to laughter from the delegates.

Following the introduction of these programmes, Idris said Malaysia had managed to narrow its gap of 33% on the middle income level to 15% as well as reduce its fiscal deficit from 6.7% of the GDP in 2009 to 3.1% in 2016.

“We are no longer stuck in middle income.”

The Government’s aggregate KPI scores on its performance, he added, were also consistently ahead of target in every report, with 106% in 2015.

The next report on the KPI for 2016 will be out on April 25.

Sharing an anecdote, Idris said when he was in the Government, the Prime Minister would often call the ministers on a Friday when something that was supposed to be implemented was not carried out.

“Why Friday? So their weekend would be spoilt,” he quipped.

Closing his session with a recital of the poem, Idris said there were three transformational leadership qualities – pursuit of the impossible game, ruthlessness in prioritisation and discipline of action.

Close to 3,000 delegates from 76 countries are attending the Global Transformation Forum.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/idris-we-chose-the-road-less-travelled/

KUALA LUMPUR: Youths around the country have indicated that they want a sustainable, fair and happy Malaysia in the next 30 years.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic) said over 20,000 specific aspirations had been collected under the TN50 initiative.

“Young Malaysians want a sustainable country in that they don’t want development at the expense of our lives.

“They also want a fair country with distribution of income and quality of life,” he told the audience during the Global Transformation Forum 2017 here on Thursday.

He said this was reflected in the aspirations collected under the first wave of the TN50 initiative.
Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/khairy-comments-young-malaysians/

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s focus on human capital and connectivity is the right direction for development, World Bank chief economist Dr Paul Romer said.

“The Prime Minister was right when he said the key ingredient for human capital is connectivity.

“Connectivity enables people to procure human capital which leads the way for the people to have a better future,” he said.

He was referring to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s opening speech which touched on championing human capital and connectivity in the National Transformation Programme to improve the economic standing of Malaysians.

Dr Romer, a recipient of the prestigious H.C. Recktenwald Prize, one of the most coveted international prizes in economics, spoke yesterday at the session on “Shaping Global Development: Innovation, Human Capital & Technology” at the Global Transformation Forum 2017.

The World Bank Group is the strategic partner with Pemandu in the GTF 2017.

Dr Romer said there was a need to build a foundation for connecti­vity in the developing world.

“A way to facilitate connectivity is by developing cities,” he said.

He cited industrial-era New York as a prime example of urban deve­lopment built from ground up.

The metropolitan started flourish­ing in the early 1900s after people started utilising public spaces by converting them into settlements and facilities such as sewerage and water connection.

“This spurred more than a million people to migrate to New York back then and develop its economy.

“Only a 100 years ago, New York was like Bangladesh today.

“But we can see in Hong Kong, Dubai, China and Malaysia that urban development doesn’t have to take 100 years, it could happen even faster now,” Dr Romer said.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/romer-lauds-malaysias-focus-on-human-capital/

By Sim Leoi Leoi, Tho Xin Yi, Patrick Lee, and Fatimah Zainal

KUALA LUMPUR: It was a rousing end to the first day of the Global Transformation Forum 2017 as business magnate Richard Branson fielded questions and selfie requests.

The main hall of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was crowded by those who were eager to hear the larger-than-life founder of Virgin Group speak.

His session was moderated by CNN anchor Richard Quest.

At one point, photographs of Branson in a stewardess uniform were screened behind them.

They were taken when he lost a bet to AirAsia Group founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes over which one of their Formula One racing teams would cross the line first in their debut season in 2010

The crowd laughed and clapped. “I was hoping to see him (Fernandes) in a stewardess outfit on our plane,” Branson said, smiling.

He spoke of his successes and failures, including the crash of a Virgin Galactic spacecraft in 2014 which killed a pilot.

He said about 800 people signed up to be taken on as passengers, admitting that the crash was a “massive setback”.

However, he said the spacecraft would be back in space by the end of the year.

Later, someone in the front seat told Branson that he was one of those who had signed up to go to space.

“When can I go into space?” he asked. Branson merely smiled.

One man asked Branson what kept him going.

He replied that this was due to his “love of people” and seeing life as a long learning process. He spoke about issues he felt strongly about.

Branson said he was saddened by moves not to acknowledge or welcome the gay community.

He also spoke against US president Donald Trump, adding that he had dinner with the man a few years ago.

“He (Trump) told me there were five people who hadn’t helped him when he was bankrupt and how he was going to spend the rest of his life trying to destroy those five people,” he said, calling Trump a “very sad individual.”

After the session, Pemandu CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala took to the stage for a selfie with Branson.

But before that, a pair of scissors suddenly appeared in Branson’s hand and he went on to snip Idris’ and Quest’s ties.

“Have you ever worn a tie?” Quest asked while the crowd cheered.

“No,” Branson replied.

The Global Transformation Forum 2017 ends today with speakers such as Olympic champion Usain Bolt and Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/23/love-of-people-drives-branson-virgin-group-founder-wows-crowd-with-speech-and-antics

KUALA LUMPUR: The development of the Digital Free Trade Zone is a world’s first, said the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the zone would benefit entrepreneurs by offering a conducive environment for digital companies to carry out their business.

“The initiative is part of the recently launched National E-Commerce Strategic Roadmap which aims to double e-commerce growth from 10.8 % to 20.8% by 2020,” he said in his opening remarks at the Global Transformation Forum 2017 on Wednesday.

Najib will be launching the Zone later on Wednesday with Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

The Digital Free Trade Zone, a brain child of Najib and watched over by Ma, will among other things, knock down tariffs imposed on items being shipped into the country that are priced over RM500.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/22/najib-malaysias-digital-free-trade-zone-is-a-worlds-first/

PETALING JAYA: Those who fancy T-shirts featuring Usain Bolt, Jack Ma or Richard Branson can purchase three exclusively-designed T-shirts by Saltycustoms, the official apparel partner of the Global Transformation Forum (GTF) 2017.

The Global Transformation Forum is an event organised by Pemandu and the world’s single platform to share and discuss transformative actions and experiences at three distinct levels: governments, businesses and individuals.

“We have designed three exclusive T-shirts under the GTF 2017 theme and we aim to sell 5,000 to 8,000 of these, where a portion of the proceeds will go towards sponsoring the GAPS’ Frame Football Team,” said group managing director King Quah.

The GAPS’ football programme is aimed at enabling children with cerebral palsy to play football using frame walkers, a tool that provides additional support for balance and stability.

“We hope that with the extra funds, we can expand this programme to allow more children with cerebral palsy to play football.”

Quah also said that they hoped that other companies would follow in their footsteps to help those in need.

The exclusively designed T-shirts are priced at RM49.90 each and can be purchased at saltycustoms.com/gtf17.

Saltycustoms was founded by Quah in 2010 with his childhood friend Shannon Toh, and they have designed shirts for big names such as Facebook, Coca-Cola, eBay, Nescafe Universal Music and Formula 1.

Quah said the company, which has offices in Kelana Jaya and Singapore, was born out of their passion for innovative, well-fitted and high quality T-shirts.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/22/get-your-gtf-icon-tshirt-here/

BY SIM LEOI LEOI

PETALING JAYA: David Coulthard knows all about living life in the fast lane.

As the winner of 13 Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix races, he also knows all about the danger of racing along the curves of the track at speeds of up to 300kph and the need to perform under pressure.

However, Coulthard, who calls his success on the podium an “unlikely story of one man’s journey from a small village in Scotland”, has credited fear and pressure for focusing his mind.

“Fear focuses the mind. So, seek it out and see what you are capable of achieving. When you’re chilled and relaxed, you’re perfectly placed to be complacent or have a sleep.

“But when you test yourself and do things that you perhaps feared, you find life in new ways and discover what you are really capable of,” he said in an interview.

Similarly, pressure, he pointed out, comes when people do not feel that they are doing their job to the best of their ability.

“If you push yourself to do the best you can, the pressure from outside is irrelevant,” said Coulthard, whose one tenet in life is that nothing that is worth achieving is ever simple.

Coulthard, who hails from Twynholm, Kirkcudbrightshire, in Western Scotland where there is now a museum dedicated to him, his F1 cars and trophies, retired from racing in 2008.

During his 14-year career, he had nine seasons with the McLaren team – the second longest in F1 history –during which he won a dozen victories, finished on the podium 39 times and finished second in the championships.

Asked about the secret to his success, he said: “I don’t think I have a secret but I do believe that my determination to keep improving helped me to achieve the results I did.

“I also think for me, it’s important to share that I never believed that I delivered the perfect performance.”

Now a sports commentator, consultant and analyst, Coulthard, who has been preparing for life after racing since his retirement, admits that his far-sightedness has so far worked well for him.

“I believe in looking ahead and planning. I did that when driving a racing car at 300kph.

“So, in life, it’s equally important to look forward, see what is ahead and make a plan.”

Even though the world of F1 has changed dramatically since the first championship in 1950 – thanks to high-tech aerodynamics, electronics, materials and paddle gears – Coulthard still believes that “good, old-fashioned hard work will win through.”

Coulthard will be sharing his insights into what it takes to succeed in a highly competitive, high-stakes and high-speed environment at the Global Transformation Forum.

He joins other speakers such as Alibaba Group executive chairman Jack Ma, Olympic champion Usain Bolt, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and motivational speaker Chris Gardner of The Pursuit of Happyness fame.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/03/21/coulthard-always-rise-above-your-fears-one-can-achieve-greatness-after-that-says-exracer/