But what about corruption, Gerrymeandering, arrogance and utter disrespect for the intelligence and integrity of citizens?

How do these clerics sleep at night and face their children? Do the children have a hard time in school because they have to live up with the fact that their daddies were government flunkies and hyppocrites because they claim to be men of God but are serving banal masters instead?

Malaysia fatwa council advises Muslims against demonstrations

Kuala Lumpur:  Malaysia’s top clerics on Monday issued a fatwa, deeming it ‘haram’ for Muslims to participate in the demonstrations that cause disturbance in the country, days after thousands defied government orders to stage a rally.

Malaysia’s National Fatwa Committee, which a few years ago had ruled that the Muslims should not do yoga, has now advised them against participating in any gathering that is unproductive, against the law or causes disturbance.

National Fatwa Committee Chairman Proffesor Emeritus Abdul Shukor Husin said that the committee viewed seriously the issue as some Muslims had resorted to rioting during the opposition backed electoral reforms demonstrations here on April 28.

“Rioting, causing disturbance and damaging public property are all forbidden by Islam. This also applies to any intention to topple a duly-elected government by organising such demonstrations” he said.

“No one is exempted, and cannot support any efforts that can cause harm, anxiety or unrest among the  Muslims to the point of the community becoming split, what more if there is bloodshed,” he added after chairing a meeting of the committee here.

via Malaysia fatwa council advises Muslims against demonstrations.

It was first very quick off the block in airing the video of the “attacked” and upturned Police car, providing “visual proof” of the thuggery of the Bersik 3.0 protesters.

Their efficiency reminds Unspun of one of the books he’s currently reading called Dirty Rotten Strategies: How We Trick Ourselves and Others into Solving the Wrong Problems Precisely by Ian Mitroff and Abrahms Silvers. Mitroff, for the uninitiated, is one of the best thinkers on crisis management.

One of the main points made in the book is that unless we frame the problems properly we will get the wrong answers or solutions, which we then go on to solve with great precision if we are capable.

If we follow this logic the Malaysian Police seems to have framed their problem has one in which the public is often fooled by others and not getting the facts right. The solution of that problem then is to give the public “the facts”, especially in visual form, then they would be convinced how good the police and government is and how bad the others are.

Thinking along such lines, getting a videoclip fired off into YouTube and the net is an great solution.

Unfortunatley that is not the problem being faced by the police. Their problem is one of credibility – unless they work hard at showing themselves to be a non-partisan professional body, most people would not want to believe them.

The “car attack” video showed a police car seemingly being attacked. A later footage showed it overturned and bashed up. Yet, because of the lack of credibility, most of the audience who saw that thought that it was a contrived video, with the police’s or the government’s agents provocateur attacking or starting the attack at the car to discredit the Bersih protesters.

On the other hand Bersih sympathizers, individuals and other groups are also using video and YouTube. They are less professionally done and was slower than the Police’s. They, however, showed footage of Police officers brutally beating up on protesters.

These, Unspun is willing to be, are believed much more than the Police’s video clips.

So instead of fooling themselves into thinking that they are doing the right things and that the Malaysian public would believe their videos the Police would be better off solving their real problem: a lack of credibility.

Since then life has taken Unspun to many countries, with the past 16 years mostly in Indonesia which I consider home these days. For all its faults, Indonesia is more democratic, freer and less hypocritical than Malaysia society.

Time has also loosened many of the emotional ties that Unspun has had of Malaysia, so much so that I do not keep up so much with the politics any more and generally ignore the trivial pursuits of the opposition and the government.

And why bother? The Opposition and the Government were trapped in their artless polemic, devoid of vision.

The Opposition could only oppose without offering any viable alternatives. There was a brief flicker of hope in Anwar Ibrahim. There was a man who at least seemed like he had a vision. But a closer look at him and you see through the man for what he is – a consummate politician with the same moral consistency of a chameleon’s colors as it moves over a varied terrain.

The Government also disappointed. There was Mahathir who was effective and did a lot of good for the country. But at the same time he not only failed to build the institutions that are essential for a democracy ; he helped destroy them. He also failed to groom any worthy successors. The result was Abdullah Badawi, a man who had less charisma than a five-day old rubbish dump; and now Najib, a man so cautious that he’s have to have his domineering wife inspect the toilet paper before he wiped himself.

So Unspun spralled into total nonchalance when it came to Malaysian politics.

Then something stirred when Bersih 2.0 came around. Watching the leader of the movement, Ambiga, speak and address reporters and their questions Unspun saw, for the first time in many years, a Malaysian leader who was skilled in communicating her thoughts and vision. She was measured, uncluttered and spoke her mind without being defensive, like so many other Malaysian politicians.

So when Bersih 3.0 came around yesterday Unspun decided to shake off his ennui and got the family to attend its gathering in Jakarta. The setting was in a restaurant/bar called Liquid Exchange.

The agenda was to gather wearing the trademark Bersih yellow T-shirts, have lunch, give some people the opportunity to make some short speeches and then disperse. It seems tame by comparison to the risks faced by Bersih supporters in Malaysia and the organizers came up for some criticisms from a Malaysian who lived in Australia (see this link).

But the organizers had good reasons: It was illegal for foreigners o stage demonstrations in Indonesia and they were initially unsure how many malaysians would attend. the initial calculation was maybe five Malaysians as they are not generally known for their defiance of authority.

So they were pleasantly surprised when the turnout totaled over 80 Malaysians, plus three or so Indonesians and one German supporter. At the restaurant we were able to follow the development of the Bersih 3.0 protest in KL through news bulletins on Al Jazeera. Another indication of of how the world is watching.

A few speeches were made, not fantastic ones but those that came from the heart. The gist of it was how we all wanted to see a more democratic Malaysia; that Malaysia had receded in democracy while Indonesia had forged ahead; and, most touchingly, that we would have not done our duty to our country and our families if we had stayed home and not tried to make our country more democratic if only by showing up in an act of defiance against the authorities.

One other thing that I was very proud of was how some of the Malaysians, headed by old friend and former president of the Malaysia Club Jakarta Ch’ng Chin Hon, passed the proverbial hat around to raise funds for a charity – not for Malaysians but for the needy in the community we work in – the disadvantaged Indonesians.

Chin Hon and his friends run Kecara, a foundation helping poor Indonesians in Jakarta by collecting and distributing used clothes, food and even disbursing scholarships.

The gathering then released balloons as a symbolic gesture of releasing our wishes for a free election in Malaysia and dispersed after that.

After that, for the first time in a long while Unspun  felt proud of the fellow Malaysians who turned up in the Bersih gatherings in Malaysia, Jakarta, Bali and at least 10 other cities worldwide.

The fact that so many Malaysians had turned out in the Bersih gatherings, which in the past was something that most people would have feared to do, for fear of government reprisals, is evidence enough that Umno’s days are numbered as the dominant power in Malaysian politics.

The fear is gone and one that happens there is no way they can hold on to power for too long, unless they change. Maybe that was why Unspun could smile so heartily when a Malaysian Embassy political attaché had asked to take a photo with Unspun. His reason was that he wanted to show a blogger that he had met Unspun but I have a feeling that the Special Branch may be admiring my dentist’s handiwork. I hope they like the smile.

His latest feat of expertise was taxed when he was called to verify if a the image in the likeness of a Parliamentarian was actually the Parliamentarian (see story below).

Roy’s response? The woman on tape looks like the woman in photos given to him; the man on tape couldn’t e verified because he had only received screen grabs from the video instead of actual photos to compare with.

Now, Unspun wonders how much Roy charges for this expert “analysis,” leading to such startling conclusions?

House Commission I member Roy Suryo said he was almost certain that the woman in the tape was a House Commission IX member with the initials K.M.N. Roy made the conclusion after comparing photos of the woman with screenshots from the tape. “It’s hard to deny it, although I can’t say 100 percent that the [woman] is K.M.N. after I compared it with her photos,” Roy said after submitting his analysis to the Ethics Council. Roy said he could not identify the man in the video because he only received photos from the tape and had not seen the tape. To avoid a conflict of interest, Roy asked the Ethics Council to find other telematics experts to analyze the photos and tape. “As a House member, I should avoid conflicts of interest and politicization [of the case] because no matter what I say, I would be accused of having a vested interest since the two lawmakers are from different factions than mine,” the Democratic Party politician said.

via Indonesian Sex Tape Will Go to Ethics Council as Lawmaker Says Likeness ‘Hard to Deny’ | The Jakarta Globe.

Yet CSR is often not what it is cracked up to be. Companies that invest much money in their CSR programs often still get attacked, criticized and sanctioned, sometimes by their people themselves they are supposed to be helping.

Unspun’s always thought that there’s something missing about the concept of CSR. It begins with the word “responsibility.” Responsibility is about doing something that you’re obliged to do. Whether you’re passionate about it, agree or disagree with it or committed or not to it is immaterial. How much sense does it take.

Then there is Creating Shared Value, a concept advanced by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer that starts from the viewpoint that a company can’t really proper unless the society surrounding it prospers as well. Put simply it believes that a rising tide rises all ships, so its in business’ interest to create that rising tide.

Seems to me to make more sense than CSR. Here’s a bit of the debate going on in The Jakarta Post today:

Still, some say corporations need to think of their social responsibility as more than just an afterthought. Nur Shilla Christianto, vice president of communication consultancy Maverick, questions the way many corporates in Indonesia run their CSR programs. “Some do it with the best of intentions, but mostly the CSR attempts sound contrived. This is partly because of the philosophical disconnect between CSR, which is essentially philanthropy, and the imperative of a business to make money,” she said.“What makes more sense than the concept of CSR is the concept of Creating Shared Values [CSV],” Shilla adds. “Unlike CSR, CSV starts off with the premise that a business should recognize that societal needs, not just conventional economic needs, define markets. It also recognizes that social harms or weaknesses often make a company less efficient and profitable.”

via Turning over a new leaf with a corporate green conscience | The Jakarta Post.

It was a team effort, spearheaded by Raconteur and Mabverick’s media relation’s team and they’ve done a superb job capturing how journalists consume and use the media. More importantly they telly why it is important for anyone interested in marketing, branding and corporate reputation building or protection.

Is Unspun blowing his horn as usual? Well, not according to Slideshare where we posted the report. Here’s the message:

If you’re interested in the results of this survey, the second one in two years, then click here.

If you want to know more you can always write to maverick@maverick.co.id.

Now, how much more electable is Golkar when associated with the Bakrie brand? Does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy or elicits violent reactions from your bile?

Unspun has no answers and so would like to solicit answers from the readers in this simple quiz.

Golkar Lawmakers to Spend Rp 10m Each on Bakrie-Branded Campaign Merch. | The Jakarta Globe.

Golkar Party lawmakers will have to spend Rp 10 million ($1,090) each on merchandise emblazoned with party chairman Aburizal Bakrie’s face as part of his 2014 presidential campaign, a party member said on Monday.

The purchase — which is mandatory for party members — is proof of politicians’ loyalty to the party, Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo said.

“We all support this move… We’re even ready to give more than Rp 10 million,” he added.

The packages– each consisting of 1,000 bags and banners — will be distributed to electoral districts in the coming weeks, explained Nurul Arifin, another party lawmaker.

Nurul said that party members were happy to purchase the goods.

“It is mandatory [to purchase] it. But, members basically don’t mind because it is part of our contribution to the party,” Nurul said.

The merchandise is part of efforts to drum up early support for the business tycoon’s 2014 presidential bid, she added.

The details for the memorial service tomorrow are as follows:

1830 – 2000      : The Memorial Service

2000 – finish   : The celebration of Ditta’s life
                         - Speech from Citi by Tigor M Sihaan
                         - Songs from Jasmine Z and Citi choir
                         - Others by mbak Ditta’s friends

Just got a message from a friend that says “any of you who have photos of Ditta you would like to share during the memorial service Wednesday 28 March please e-mail to memoryditta@gmail.com.” Please forward to all Ditta’s friends.

The memorial would be held at the IES Church, 9th Fl UOB Building, Jl. Thamrin at 6pm tomorrow.

also see: RIP Ditta Amahorseya

To love up to those values we ass a company provide what we call a Personal Development Fund. The idea is this: after working with us for a year, provided you make the grade by being confirmed, you get up to a month’s salary to do something that you haven’t done before, or travel to somewhere you haven’t been to.

The idea behind this is that we want to groom the best consultants in the communications business. The best consultants, in our view, are those people who not only are good at work but those who lead full, interesting lives. They are the ones with passion about a pastime or a hobby, or have an innate craving to satisfy their intellectual curiosity. The lead fully textured multidimensional lives and experiences, which they enrich the office and their work with.

I had the opportunity to watch two of my colleagues use their Personal Development Fund over the weekend and witness literally an expansion of their worlds from the merely terrestrial to a whole new world under water.

Jonathan and Sharon used their Personal Development Funds to pay for the crew pack, lessons and diving instruction to obtain their Open Water Diving Certification. It was their first real dive at Sepa Island just off Jakarta. Where diving sites go the Thousand Islands are only so-so when compared to other places, especially in East Indonesia but that was beside the point.

For the first time they discovered a world underwater, that silent, weightless and wonderful world filled with corals, fish and all sorts of critters. New world of experiences opened to them and and future adventures now beckon.

Will this make them better consultants in the long run? I believe so. In learning something as exotic as scuba diving they learned of many concepts such as buoyancy, safety, thermocline and a whole lot of stuff. And once they get into diving they will travel to many places and meet fellow divers from all walks of life and many countries. All the enriching stuff that is essential to make the compleat consultant.

One of the reasons that we introduced the Personal Development Fund is to help us retain people. It has not quite worked out that way. There are still some staff that use the PDF and then leave, or staff that refused to use the PDF for fear of being tied down to the company. The PDF, however, has worked for us in another way. It acts as a filtering mechanism. Those who are adventurous and appreciate the fact that their workplace would encourage them to expand their horizons inevitably stay; the less adventurous or those short of intellectual curiosity cannot see the point of it and leave.

Another side benefit is that when word of benefits like the Personal DEvelopment Fund get around we get very interesting characters who apply to work at maverick (BTW we are constantly looking for the best talents in communications, so if you’re looking pop us a line at recruitment@maverick.co.id).

The Personal Development Fund, it would seem, works in mysterious ways but one thing is for sure – it helps us in our mission to groom the best consultants in the market.

I’ve known Ditta since my days at Ogilvy PR when we won the Citibank account, way back in 1998. Since then, I’ve worked together with her on and off for the past 15 years.

When I started up Maverick with my partner in 2002 Ditta and another Citibanker were instrumental in getting Citibank to become our first client. It was a professional relationship that would last until last year.

Even then we remained friends and fellow professionals in Public Relations. We also had one more thing in common – both of us were heart patients, although what Ditta had to go through made my quadruple bypass seemed like a walk in the park.

What I liked most about Ditta was that inspire of the congenital health problems she had she faced it courageously and openly and lived life to the full. In conversations she would be telling you about the movies she just saw, the plays and concerts she attended and the friends she went out with. As anyone who knew her can attest, she had many, many friends from all strata of society. Going out with her was like being with a celebrity or a queen waving incessantly to her subjects.

Ditta was open to trying out new things too and at one time I convinced her to try her hand at blogging. As she, by her own admission, was technically inept, I had to set up her blog for her, that she called Dittaville. She wrote a few posts, but soon got busy with other things.

At the same time she would also be completely open and candid about her health problems. The last time we met was at The Pad in SCBD, where she ordered a cheese soufflé and a steak – because her doctors kept telling her that she needed the nourishment for her blood. She also described the procedures that she would have to undergo in New York.

When we parted, I wished her well for her operation. That was the last time I saw her. Now I hear she did not make it through her operation because of internal bleeding.

I and the team at Maverick who worked with her will miss her. As a client she could be strict and demanding but she was always fair and understanding. She was more like a partner to us than a client and for many years we took pride in helping her build Citibank’s image in Indonesia.

Ditta is now no more. We at Maverick mourn her passing, but we take comfort in that she knew how to live life to the full, even when faced with the difficulties imposed by her health. You couldn’t ask more out of life that Ditta did, and for that we admire her and wish her well in the next journey.