Master of Ceremony,
Amb. Datuk Kenneth Luis
Mr. Tye, President of MAF
Head of Chancery,
All Heads of Agencies,
Both Home Based and Locally Recruited Staff
Good afternoon.
We meet once again on this important and special occasion of the Annual Staff Day of the Embassy of Malaysia in France. I thank all of you for being here today.
As you know, this is an event held within the context of DYMM Yang di-Pertuan Agong?s Birthday. Earlier in June, we had organized a Malaysian Family Day on the occasion of His Majesty?s Birthday. Next year we could on the occasion host this event earlier as well.
I am also glad that there are other guests especially Mr. Tye, President of the Malaysian Association in France (MAF) and Ms. Sheri Chang, Secretary of MAF. As you all know, MAF is a main client of the Embassy. They help provide feedback on the services we provide with a view to improving the quality of service.
What we must realize and make ourselves aware is that what we all do or do not do, impacts positively or negatively on the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of this Mission.
Even in this age of automation and nanotechnology, we must not forget that human resources play the most crucial role in the success or failure of an organization. Human resources can either be the greatest asset or the greatest liability of an organization. Without ignoring the increasing importance of artificial intelligence, we must recognize that the role played by human beings at all levels of society and at all levels of activities are critical to our own sustainability. The Malaysian Embassy in Paris, and indeed the Malaysian bureaucracy is no exception to this truism.
The role and function that each and every one of us play and perform from the highest ranked officer to the lowest rank staff is critical in our quest to provide excellent services.
This is particularly of significance for a Diplomatic Mission which has to perform various functions ? from the tangibles to the intangibles. Among others, the Embassy has the important task of upholding the good name of Malaysia and endeavouring to deepen and strengthen relations with France.
It is we who give structure and substance to these objectives. What we do and how we do it are important in achieving these objectives.
In giving form and content, we must be guided by the time-tested values of integrity, industry and loyalty. These are the ?2iis? and the ?1L?.
These three values are important as all of us are part of a team which makes up the window to the world for Malaysia. We are the front-liners. We help make the first impression to many outsiders who have little idea of what Malaysia is all about. And first impressions matter in an increasingly competitive and interrelated world.
Malaysia is a small country and we need to continue to enlarge our networks and markets. We must win more friends and get Malaysia and Malaysian products better known.
We are now faced with ever increasing challenges. The external environment has become more and more uncertain, while internally Malaysian expectations have continued to soar. All of us in the Malaysian public service-both HBS and LRS have to rise to meet these challenges professionally.
While I will continue to provide leadership and do my best, I call upon all of you, individually and collectively to give your best and not be content with what we have achieved so far. We must not allow complacency to manifest itself in us for this will be the beginning of the rot. Above all remember the 2 ?i? and one ?L? which I mentioned earlier.
Within the last two years, the Malaysian government has been very responsive to our requests-our rooms now have air conditioning, the office has been recarpeted, all the computers replaced and finally, our allowances and salaries have been increased. We have also initiated events like today to recognise the excellence of service among us.
With all these things in place, we must do justice to all the benefits that we enjoy. We can no longer give excuses but we have to deliver and fulfill our mission. This is even more important given the global economic downturn from which the Malaysian economy has not been spared. We must be prepared for tough times, to tighten our belts and roll our sleeves to make the most of what we have.
We must ALL be prepared to sacrifice and to display a greater sense of voluntarism. This needs to be performed with a smile and utmost professionalism.
Overall, this Embassy is fortunate to have a good team of dedicated staff. Some of you are excellent. Please continue to excel and be a role model for others. Those of you who are not up to the standard that we expect and for this minority, I wish to remind, yet again, that you either shape up or you ship out. Enough notices have been given. We will now enforce it, fairly and firmly.
My words may seem harsh, but in reality, even in Malaysia, even top senior officials who fail to perform have had to pay the price, either in terms of promotion, demotion, etc.
In our search for excellence, the will to succeed must come from within. That is the spirit I ask of you.
A New Year will soon be upon us and like every New Year we make new hopes and resolutions. Let us together renew our dedication and ensure that this Embassy will continue to provide the excellent services that are required. I am very well sure that all of us are more than capable of making it happen.
May I conclude by thanking all of you for your hard work and contributions to the Embassy and congratulate the ?Staff of the Year for 2008?.
Embassy of Malaysia
Paris
Friday, 7 November 2008