SUBANG JAYA: Good behaviour and morality are integral in nation-building as this fifth pillar of the Rukun Negara will unite society to live in peace.
PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) traffic safety head Oslan Mohamed Isa believes that communicating politely and having empathy towards others would encourage the people to foster good relationships in a multiracial country.
“By applying these virtues, the public would be able to think before they react to a situation and prevent any provocations that could jeopardise harmony,” he said.
Oslan, 53, said he was honored to be a part of the team that maintained the country’s backbone, in an expressway that stretched more than 1,000-kilometres from north to south, including the LPT2 which extends east.
His team plays a crucial role in responding to about 1,500 calls in a day made by the public to ask for help or give feedback on the traffic situation.
Their control centre is located at Persada PLUS, here, which is manned by about 20 people per shift.
“We have to be swift in action as we are also dealing with safety on the road. Among the complaints that we receive include obstacles on the road and breakdown of vehicles,” he said, adding that they would then communicate with the PLUS Ronda team on the ground to dispatch help to the public.
“The highway is not a place to demonstrate highly charged emotions as there are other people who are using this infrastructure, and people must follow the law,” he said.
Being a senior employee in the company, Oslan said his heart glowed with pride during the opening of 116-km Cikampek-Palimanan Highway in Indonesia in June 2015 by Indonesian president Joko Widodo because he was part of the PLUS team that built the road.
Another employee, Azalan Sulaiman, 47, who is the mechanical, electrical and electronic head was also part of the team that was involved in the highway construction in Indonesia.
He said as a Malaysian, the opportunity to handle a project abroad and hone their skills gave him and the team much valuable experience.
In Malaysia, he was tasked with the construction of new interchanges, such as Bukit Gambir, Sungai Buaya, Bandar Ainsdale, Alor Pongsu and most recently Bandar Serenia, which was completed in 2016.
Azalan said their work also involved a road-widening project called the Fourth Lane Widening Project and they had to ensure that the public only felt a minimum disruption. They were also required to maintain services such as street lighting, CCTVs and Electronic Message Boards.
He said the fifth pillar of Rukun Negara was important for the team to achieve its objective at the workplace, including communicating with workers of diverse backgrounds.
“We should not regard differences as boundaries. People will respect each other when we approach them in a similar manner. It is good to learn about other people’s culture as well. ” he said.
For him, freedom also means freeing our soul in making any positive decisions.
He said this country is blessed with prosperity since gaining Independence and the public should grab this opportunity to improve themselves.
Meanwhile, Georgian Pamela Denis hoped that there would be more peers of different backgrounds in her department in the future.
The 41-year-old, who has been working in PLUS for 10 years as the internal audit manager believes that with more multiracial employees it would indirectly create a harmonious environment.
“It is important for us to take care of the values and traditions amongst all races especially in PLUS.
“If you look at a micro level, there are only two races in my department, which are the Malays and Indians. We really hope that in the future we would have more Chinese or candidates from other backgrounds.
Out of the five Rukun Negara principles, she also chose the fifth pillar as one she resonates with, as she believes that showing respect and liberty to everyone in PLUS plays an important role in instilling a peaceful and harmonious workplace.
“All of my staff and everyone in PLUS are so dear to me, hence why I really honour that particular tenet of the Rukunegara,” she said.
In the spirit of Merdeka, Georgian hopes that peace, development and progress would be maintained in the country as those are important elements in keeping unity alive.
“I love this country. We do not want to see any negative impact to the existing unity that we have.
“As we stand united, our development and progress should shine in the world,” she added.
For 35-year-old Sean Ngoh Sze Yuan, he believes that Merdeka is about freedom and perseverance.
Ngoh, who is the strategic planning and development manager in PLUS, said by upholding freedom and perseverance especially at work, it would provide oneself with a financial freedom.
“Having a freedom is like a target. Let’s say if I want to get freedom at work by achieving something, hence, that becomes a target. If you persevere enough at your work, then it would give you anything,”.
Asked on which tenet of the Rukun Negara meant a lot to him, Ngoh, who is a father of two, also chose the fifth tenet.
We have to be courteous, and practice high standards of morality in ourselves. It is because we are living in a multiracial country so we should be humble and good to everyone so that it can enhance the understanding and relationship among the people.
“PLUS is like a mini Malaysia where we have a lot of employees with multiracial backgrounds.
“In order to work to our objectives, we should be humble. I have been applying this ethic since the day I joined PLUS,” he said.