The Art of Being A Good Listener
Many of our political leaders who once tasted absolute power but were rejected by the people at the recent general election had a sudden wake up call.
Those who had failed miserably are leaders who are stubburn, who bulldozed their way and murdered public opinions. Now,back on square one,they are trying hard to regain public's trust by learning fast the art of being a good listener.
On the other hand,a good listener is somebody who is willing to listen to ideas and inspirations of the people. Somebody who is willing to accomodate other peoples' opinions, and formulate strategies and execute plans accordingly.
Prime Movers
I had found these exceptional qualities in ACP Muhammad Azlee bin Abdullah and Supt. Azham bin Othman. Both gentlemen helmed the Centre of Police Sciences Management Studies at Royal Malaysian Police College,Cheras.
With an open mind and a think-out-of-the -box mentality, both men carry weight. They are part of the PDRM working committee on CP project, tasked to formulate strategies and map out plans for a pilot project in CP, train the trainers, and eventually launch it in every corner of the country.
It was my good fortune to have met up with ACP Azlee and Supt Ahzam for the first time on my first visit to the Royal Malaysian Police College in Cheras, to present a paper on "Community Policing:The Taman Sri Maharani (TSM) Muar Experience" to 40 police officers from the rank of Constables to DSP at a CP training workshop.
Important Than Astronaut
I would see both gentlemen as policy makers and policy movers. Both are extremely important people who have the capacity to make CP a national success, bringing peace and security to every Malaysian home and promote a smart- partnership between the police force and the society at large. ( In my humble opinion, both Azlee and Ahzam are on a national rescue mission, they are even more important than the first Malaysian on space, whom after spending millions of tax payers' money had concluded that he was toying with the idea of getting married and settle down soon! )
When The "Orang Awam" Speaks
Dewan Kenyalang was the venue for my presentation. I guess that was the first time a member of the public was invited to speak on the topic of CP at the college. I would also guess that my audiences enjoyed listening to a civilian like myself. Again,I would guess that the real examples that I quoted would be practical than many theories printed on paper.
Among the key points presented, I have expressed my views that:
1)Public confidence is paramount. As a law enforcer, the police is expected to treasure the trust and confidence of the people.
2) In CP, it's about strategies, strategies and strategies. It is as easy as ABC if you play the right cards.
3)Go deep into your kawasan or "sektor". Show your sincerity,befriend the local people and form a smart-partnership.
Taking the clue of the role of Special Branch(SB) during the Communist era, our police officers on the ground should be prepared to blend into the local communities easily and try to "win over the hearts and minds" of the people.
When The Expect Speaks
Another invited speaker was DSP Khoo Leng Huat, a CP expert in his own rights. DSP Khoo is a practical man with vast knowledge in the legal field. He won the Best prosecuting officer award from the Prime Minister in 2005.
DSP Khoo hit the nail on the head. He warned his audiences by saying:
1)Officers, YOU need a mindset change.
2)Officers, YOU must not embarass the force by not knowing the required laws.
3)Officers,YOU must be familiar with the "basic laws" and beyond.
4)Officers,YOU must be able to classify types of cases and to revert to the right authorities for swift actions to be taken.
Is "Ponteng sekolah" solely the problem of the police? It seems to be but it is within the jurisdiction of the local Pejabat Pendidikan! Is open burning an offence? Yes, but please report to the DOE (Department of Environment)! In other word, policemen should be smart enough to direct the public to the proper channels so that actions would be taken without further delay.
Being A CP Salesman
I humbly believe that our CP experience by TSM in Muar is a very good reference for any case study by the Police College.(Note: I once suggested that a good concept is one that could be adopted easily by anybody,anytime and anywhere) I must thank my lucky star,I bumped into ACP Lee Bee Phang, head of Centre For Intelligence Sciences & Strategic Studies on the same day. Like a salesman for CP, I seized the opportunity to share with her the summary of CP concept adopted in Muar, and presented her with a copy of my CP story handbook. (Note: ACP Lee, if you signed in this blog and read this, please post a comment of what you have in mind, thank you Puan! )
A salesman will do everything neccesary to sell his ideas to the people. As a self- proclaimed CP salesman, my next target was Datuk Siva Subramaniam of Suhakam, who happened to be enjoying his teh tarik at the Cafeteria at the college premise.
I have seen Datuk Siva in many occasions on TV and papers but It was the first time I met him in person. An easy- going gentleman he was, he enjoyed almost any topic under the sun. He congratulated us for a job well done(Syabas TSM!) when I presented him with a copy of the TSM experience in CP handbook.
RT= Night Patrolling?
I totally agreed with Datuk Siva when he espressed disappointment over the snail pace progress of Rukun Tetangga implementation by the relevant authority. He was spot on. And I trust he was speaking about nothing but the truth.
We must admit that after so many decades, the department incharged of RT had failed this national project miserably, putting it into natural death. (Here is the test: randomly select 10 laymen on the street and ask them what is RT. Trust me,the majority would tell you RT= Night Patrolling! Full stop.)
Farewell Request
My final request to ACP Azlee was simple. I appealed to him to continue to engage more peace loving citizens or "orang awam", those who had experiences in CP to come forward and share their stories at CP workshops in the future.
Being a good listener, I hope he could listen to the heart.
