By Dominic Tham
OUR Asian culture abhors self-‘aggrandisation’. But, if others were to praise us, then that’s fine. In fact, third-party validations go a long way, especially if you are in business.
Such recognitions are so important that these days, companies and businessmen go out of their ways to clinch prestigious awards. For example in the past, annual reports of public listed companies were as boring as the brick-thick telephone directory of yore.
Today, many public-listed companies (PLCs) pull out all the stops to turn an otherwise boring read into a work of art. They all vie to have the best annual report for the year in an honours handed out by a Malaysian professional body.
Winning such awards adds a shimmer of prestige to the companies, boosting its goodwill and more importantly, indirectly helps ring the cash register as more customers start acknowledging it. An otherwise obscure company can be visible on the radar of investors or potential clients overnight.
But there is also a dark side to this multi-million ringgit industry. In recent years, cash-for-award practices have crept into the industry, matching companies and individuals eager to have their egos massaged, with greedy organisers with questionable track records.
Some organisers charge ridiculous amounts for “potential winners” to attend gala dinners during award night. Some even have the cheek to pitch “packages” where those who spend more to cover “organising costs” have a higher chance of winning “more prestigious” awards.
Two recent incidents serve as a reminder for Malaysians to be vigilant when it comes to companies or individuals proud of their string of awards. The first involve fugitive businessman Datuk Seri Nicky Liow whom the authorities are hunting down for probes into billion ringgit scam networks.
The 33-year-old founder of Winner Dynasty Group, who is said to have close ties with the underworld, first gained notoriety in 2017 for allegedly bashing up three RELA officers for asking him to remove his vehicle near a temple which was obstructing traffic.
At around the same time, he had won a “Brands Personality” and a “Brand Social Entrepreneur of the Year” awards in well-publicised glitzy ceremonies.
Another incident involves the world’s top rubber gloves manufacturer, Top Glove Corporation Bhd which was crowned a “Best Company To Work for in Asia”. On the same day, the US Customs and Border Protection seized the company’s products over alleged labour abuses, including force and indentured labour.
This is not to say that the individual and company mentioned above were not deserving of the awards or that the accolades were bought. They could have gone rogue after the awards were given, concealed information from organisers or had turned over a new leaf. Or perhaps the authorities were mistaken.
But the incidents serve as a reminder to Malaysians that when it comes to assessing the merits of individuals and corporations, it is best to do it ourselves and not leave the job to others, who may be biased or have vested interests in giving value judgements. – April 9, 2021
Dominic Tham is a FocusM contributor.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
