FORUM: “BUSINESS JIHAD TARGETS 65%, NOT 30%!” (Lihat versi Bahasa Malaysia di hujung)
Posted On June 8, 2009
The Business Jihad Blog intends to provide a platform for more interaction and dialogue with visitors and to activate interaction and meaningful dialogue, two new columns will be introduced.  Hopefully these two new columns will generate new interest on the importance of realising fully the aims and objectives of Business Jihad in elevating the state of the ummah.Â
The first is this “FORUM” column that will focus on current issues relating to matters that are relevant to the Business Jihad cause of reforming the state of affairs of the ummah and rediscovering the Muslim ummah’s long lost dynamism, especially in today’s business-driven global economic system. Visitors are encouraged, as we go along, to submit their own subjects or areas  of interest that they regard as critical to improving the economic position of the ummah.Â
The aim is to encourage debate and outline practical courses of action to encourage and enable particularly Muslim businessmen and corporate executives to together rise and play their part. For Business executives are indeed in a position to act to bring about change and raise their communities above the current state of poverty, listlessness, alienation and disenfranchisement on the one hand, and extremism and seemingly endless violence and outrage, on the other.
The second column that will be introduced will be called the “BUSINESS JIHAD JOURNEY”. This Business Jihad Journey column intends to relate to events that take place and also to share experiences among visitors, again focusing on those relevant to the Business Jihad cause.Â
In particular, the BizJihad Journey column encourages the sharing of personal experiences, including actual physical journeys of the writer to other parts of the Muslim world that relate directly to adopting a new outlook and worldview and to enhancing change in Muslim society and facilitating business-driven economic reform among Muslims.  One of the best methods is to highlight past and present business achievements among Muslims.Â
Visitors are encouraged to come on board and participate in sharing their respective experiences and join in the journey so that all of us can be enriched by these experiences shared. It is indeed a journey that we all must take together before we can reach a common Business Jihad destination. I am looking forward to active participation by everyone to share their respective experiences and struggles in overcoming all the odds in ther undertakings in such journeys.
To kickoff the BizJihad FORUM, I would like to offer my personal views regarding the long articulated “30% policy” target relating to Malaysia’s New Economic Policy - NEP - or Dasar Ekonomi Baru - DEB - launched in early 1970s.Â
My interest in bringing readers back to this “old” subject was triggered by an article in Utusan Malaysia, 8th June, under the banner: “Pemuda Pas tetap pertahan ekuiti 30%” (Pas Islamic Party youths will defend 30% equity”) - referring to the NEP 30% target.
I have always articulated that 65% must be made as Malaysian Muslims’  economic target, consequently rejecting the old and original NEP/DEB 30% target! Thus for Business Jihad, we have adopted the 65% target as symbolic of the Jihad’s high  aspirations.
The rationale or logic is simple. If Muslims and other Bumiputeras constitute 65% of Malaysia’s population, the principles of equity and social justice demand that the share of wealth and “economic cake” that is rightfully theirs to struggle for and aim at MUST be 65% or proportionate to their population size.Â
Anything less than 65% will be contrary to the principles of equity and social justice. Anything less than 65% will, in the long run, only diminish their own position. It will in fact be perpetual self-dilution and a trap that will forever make them (if I may use President Barack Obama’s phrase in his recent speech deliverd in Cairo and addressed particularly to Muslims), will only make the Muslims perpetual “prisoners of the past”. Indeed, anything less than 65% is an insult to the dignity and stature of Bumiputeras and especially Malays as Muslims, and on Islam as the true faith for the khaira ummah.
The greater debate should instead be focused on what Malays and Muslims must do to get to the position of 65% from their existing small base. This is where the Business Jihad platform for a market-driven solution comes in.
Muslims have no choice other than to strive and struggle their utmost to achieve and to reform. They have to dig deep into themselves, into the teachings and roots of their faith, into their rich and glorious past history, to rediscover the dynamism, source of spiritual energy and motivational drive to succeed. Indeed they have to chart a new course through mobilising all wisdoms of their past heritage and combining these to harness all relevant knowledge, skills and knowhow, mobilise technology, including especially “organisational technology” and build institutions that will facilitate and sustain this effort through generations as they move forward.Â
Most of all, they must define and articulate for themselves an agenda that inspires and raise them to a different level - to the level of a people who should be khalifas. Targets and programs set by them must therefore reject the mere bits and pieces of scraps that are thrown at them by others, or even by those among their own.  For these “bits and pieces of scraps” such as the 30% will only allow them to remain weak, listless and perpetually submissive and forever subjugated!
Welcome to the Forum, and the Business Jihad Journey!
FORUM: “JIHAD BISNES SASAR 65%, BUKAN 30%!”
Blog Business Jihad sebenarnya turut ditujukan sebagai satu ruang atau platform untuk berinteraksi dan berdialog mengenai isu yang sangat penting ini. Bagi tujuan mengaktifkan lagi interaksi dan dialog yang membina, dua kolum baru iaitu “FORUM” dan “BUSINESS JIHAD JOURNEY” kini diperkenalkan. Harapan saya, kedua-dua kolum ini mampu merealisasikan sepenuhnya matlmat dan objektif Jihad Bisnes yang bertujuan memartabatkan ummah.
Kolum pertama iaitu “FORUM” akan difokuskan kepada isu semasa yang berkaitan dengan perjuangan Jihad Bisnes untuk mengembalikan kegemilangan dan kekuatan ummah yang telah lama hilang, terutamanya dalam sistem ekonomi global yang dipacu bisnes pada hari ini. Para pelawat adalah digalakkan untuk sama-sama menyumbang idea dan pandangan yang berkaitan dengan topik dan isu yang dibincangkan.
Matlamatnya adalah untuk menggalakkan perdebatan dan menggariskan pelan tindakan bagi membolehkan usahawan Muslim dan eksekutif korporat terutamanya untuk bersama-sama bangkit dan memainkan peranan masing-masing untuk membawa perubahan dan meningkatkan taraf kehidupan kepada yang lebih tinggi sekaligus membebaskan umat daripada tahap kemiskinan pada hari ini. Kemiskinan selama ini telah mengakibatkan kelesuan, peminggiran, kemelampauan dan penindasan yang kita alami.
Kolum kedua yang akan diperkenalkan adalah “BUSINESS JIHAD JOURNEY” yang bertujuan untuk berkongsi pengalaman bersama para pelawat mengenai program atau aktiviti yang dijalankan yang berkaitan dengan agenda perjuangan Jihad Bisnes.
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Kolum “BUSINESS JIHAD JOURNEY” antara lain akan memuatkan pengalaman peribadi penulis dalam program, perjalanan dan lawatan yang mempunyai hubungan secara langsung dalam mencari pengalaman dan idea baru berkaitan Jihad Bisnes yang diharapkan mampu membawa perubahan dalam masyarakat Muslim melalui reformasi ekonomi pacuan bisnes. Cara terbaik adalah dengan mengenengahkan kejayaan bisnes pada masa lalu dan sekarang di kalangan Muslim.
Saya amat mengalu-alukan pelawat sekelian untuk terlibat secara aktif dalam blog ini melalui perkongsian pengalaman masing-masing untuk dimanfaatkan kita semua. Inilah perjalanan yang harus kita tempuh bersama untuk menjayakan aspirasi dan matlamat Jihad Bisnes.
Sebagai permulaan, saya mulakan Forum ini dengan pandangan peribadi saya mengenai “Dasar 30%” sasaran Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) yang telah dilancarkan pada awal tahun 1970an.
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Minat saya dalam membawa para pembaca kepada subjek “lama” ini adalah berkaitan dengan satu artikel yang dikeluarkan dalam Utusan Malaysia pada 8 Jun bertajuk “Pemuda Pas tetap pertahan ekuiti 30%” yang merujuk kepada sasaran 30% DEB.
Saya selalu menegaskan bahawa sesungguhnya 65% wajib dijadikan sasaran oleh Muslim Malaysia, sekaligus menolak sasaran lama 30% DEB tersebut! Dalam Jihad Bisnes, kami telah menjadikan sasaran 65% sebagai lambang kepada aspirasi ini.
Rasional dan logiknya adalah mudah. Jika Muslim dan Bumiputra mewakili 65% daripada populasi penduduk Malaysia, prinsip yang lebih adil bagi pembahagian ekuiti menuntut agihan kekayaan “kek ekonomi” negara perlu dikejar dan disasarkan pada 65% sebagaimana nisbah saiz populasi kaum masing-masing.
Apa jua nisbah yang diberikan kurang dari 65% secara jelasnya bertentangan dengan prinsip keadilan sosial.  Sesungguhnya nisbah yang kurang dari 65% pada jangka panjangnya akan memerosotkan kedudukan mereka sendiri. Ia akan mengakibatkan pengecilan kekal berpanjangan, sekaligus juga satu perangkap (andainya diizinkan saya mengguna istilah Presiden Amerika Barack Obama dalam ucapan beliau baru-baru ini yang disampaikan di Kaherah ditujukan khas kepada umat Islam), satu perangkap yang akan menjadikan umat Islam “banduan kepada sejarah lampau”.  Sesungguhnya, nisbah yang kurang dari 65% sekaligus merupakan satu penghinaan kepada maruah Bumiputera terutamanya kaum Melayu sebagai Muslim dan kepada Islam sebagai agama yang benar bagi khaira ummah.
Debat yang lebih mendalam perlu difokuskan ke atas apa yang perlu dilakukan oleh kaum Melayu dan Muslim untuk mencapai sasaran 65% daripada apa yang mereka perolehi pada masa ini. Di sinilah Jihad Bisnes sebagai satu gagasan penyelesaian kepada keadaan ini.
Umat Islam tidak mempunyai pilihan selain daripada berusaha dengan lebih gigih untuk mencapai matlamat ini dan melakukan perubahan. Mereka perlu bermuhasabah dan kembali kepada ajaran Islam, sejarah kejayaan dan pencapaian kekayaan terdahulu, mengenalpasti keupayaan, sumber kuasa dalaman dan motivasi menuju kejayaan. Justeru, mereka perlu mencari landasan baru dengan menggunakan kebijaksanaan yang diwarisi serta semua ilmu pengetahuan, kemahiran dan kepakaran termasuk melalui “teknologi organisasi” dan membina institusi-institusi yang mampu menyokong dan mengekalkan usaha ini generasi ke generasi.
Paling penting sekali, mereka perlu mentakrifkan semula agenda yang memberikan inspirasi dan membawa mereka kepada tahap yang berbeza – tahap yang seharusnya dicapai oleh umat Islam sebagai khalifah. Justeru, sasaran dan program-program untuk mencapai 30% sebagaimana yang telah ditetapkan dalam DEB yang hanya akan menjadikan mereka kekal lemah, lesu dan ketinggalan adalah wajar ditolak!
Selamat Datang ke Forum dan Business Jihad Journey!
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3 Responses to “FORUM: “BUSINESS JIHAD TARGETS 65%, NOT 30%!” (Lihat versi Bahasa Malaysia di hujung)”
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Assalamualaikum, Konnichiwa,
Tan Sri.
Actually, pada pandangan saya sekiranya umat Islam melayu itu sendiri memahami tuntutan jihad dan meletakkan perniagaan, asas kehidupannya. bagi saya, sasaran 65% itu bkanlah suatu yang mustahil malahan boleh melebihi paras itu. Sebagai bukti n contoh, kita kembali kepada sirah Nabi S.A.W bagaimana penduduk Islam Madinah dapat menguasai ekonomi yang ketika dahulunya dipegang oleh org Yahudi.
Nah, apakah rahsia n ramuan disebalik kejayaan ini? ini semua berbalik kepada soal hati dan jati diri ummah itu sendiri. Sekiranya di M’sia ini ada lagi ramai org seperti Tan Sri, saya rasa by 2015 sasaran DEB dah lusuh dan perlu diganti DELB - Dasar ekonomi lebih baru iaitu sasaran 65% dan keatas ekonomi org2 bumiputra Muslim ditetapkan.
Hal ini kerana Tan Sri sudah memiliki jati diri yang utuh untuk terus berjuang memartabatkan Agama dan Bangsa. So, ia menjadi budaya berjihad supaya kita boleh komersialise kan slogan Jihad dalam arena yang tidak boleh diseleweng oleh musuh Islam itu sendiri iaitu perniagaan.
Pandangan saya Tan Sri, penerapan nilai2 Islamiah tidak hanya diwawancara atau diiklankan malah perlu terus ke hati setiap individu seperti yang dilakukan oleh Tan Sri, down to earth. Syabas dan saya berharap dapat berganding bahu dgn org2 seperti Tan Sri ini. Saya xdapat kira berapa byk dah Program / aktiviti / seminar yg Tan Sri hadiri semata2 untuk menyebarkan mesej yang sgt penting ini. Saya pernah berjumpa face 2 face dgn Tan Sri sekali jew masa di Bukit Merah Lake town Resort. Iutpon saya rasa Tan Sri dah xboleh ingat.
By the way, usaha ini saya harap dapat dilakukan dalam kumpulan yg besar dan saya berharap l’m the 1 of them. Who knows, Tan Sri nak buat gerak kerja baru supaya penerimaannya lebih menyeluruh. saya cadangkan nama kumpulan itu ‘ BIzJihad Troopers’……
Sebagai penutup, saya ingin berkongsi cerita yg saya baca dari sebuah kitab dan selalu diceritakan oleh Ustaz saya dulu. Cerita ini mengisahkan tatacara peniaga di kota Manidah ketika ditadbir Rasulullah S.A.W’ Bagaimana sifat mahmudah yang ditunjukkan oleh peniaga kedai runcit zaman itu yang sanggup berkongsi keuntungan dgn pesaingnya, walaupun ketika itu kedainya bertambah maju dan terkenal. diringkaskan cerita, peniaga itu bkn lah memberi wang/fulus kepada pesaingnya itu tetapi dalam ertikata yg lain , biarpun kedainya dikunjungi pelanggan xputus2 tetapi hatinya tidak sanggup melihat kedai pesaingnya tidak laku maka cukup sahaja masa. Beliau mengarahkan pelanggannya membeli di kedai penaiga runcit satu lagi. Subhanallah, alangkah indahnya definasi Jihad berniaga itu dapat diadaptasi dalam kehidupan masyarakat kita pada hari ni. Saya nak juga tgk org melayu kita dapat berkongsi / berbahagi pelanggan sesama mereka. Barulah org kata untung bersama, rugi bersama. betul x Tan Sri?
sekian
Ahmad Amirul Adam (AAA)
Sdr Muhammad Haqiem, Thank you for your comments.
The following is my response to the two main issues you raised.
First, your view that “the 65% Target is too high to achieve”, considering that even the NEP 30% target was not reached!
You are right in stating that the NEP target of 30% was not met. But this does not mean that a higher target is not achievable or should not be an aspiration to reach out for. To think in this manner simply means that the Malays and Muslims would have lost and given up even before they can start afresh.
First of all, we may want to analyse why the NEP 30% target was not achieved. Obviously mistakes have been made and oversights and weaknesses allowed to continue without action taken to correct them.
A lot has been said elsewhere about leakages (kebocoran) that had resulted in loss of ownership over assets and resources and business opportunities. The leakages happened, often due to graft and corruption, or even carelessness and incompetence. It had also been caused by flawed strategy formulations because of lack of strategic thinking on the part of policy makers due to their lack of business skills and business understanding, as well as due to operational weaknesses at the implementation level by administrators.
Another major source of the leakages is to be found in the weaknesses and incompetence on the part of the target group itself. One of the biggest mistakes made, I think, was to assume that any one can be an “usahawan” and that every one who is an “usahawan” is an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word.
Hence so much wastage and leakages happened, eroding further whatever progress made, when valuable assets, resources and business opportunities were given to those without proven business capability. This had happened rampantly, for example through privatization that ended up seeing valuable assets simply being squandered or mismanaged, and finally disposed off for quick profits.
The biggest mistake made was to allow all these weaknesses to continue without serious effort or attempt to correct them and enforce strong market disciplines.
That brings me to your second comment, regarding the extremely small number of Malay/Muslim businessmen.
Entrepreneurial businessmen are rare, and great entrepreneurs are indeed rarer still. Statistics indicate that even in the most developed and business-driven society (such as the U.S.), only 12 to 14 % of the population are entrepreneurs in the real sense of the term.
Given that among Malays and Muslims the percentage are obviously much smaller, perhaps only between 2 to 4%, then it becomes imperative for Malaysia to carefully and strategically structure its policy drive to get the maximum from these scarce entrepreneurs.
This is where Business Jihad and Corporate Waqaf become extremely relevant.
Firstly, through the spirit of Jihad comes the audacity, daring and courage to reach out for 65%, even in spite of the fact that the Muslims are so lacking in number of outstanding entrepreneurs. As pointed out by you, many still unfortunately persist in seeking careers with the government, in spite of Islam’s clear indication that 9 out of 10 sources of livelihood (rezeki) comes from business!
The spirit of Jihad has historically always proven the outcome that those whose numbers are small, and those who think that the odds are extremely against them, will discover through Jihad the spiritual energy and empowerment to enable them to compensate their weaknesses and still overcome and ultimately win!
Critical to success, however, is that the Jihad must be for a right cause. This means that if it is Business Jihad, then it is imperative that it is undertaken for the higher cause of pursuing profits and wealth for the sake of the survival and prosperity of the ummah and to serve Islam. This right, higher cause therefore demands iman, taqwa and amanah, other than extreme patience, perseverance, steadfastness, and most of all, the willingness to sacrifice narrow self interests.
Question may still arise as to how and what method can be adopted to achieve the 65% target. In order not to burden this reply to your comment with too much detail, I would suggest for you and others interested to read another article from this Blog under the heading “Jihad Bisnes - Satu pendekatan strategi ke arah pemerkasaan ekonomi ummah,” - a Paper I tabled at The 3rd Islamic Economic Congress held in KL on 12th January 2009. (Read especially paragraphs 20-22, and 30-32 on how the 65% target can be realised in practice).
Finally, to win, Muslims must adopt an organization strategy.
When entrepreneurial resources are limited, it is more critical that they organize themselves so that the maximum is gained from the talented few for the benefit of the whole community. After all the holy Qur’an in Surah As Saff, 61:4, was very clear about this with the message that “Truly, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure.”
Hence, organize they must.
If they have failed before, among others, it is because they did not adopt an organization strategy. Malays had not created and built institutions that can make success sustainable and gather the cumulative advantage from past efforts. Thus, without institutions, the Malays and Muslims have hardly learned from their past and have lost the creative and innovative ability so vital to building upon past achievements.
In JCorp’s considered opinion (also based on its experience), one ideal Islamic business organizational structure would be a corporate Waqaf organization whose ownership is vested in Allah in the interest of generations of ummah. Key to this success would be to empower the most able entrepreneurs among them and to entrust them with entrepreneurship responsibility to add value and generate new wealth.
In the way of Business Jihad, however, the amanah of entrepreneurial leadership for these organisations must be entrusted to those who not only have high business acumen and corporate skills, but also those “business mujahids’ who are prepared, able and willing to selflessly dedicate their careers, and indeed their lives, to serve Islam through business.
I am confident that we can find many such young Muslim business mujahids who are prepared to take this path and ultimately reach out and deliver the 65% target. Most of all, Malays and Muslims must not expect to reach the 65% mark in the short term. But even if the Business Jihad journey is to take decades, or even centuries, if they are patient and steadfast, they will achieve, insya Allah.
Thank you,
Muhammad Ali
20th June, 2009.
Assalamualaikum Tan Sri,
Nice topic to discuss! When I first time found this blog (when I try to search about Jihad), I was eager to know what actually the purpose of this blog. And of course what is the relation between Jihad and Business itself. My first impression about this blog is, it’s the same with another blog related to Jihad and terrorism. But when I go through, then I realize that it is something new. New idea and thought and I think every Malay and Muslim (incl. Non Malay / Non Muslim) should read.
But Tan Sri, about your idea and target to achieve 65% of economic wealth for Bumis and Malay, I see this figure as too high to achieve compared to our current 30% targetted under NEP. How do you see our current status? We still yet too far from 30% and we still left far behind when we compared our achievement with the other races.
Your suggestion is, Malay and Muslim must adopt Business as the only way to become rich and back to control our own economy. Good suggestion. But there are only few of us who take the challenge and get involved in business. Most of us (Malay especially) prefer to work in Gov sector. Some of us only prefer to champion the politic - only talk (I already sick and tired to read about these endless political issues and propaganda). Then we see business as something full of risk!
Anyway Tan Sri, congratulation for your effort to take over KFC (my favourite food). God bless you Tan Sri. See you again! Many more questions that I want to ask here in future. Wassalam.
Muhammad Haqiem.
Johor