Nine
THE ROTARY STORY
CONTINUES (1992/3-1998)
(cont'd - 4)
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Striving towards Vocational Excellence
The realisation that community work takes centre stage in any Rotary club
has not hampered the Vocational Service Committee from striving to do just
as well since it believes firmly in the precept of "the worth(iness)
of all useful occupations and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation
as an opportunity to serve society". Furthermore, being the second avenue
of service of the Rotary organisation, it "values all productive work,
and [tries] to set a standard that will promote loyalty and respect among
employers and employees". (quoted from the Rotary Annual Report of 1994
and 1995). As a testimony of its significance, a full month in October every year, known as the 'Vocational Service Month'
is set aside by the Club for the express purpose of organising activities
to this effect. For RCPJ during this particular period, speakers from a wide
range of professions were invited for weekly luncheon talks in order to provide
a better understanding of the nature of their work to Rotarians. They included
Datuk Mahalingam, Deputy Minister of Human Resources who spoke on "Government
Human Resources Policies," P. Ramasamy, Vice President of the National
Union of Commercial Workers whose topic was "Aspirations of Workers",
D. Kwa, who enlightened the Club on "Capital Funding", P.C.
Shividas
who spoke on "Journalism", and Mrs. R. Gurusamy who talked about
the experiences of her trip to Beijing as a member of the Malaysian delegation
sent to attend the World Women's Conference there. It is interesting to note
that even new professions such as "Sports Medicine" and "Opthoptism"
were included in topics covered at the 'Vocational Service Month' luncheon
talks. As an additional item to lend variety to the vocational service programme,
debates which included Rotary Anns and Interactors were held in the evenings
on controversial subjects such as "Women, whether in paid employment
or not, are the Backbone of the Nation's Workforce".
In response to the call to 'dignify' a profession during the 'Vocational Service Month' and to show its appreciation for their contributions to the Petaling Jaya community, the Club identified several professions for recognition during this period. The list, dating from 1993 to 97, covers a wide spectrum of society and included people from all walks of life with postmen, traffic policemen, telephone operators, taxi drivers and waiters/waitresses indicated in this chronological order. For the year 1998, the factory worker has already been singled out for recognition by the Club. The criteria for nominating a particular vocation or profession on an annual basis are basically similar: what significant role it has played in the community, what essential service it has offered, its contribution towards socio-economic, religious, educational or even environmental growth and its record of courtesy, kindness and honesty towards various groups of people such as the handicapped and the underprivileged. To quote an example, the four traffic policemen selected in 1993 for recognition by RCPJ were regarded as the epitome of dedication, honesty and courtesy. Their role in directing traffic, in weather fair or foul, despite their constant exposure to hazardous pollutants, was crucial to the smooth running of the traffic system in PJ and its environs.
'Recognition' in RCPJ terms, denotes the official presentation of 'awards' or letters of commendation and gifts to the people so identified by the President or a Club official at one of the Club's weekly meetings. Once in a while however, a more 'maverick' and innovative Director or coordinator of the Vocational Service Committee would attempt to conduct the 'Recognition' programme in a manner different from the usual official ceremony or in addition to it as occurred in March 1997. On this occasion, Dr. J. D. John, the coordinator, decided to hold a Waiters'/Waitresses' 'Run' for the staff of seven hotels in PJ who were each invited to send a team of ten participants for the event. In the 'Run', each participant was expected to jog as briskly as possible over a distance of 1.5 km. to the finishing line while balancing a tray of glasses and bottles filled with water donated by the corporate sponsor, Spritzer Mineral Water. 'Runners' who were the first to reach the finishing line and with the least spillage of liquid in their glasses were adjudged the winners. The event, which was highlighted by the Press, provided a lot of fanfare and gaiety to the hotel participants and Rotarians and their families.
The necessity of inculcating the value of a vocation or profession to school-'leavers' or those who have just completed their SPM or STPM examinations was mooted during P.P. Goh Seng Chuan's term of office. To give them a taste of the corporate lifestyle, a few high school 'graduates' nominated by PJ Club were 'immersed' in the private sector for a short work stint during the school holidays. Companies involved in this exercise included CRMC-Fairfax International, Cisco, Western Digital and Cadbury.
Just as new school 'graduates' require 'pep' talks and work stints to initiate them into the world of "hard knocks" in the commercial sector, similarly, fresh retirees or those on the verge of retiring also require sound advice and reassurance on ways to cope with their new lifestyle or ways to be gainfully reemployed. With that specific objective in mind, the PJ Vocational Service Committee of 1997/8 decided to hold a one-day Orientation and Planning Workshop for retirees at the Bukit Kiara Resort in February 1998. Open to all District Rotarians who are prospective or fresh retirees and ably conducted by management, legal and medical experts, the Workshop elicited encouraging response from the middle-aged participants.
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