Be careful with your words, once they are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.
Carl Sandburg said these wise words, but perhaps Big Blue Taxi Services founder Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail was not listening. Recently, he got himself, and sadly, the country, into big trouble by making some controversial statements.
Being unhappy with the supposed approval of Indonesia-headquartered Gojek by the cabinet, he went on record as saying that the bike taxi service is “only for poor people like in Jakarta, Thailand, India and Cambodia”. He has since apologised. Forgiven? Perhaps. Forgotten? Maybe not.
The sentiments expressed in the Indonesian talk show tvOne — Apa Khabar Indonesia: Pagi (Good Morning Indonesia) — aired a week after Shamsubahrin issued his controversial statement on Aug 22, showed the anger was palpable.
From talk show hosts Kamaratih Kusuma and Arief Fadhil to guests Ifdhal Kasim, chairman of Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights and culture expert Jaya Suprana, all were in agreement that the Malaysian businessman’s words were inappropriate and hurtful. The talk show’s headline — Bos Taksi Malaysia Hina Indonesia (Malaysian Taxi Boss Insults Indonesia) — just about sums up the country’s rage.
To Malaysian corporate kinds out there, we say this: businessmen should build bridges, not walls. Walls here for others may mean walls for us elsewhere too.
Ifdhal and Jaya were clear: Shamsubahrin’s words would have a negative impact on Malaysian businesses in Indonesia. If history is a good judge, such an outcome isn’t unexpected. Shamsubahrin surely picked a wrong time.
Though, we rush to add, there is never a good time for such hurtful words. They must remain unsaid. Better still, they must remain unthought. Because the anatomy of our destiny as understood by Lao Tze is this: first words, then actions, then habits, then character.
Malaysia is playing Indonesia in Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium today for the World Cup 2022 qualifying round. Under normal circumstances, Indonesian fans are hostile to challengers.
Given the current temperature, Malaysian footballers and fans may be on dangerous ground. Sure, there are many differences between “siblings” Malaysia and Indonesia. At times, teeny-weeny things like whose national dish should laksa be make it to the anger menu.
At other times, a haze blows over across the border here and clouds our judgment over bilateral things. But there is stuff that brings us together. Language and matters Nusantara are some. And there is our common birthday, and in August, too.
Gojek could have been another bridge. Yes, the bike taxi’s business model will cause disruption to existing businesses in Malaysia. But isn’t business today all about disruption? Disruptions cannot be wished away. Uber and Dego Ride have come and gone. Airbnb and Grab are here. Others are sure to come. Our advice is this: find a business solution to beat it.
And in the process share the newfound prosperity. Otherwise — and this is McKinsey & Co management consultancy’s warning — you will find yourselves on the wrong side of a big trend.
Facebook, WhatsApp and others are mere platforms. It is we who make them a bridge to build relationships or breach them.
For as the saying goes, the tongue may have no bones, but it can break many hearts.