11/28/2006

the NOBLE Award

The NOBLE Award It is the time of the year when employees are expected to be assessed on their annual performance. And this eventually leads to the bonus for Christmas. While employees are all being assessed, who is assessing the people whose decisions and policies affect the people's life most? Presumably they are all being assessed. I am referring to the Ministers, the Head of Ministries and Stats Boards. All these people manage our lives and either make it better or worst. And shouldn't the people also do their assessments of these men and women who can turn their lives into a fantasy trip or into misery? Assessing them for their worst is unbecoming and unpleasant. Such eminent people shall not be assessed for being bad, but for being exceptionally good. I am thinking of a NOBLE Award, something like the Nobel Prize. Not the kind where entertainers gave to each other for entertainment and self flattery. The award for leaders of a country and national institutions shall be something serious and meaningful. And the criteria must be exceptionaly high for the high remuneration that they are paid to do the jobs. What is NOBLE Award? It stands for Noble, Original, Brilliant and Life Enriching. People deserving of such an award must have done something noble, the ideas original and brilliant, and enriching the lives of many people. The Award is not to be given for selling dreams, for hardwork, dedication and perseverence or things that anyone can do given the authority eg deciding to go ahead with the IRs. This is just a decision thing. I am scanning through all the ministries and stats boards trying to shift out something that is deserving of such an award, something really brilliant and noble. So far nothing comes near. A lot of hard work were put into the Health Ministry to cut cost or streamline cost, but all basically administrative matters. Even the 3 Ms were ordinary. Transportation? All basically money making from the commuters. Hard to assess what the Defence and Home Affairs are doing. The rest are just system maintenance. The only bright spark is the 2% increase in GST. This has the potential of becoming something brilliant, in helping a large group of lower income citizens. If only the money raise is used for what it is meant to be. And the greatness of this decision will be there for all to see. Or would it turn out to be a big disappointment? Something that everyone knows, but wishing and hoping that they were wrong, and waiting to be proven wrong? Never in history has taxing the people been innovated into something that really benefitted the people directly. This is the first time that a tax is proclaimed to be for the sole purpose of improving the lives of the people. If this can be true, it will be a fairy tale story with a good ending and deserving of a NOBLE Award.

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