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Lee Zhi Wei
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Lee Chong Wei: A Lesson in Leadership & Unity
07 Aug 2012 by admin / No Comments
By Lee Zhi Wei
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.” - African proverb
Like many other Malaysians, I was at my wit’s end as I watched the nerve-wracking finale to what was probably Lee Chong Wei’s last opportunity at a gold in the Olympics, which ultimately culminated in an anticlimax of mixed feelings – of disappointment at his failure to clinch gold, but of pride, too, in how he persevered, stubbornly refusing to surrender.
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Be proud of your affiliations too… just not too proud
27 Apr 2012 by admin / 1 Comment
By Lee Zhi Wei
Yesterday, I saw a piece from Harvard Business Review being shared on Facebook, entitled “Be Proud Of Your Accomplishments, Not Your Affiliations“, in which the author put forth a case that institutional prestige matters considerably less in today’s world.
[Before you proceed, it would be a good idea to read the original HBR piece!]
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Never underestimate the power of one.
31 Dec 2011 by admin / No Comments
By Lee Zhi Wei
“Never underestimate the power of one.
Too often we are told that we are too small to effect any significant change on the world. Well, Fat Penguin believes that all big strokes start with small measures – there is no better way to partake in the moulding of the world than to do precisely what you wish to see done by others.
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Vernacular Education in Malaysia
30 Jan 2011 by admin / 1 Comment
By Lee Zhi Wei
The debate on vernacular schools in Malaysia is often misleading, unconstructive and damaging. I say this because much discourse and many opinions about vernacular schools have a dangerous tendency to suffer from oversimplification; you are either for the vernacular school, or you are for its abolition. This is little more than politicised banter – on one hand, it preaches to the choir; but on the other, it unnecessarily stirs up divisive communal frustrations. We must acknowledge that this recurring controversy is deeply-rooted in the convoluted web that is the fabric of Malaysian society – some of which are our own doing, others an indirect result of British colonialism. Either way, its complexity demands greater attention and certainly deeper analysis.
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A Newfound Need for Patriotism
12 Jul 2010 by admin / No Comments
By Lee Zhi Wei
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.”
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On Religion, Protests and Firebombings
12 Jan 2010 by admin / No Comments
By Lee Zhi Wei
I was going to publish a New Year entry above all else, but I simply cannot ignore the recent happenings in my country. For those who don’t know, four churches have been firebombed in Kuala Lumpur, concurrent with fiery demonstrations by certain Muslim groups following a High Court ruling that allowed The Herald, a weekly Catholic paper, to use ‘Allah’ as a translation for ‘God’ in its Malay language section. News about this has even been published in non-local media; this includes the New York Times and CNN. Talk about bad publicity.
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Merdeka Entry
31 Aug 2009 by admin / No Comments
By Lee Zhi Wei
52 years ago, Tunku Abdul Rahman recited in the Merdeka Proclamation, among other things, that this nation “shall forever be a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations.”
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