Evaluating Electronic Financial Records Management in the Implementation of e-Government in Malaysia

THE EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND EVALUATION (Presented)

Nurussobah Hussin, W.M.S. Wan Satirah, Mohd Nazir Ahmad
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia
nur_huss@yahoo.com
assatirah@salam.uitm.edu.my
nazirfpm@yahoo.com


Abstract: With the introduction of Electronic Government (EG) Flagship Applications in 1996, Malaysian Government agencies create many records in electronic format. The Accountant General Department has developed the electronic financial records system for the use of federal and state public agencies in Malaysia. This study focused on the management of electronic financial records system for federal agencies. This study aims to identify whether the accountability, authenticity and integrity of electronic financial records is considered by the public sector. Two instruments namely questionnaires and guided interview were used in the process of data collection. A qualitative semi structured interviews were held with key players involved in managing financial records in the finance and IT Department in XXX and XXX (GOVERNMENT AGENCIES). The result of the study revealed that the organizations do not have enough skilled staff to meet organization’s records management requirement. The implication of the study is that, to manage the electronic financial records effectively and efficiently, it is important to maintain the integrity of electronic financial records: that is, the records must be complete, accurate, verifiable and secure from unauthorized person. The findings intended to be of use to both the accounting and information professions especially by those who are designing new electronic records systems and those who need to improve existing systems.

Keywords: records management, paper-based records, electronic records, public sector, e-SPKB, policy.


1. Introduction

The advent of e-government is changing the way organizations do business. Traditionally, records have been created on paper and authenticated by signing it in ink. Today, technology is making both paper and ink irrelevant to many business processes. This has all sorts of consequences, but, whether in ink or in an electronic format; a signature must fulfill the same functions: it has to authenticate the signer and the document. In order to use electronic signatures effectively, appropriate technological application need to be selected with the fulfillment of legal obligations.

The effective management of financial records necessitates the co-operation of accounting, auditing, computing and records personnel. Manual and written procedures are needed to define the records management process and its application to accounting and financial records, while financial instructions, audit and accounting manuals, in turn, should reflect the needs of records management. This systematic approach will gradually help to close the present gaps in the capacity to manage financial records and hence strengthen the controls on the management of government finance and the capacity for financial reporting.

In the past years, numerous case studies on management of financial records have been conducted in the developing countries by International Records Management Trust (IRMT). According to one case study in Vietnam in 2002, public awareness of corruption on virtually every continent has focused attention on the need for greater financial accountability. Well maintained records provide the basis for accountants to prepare financial reports on the management of state resources. This report enables parliament and public to see how financial resources have been accounted for and managed. Well-maintained records also permit independent auditors to give the public assurance that the financial records are credible. A well maintained record thus underpins good financial management and accountability and serves the needs of politicians, bureaucrats and citizens.

Since the envisioning of Malaysia being a developed country in the year 2020 and with the introduction of Electronic Government Flagship Applications in 1996, Malaysian government agencies create many records in digital format including financial records. The 7 pilot projects of the Electronic Government Flagship Application are Project Monitoring System (SPP II), Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS), Generic Office Environment (GOE), Electronic Procurement (EP), Electronic Services (E-Services), Electronic Labour Exchange (ELX) and E-Syariah

In addition, the Accountant General Department has developed four accounting systems under the project of Electronic Government (EG-AG project) as listed below:

a) Sistem Perancangan & Kawalan Bajet Elektronik (eSPKB) (Electronic Budget Planning and Control System) is for Federal Government agencies
b) Sistem Perakaunan Berkomputer Standard Kerajaan Negeri (SPEK) (Standardized State Government Electronic Accounting System) is for state governments
c) SAGA is for statutory bodies
d) Government Financial Management Accounting System (GFMAS) is for accounting departments

This case study focused on the accountability, authenticity and integrity of Sistem Perancangan & Kawalan Bajet Elektronik (eSPKB) in federal government agencies. The eSPKB works in the controlling budget, manages responsible office’s expenditure and expedite the process of preparing financial documents. The eSPKB needs to be connected to National Audit Department’s legacy system for payment and accounting purposes.

2. Objective of the study

The objective of the study is to identify whether the accountability, authenticity and integrity of electronic financial records is considered by the public sector in Malaysia.


3. Literature Review

A record is defined as recorded information in any form, including data in computer systems, created or received and maintained by any organization or person in the transaction of business or the conduct of affairs and kept as evidence of such activity (McKemmish, 2008).
The Records Continuum Research Group (RCRG) of Monash University had developed the Conceptual Models of Records in Business and Socio-legal Contexts which describe the relationship of people, business and records. People conduct business of all kinds with each other, and in the course of doing business, they create and manage records.



Figure 1:Business Recordkeeping

In a business context, optimally recordkeeping forms an integral part of its activity. The following figure shows the conceptual model of recordkeeping where people do business that are governed by external mandates (such as laws, regulations, standards, best practice codes, professional ethics) and internal mandates (such as corporate culture, policies, administrative instructions, delegations, authorities). Authentic records of organizational activities provide evidence of that activity and function as corporate and collective memory. They also provide authoritative sources of value added information as they capture the content and context of the interactions the document.


Figure 2: Records and the Business context

Records management has been acknowledged as a vital component of management resources that helps decision making, avoid failures, and helps meet organizational goals. As a result, it exerts some pressure on organizations to devote more effort to their information handling mechanisms. Records management plays a vital role in ensuring that organizations remain competitive in their respective industries (Chartaby 1991). There are many reasons why records management is crucial, among others, legal compliance. Organizations could be faced with lawsuit and need to produce evidence (Montana, 1997). When records management is in place, be it manual or electronic, the risk of being prosecuted is minimized.

Many people raised concerns about securing electronic and paper records so that the evidence of financial transactions remains authentic and auditable. As one participant noted in the Global Forum Electronic Discussions organized by International Records Management Trust (2003), accountability is fundamental to good governance and therefore records management must be fundamental to the financial management processes, since records management underpins financial management which in turn contributes to good governance. Ensuring authenticity requires active intervention to protect and preserve records. For example, several participants suggested that audit compliance systems had to be developed or strengthened so that there is a direct relationship between the identification of the information to be protected and the protection of the records holding that information. One suggestion was that financial information had to be secure from the time of creation. To achieve that, perhaps only authorized personnel should be allowed access. Password protection was one way to ensure that the control environment is maintained. It shows that the authenticity and integrity of financial records in whatever form is very important to protect and manage because without effective and efficient records management in place, the desired impact of financial and governance reforms is often minimal at best.

According to Duranti (2006), digital records make up 80% of fraud investigation cases, according to the forensic technology team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, which analyzed the last two years worth of investigations. The number of cases handled by the firm has tripled in that time and the average case requires the analysis of 500,000 e-mails and user documents. A trusted recordkeeping system containing records guaranteed authentic by a trusted custodian would avoid the very high costs in financial and human resources incurred by investigators, but none is in place at this time.

Besides that, Gurushanta, Vigi, FICB, MIT (2002), highlighted the essential key points to prove the integrity of electronic record keeping system and the authenticity of electronic records can be demonstrated by adopting the following factors:

a) Sources of data: the source organization (or person) of the data involved.
b) Contemporaneous recording: that the electronic records were captured and the records recorded contemporaneously with, or within a reasonable time after the events to which they relate; (but contemporaneous recording within a particular database is not required).
c) Routine business data: that the data within a record is of a type that is regularly supplied to the organization during the regular activities of the organization from which the record comes.
d) Privileged data: that use in legal proceedings of the data in any particular record does not violate any legal principle of privileged or confidential data that prohibits its disclosure.
e) Data entry: that database capture and entry procedures are part of the "usual and ordinary course of business" of the organization.
f) Industry and national standards: that the organizations conforms to all appropriate standards relating to electronic record systems, including the inputting, importing and storage of data and all provisions relevant to preserving reliability of that data and electronic records system through which they are stored or transmitted.
g) Business reliance: that the organization itself relies upon the electronic records in its database(s) to make business decisions.
h) Retention and disposition of the electronic records are in accordance with legislative requirements are documented.
i) Software reliability: that the software reliably processes the data to which it is applied.
j) Recording of system alterations: that a record of system alterations is kept.
k) Security: proof of the security features used to guarantee the integrity of the total system; at the least the following key points of security should be able to be proved. (Protection against unauthorized access to data and permanent records, processing verification of data, safeguarding communications lines, maintaining backup copies of records for purposes of verification or replacement of falsified, lost or destroyed permanent or temporary records, and a disaster recovery program for electronic images, records and associated data.)

Duranti (2008) in Pre International Council on Archives (ICA) Congress Seminar in Kuala Lumpur identified a number of the digital records challenges as (1)The facility of reproduction and manipulation makes it difficult to identify the final, official, reliable or accurate version, (2)Technological obsolescence makes digital records inaccessible in a very short time span, and (3)Intellectual property and privacy rights are hard to protect.


4. Methodology

In this research, a case study approach was adopted. Eisenhardt (1999) noted that case studies typically combine data collection methods such as questionnaires, interviews, observation and archives. A questionnaire was used as the main research instrument and was administered to staff in financial department and IT department at XXX and XXX. The SPSS (Statistical P6. Conclusion and recommendations

5. Conclusion and Recommendation

As a conclusion, electronic financial records must be created reliably and maintain their integrity and authenticity in order to meet the demands of corporate accountability as well as supporting better management. As the study reveals 95% of the respondents answered that the electronic financial records system (eSPKB) has a security system to protect it from unauthorized person. The security systems used to access the electronic financial system (eSPKB) are password (95%), digital signature (84%), encryption technology (58%), and network security (58%). This is in line with the interview with the Project Manager of Electronic Government’s Application Project; types of security used in eSPKB system are PKI, Encryption technology, Network security, Access Control and Backup.

In addition, the respondents were asked about who has the authority to access the eSPKB. The result of the study shows that the top managers, accountant, authorized person in financial department (user of the system) and the auditor have the responsibility to access the system. For audit purposes, the auditor should request as ‘view’ for viewing information on screen. They cannot make any amendment to the records.

From the study also, 84% of the respondents agreed that their electronic financial records (eSPKB) do have a disaster recovery plan. The XXX Department uses magnetic tape and cartridge as the media to backup the records. The Project Manager of Electronic Government’s Application Project mentioned that there are daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, ad hoc and off-site backup. All backup records that are more than two years will be transferred to the appointed Accountant Office bank. However, more than 50% of the respondents are not aware of this. In addition, 79% of both organizations did not have enough skilled staffs to meet their records management requirement.

Based on the findings, several recommendations are put forward as part of public service reform. The recommendation includes: (1) recruiting a records manager, (2) government agencies should have in place electronic records management policy and guidelines, (3) continuously communicate to the staff regarding the policy and guidelines, the responsibility, and the importance of electronic records management from its creation, dissemination, storage, retention, and disposal, (4) improve the eSPKB system, (5) there need to be appropriate management structures in place to support the operation of the system, including legislation to support the legal admissibility of electronic information if there is no parallel paper system, and finally, (6) provide training to all records keepers.

So far, recruitment process of records managers is quite restricted. Government departments can only get a records manager by application made by the ministries to the Public Service Department. Upon approval, a cadre post will be created in the department. In most departments, records managers are appointed among the existing staff holding other post, such as registrar or executive officer. As a result, their task as records managers become secondary. In these two financial departments, the role as records managers are shared between IT personnel, auditors, accountants and executives.

For training and education, the National Archives of Malaysia has played the pivotal role in providing training program for the public sectors staff in records management. Other institutions that are involved include Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) and INTAN. For the higher institutions, the Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA has been the pioneer in the area of records management in Malaysia. This faculty offers the undergraduate and master’s level program. The undergraduate program is known as the Bsc in Information Studies (Records Management), while currently, the master’s program in Msc. in Information Management allows students to specialized in Records Management. In addition to that, by 2009, Faculty of Information Management will offer a Master of Science in Records and Document Management program. As a result, training for records managers is not only essential but also should be made an ongoing process for services to cope with the development of media and profession.

Besides, eSPKB is a system that centralized in Accountant General (AG). It helps financial department, federal government organized their daily transaction or operation electronically. However, staffs in XXX Department that serve as a user of the system have identified a few problems. By referring to the problems, the system should be improved from time to time until user satisfied with the system provided. In order to improve that system, they need to ask the feedback from the user and implement the records management approach to the system. According to CAATT’s Guidelines for eSPKB system, there are clear information on registration, classification, access and tracking of the records. However, the guidelines are lack of information on retention, disposition and preservation.

National Archive of Malaysia has produced the Electronic Records Management Guideline under the e-SPARK project. The significance of this guideline is that it covers the management of electronic records throughout the entire life cycle including digital preservation. Besides that, National Archives of Malaysia and Accountant General have produced the retention schedule on financial records for the use of the public agencies. Therefore, it is important to ensure that, all the public agencies staff especially record keepers are aware of this guidelines, retention schedules and other existing policies such as National Archive Act 2003, Government Circulations and Directives, ISO 15489, Digital Signature Act 1997, Computer Crime Act, Electronic Commerce Act 2006 and Circulars on email management issued by Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (Public Service Department) & MAMPU.

Finally, the government agencies need to provide a vision of where they want to be in five to ten years, when they will be managing a predominantly electronic asset. This implies that new and innovative approaches are required to help ensure the authenticity, integrity and reliability of records in an electronic environment. It has the biggest impact on the Government of Malaysia as a whole.


REFERENCES


Chartaby, K. (1991) “Records Management: quo vadis?” Records Management Control ,3(4) Winter:108-113

Duranti, L. (2008) “The management of electronic Records for Good Governance”, Proceeding of International Congress on Archives, Kuala Lumpur, July

Duranti, L. (2006) “Long Term Preservation of Digital Records: An International Focus”, Proceeding of International Conference Asolo, Sept.

E-Government Policy Framework for Electronic Records Management 2001, [online] http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/pdf/egov_framework.pdf

Eisenhardt, K.M. (1999) Building Theories From Case Study Research, in: Bryman, A. And Bugess, R.G. Qualitative Research, Vol.1. London:Sage, pp. 135-159.

“Evidence-Based Governance in the Electronic Age: Case Study on The Management of Electronic Financial Records In Vietnam. (2002) World Bank/ International Records Management Trust Partnership Project, June.

“IRMT/World Bank Evidence-based Governance in the Electronic Age Global Forum Electronic Discussions”, Summary of Discussion One: Information Technology, Electronic Records, and Record Keeping (2003), [online], http://www.irmt.org/download/DOCUME%7E1/GLOBAL/it.pdf

Mckemmish, S. & Evans, J (2008) ”Recordkeeping and the Importnce of Recordkeeping Metadata”, Proceeding of International Congress on Archives, Kuala Lumpur, July

Montana, J.C. (1997) “Legal Ethics and Records Management.” Records Management Quarterly, 31(4) October:43-4.

“Recordkeeping Metadata Project” (1998), Records Continuum Research Group, [online], http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/research/rcrg/research/spirt/deliver/conrelmod.html

Vigi Gurushanta, FICB, MIT. (2002) “e-Evidence Standard” Proving the integrity, reliability, and trust on electronic records ARMA/CIPS Conference, [online] http://radio.weblogs.com/0117653/gems/ARMA2002eEvidenceStd.pdf#search='eEvidence%20Standard'>
ackage for Social Science) was used as the main statistical analysis tool. As for the interviews, face to face meetings were arranged with the six top managers and key players from both departments where additional and more specific information was gathered. Observation was also employed on how the electronic financial records management system (e-SPKB) was used in the departments.

TEKNIK BEKERJA YANG EFEKTIF MENURUT PERSPEKTIF ISLAM (Panduan Al Quran dan Hadith)

DRAFT

1. AMANAH


a. Allah swt tidak suka kepada orang yang bersifast khianat.

Sesungguhnya Allah tidak suka kepada orang-orang yang selalu melakukan khianat, lagi sentiasa berdosa. (An-Nisa: 107)


b. Tidak sempurna iman seseorang tanpa sifat amanah.

Sabda Rasulullah saw: Tidak sempurna iman bagi orang yang tidak beramanah dan tidak sempurna agama bagi orang yang tidak menepati janji (Riwayat Ahmad)


c. Tidak amanah adalah satu tanda munafik

Sabda Rasulullah saw: Ada empat perkara, sesiapa yang melakukannya maka ia adalah seorang munafik yang tulen. Sesiapa yang melakukan salah satu daripada empat perkara itu, maka ia mempunyai salah satu daripada sifat munafik, hingga dia meninggalkannya. Empat sifat itu ialah: Apabila diamanahkan ia khianat, Apabila bercerita ia dusta, Apabila berjanji ia mungkir, dan Apabila bertengkar ia mengenepi kebenaran. (Riwayat Ahmad)


d. Menunaikan amanah adalah tugas yang berat

Bahawa itu adalah sesuatu amanah dan ia di hari qiamat akan menjadi kerugian dan penyesalan kecuali bagi orang yang mengambilnya dengan cara hak serta menunaikan kewajipan yang terpikul di atas bahunya.(Riwayat Muslim)


e. Amanah membawa rezeki

Sabda Rasulullah swa: Amanah membawa rezeki dan khianat membawa kefakiran (Riwayat Ad-Dailami)



2. BEKERJASAMA

a. Setiap orang mendapat ganjaran yang berpanjangan untuk setiap pertolongan yang diberikannya

Sesiapa yang member Syafa’at yang baik, nescaya ia akan memperoleh bahagian (pahala) daripadanya dan sesiapa yang memberikan Syafaat yang buruk, nescaya ia akan mendapat bahagian (dosa) daripadanya dan ingatlah Allah maha berkuasa atas tiap-tiap sesuatu (An Nisa – 85)


b. Tolong menolong antara saudara mara, teman sejawat dan jiran tetangga

Dan hendaklah kamu beribadat kepada Allah dan janganlah kamu sekutukan Dia dengan sesuatu apa jua dan hendaklah kamu berbuat baik kepada kedua ibu bapa, dan kaum kerabat, dan anak-anak yatim dan orang-orang miskin, dan jiran tetangga yang dekat serta jauh, dan rakan sejawat dan orang musafir yang terlantar dan juga hamba yang kamu miliki (An-Nisa: 36)


c. Sifat orang beriman suka tolong menolong kearah kebaikan

Dan orang-orang yang beriman, lelaki dan perempuan, setengahnya menjadipenolong bagi setengahnyayang lain, mereka menyuruh berbuat kebaikan, dan melarang daripada berbuat kejahatan dan mereka mendirikan sembahyang dan member zakat serta taar kepada Allah dan Rasulnya. Mereka itu akan diberi rahmat oleh Allah. (At Taubah: 71)


d. Membantu orang dengan cara yang betul melalui jawatan rasmi dikira mendapat pahala

Abu Musa Al-Ash’ary (r.a) berkata:
Bersabda nabi s.a.w., Sesungguhnya orang muslim yang menjadi bendahari yang amanah, yang melaksanakan apa-apa yang diperintahkan kepadanya dengan sempurna dan suka hati, memberikanya kepada sesiapa yang diperintahkan memberikannya, maka bendahari itu termasuk salah seorang yang mendapat pahala sedekah. (Muttafaq ‘alaih)


e. Belas kasihan dan tolong menolong sesama manusia

Orang Islam itu adalah bersaudara, oleh itu ia tidak boleh menzalimi dan mengkhianatinya, sesiapa yang menolong saudaranya nescaya Allah akan menolongnya. Sesiapa yang menghilangkan kesusahan orang islam nescaya
Allah akan menghilangkan daripadanya kesusahan-kesusahan pada hari qiamat. (Riwayat Ahmad)

3. BERTANGGUNGJAWAB

a. Setiap orang hendaklah bertanggungjawab

Setiap kamu adalah pengembala dan setiap kamu adalah bertanggungjawab terhadap orang bawahannya. Setiap kamu adalah penjaga dan setiap kamu juga adalah bertanggungjawab terhadap jagaannya. (Riwayat Ahmad)

b. Bertanggungjawab dlm melaksanakan janji yg dilafazkan

Dan sempurnakan perjanjian (dengan Allah dan dengan manusia) sesungguhnya perjanjian itu akan ditanya. (Al isra ayat 34)

c. Tanggungjawab perlu dipikul sendiri

Allah tidak memberati seseorang melainkan apa yang terdaya olehnya. Ia mendapat pahala kebaikan yang diusahakannya, dan ia juga menanggung dosa kejahatan yang diusahakannya. (Al baqarah ayat 286)

d. Orang yang tidak bertanggungjawab akan melakukan banyak kemudharatan.

Dan apa jua yang meninmpa kamu dari sesuatu kesusahan, maka ia adalah disebabkan oleh apa yang kamu lakukan (dari perbuatan-perbuatan yang salah dan dosa)

TO BE CONTINUE...

FACING DEATH

KEHIDUPAN DI DUNIA INI HANYA SEMENTARA
Kita semua akan menghadapi saat kematian, saat di alam barzah dan di akhirat kelak dimana amalan kita dihitung.

Jam terus berdetik… entah esok bernafas lagi?
Cukupkah bekalan kita?
Diterimakah ibadah kita?
Bersediakah kita menghadapi hari kematian?
Adakah Allah ampunkan dosa kita?
Adakah kita maafkan semua orang yang mengenali kita?
Adakah kita ahli syurga?
Adakah kita ahli neraka?
Bagaimanakah siksaannya?
Nak bayangkan masuk penjara pun kita takut …

KEHIDUPAN DI DUNIA INI SINGKAT…
Adakah kita seimbang di dalam mengejar dunia dan akhirat atau hanya dunia semata-mata?
Bagaimana untuk pastikan bahawa kita tidak sia-siakan dengan perkara-perkara yang merugikan, yang merungsingkan, yang menyiksakan dll?
Bagaimana untuk pastikan bahawa hidup kita diisi dengan Ketakwaan, Kemesraan, Kasih Sayang, Kegembiraan dan Ketenangan agar kita tidak terkilan dikemudian hari?
Eeee…takutnya nak menghadapi hari kematian yang entah esok atau lusa…

YA ALLAH, BERIKANLAH AKU & SAUDARA2KU KEKUATAN UNTUK BERUSAHA MENJADI HAMBA MU YANG MENDAPAT KEBAHAGIAAN DUNIA DAN JUGA KEBAHAGIAAN AKHIRAT. AMIN.

SYURGA ITU DI BAWAH TAPAK KAKI IBU

ADAPTASI

"SYURGA DI BAWAH TAPAK KAKI IBU"


"An angel could not ask for a higher mission; for in doing this work she
is doing service for God"
"A mother is God's deputy on earth."

Kisah IBU

Orang kata aku lahir dari perut ibu..
Bila dahaga, yang susukan aku.. ibu
Bila lapar, yang suapkan aku..ibu
Bila keseorangan, yang sentiasa di sampingku.. ibu

Kata ibu, perkataan pertama yang aku sebut.. Ma!
Bila bangun tidur, aku cari.. ibu
Bila nangis, orang pertama yang datang ..ibu
Bila nak bermanja.. aku dekati ibu
Bila nak bergesel... aku duduk sebelah ibu

Bila sedih, yang boleh memujukku hanya ibu
Bila nakal, yang memarahi aku ...ibu
Bila melakukan kesalahan... yang paling cepat marah..ibu
Bila takut... yang tenangkan aku.. ibu
Bila nak peluk... yang aku suka peluk..ibu
Aku selalu teringatkan ..Ibu

Bila sakit, orang paling risau adalah ..Ibu
Bila nak exam, orang yang mendoakan aku juga Ibu
Bila ada masalah, yang paling risau.. Ibu
Yang masih peluk dan cium aku sampai hari ni.. Ibu
Yang selalu masak makanan kegemaranku.. Ibu
Yang selalu berleter kat aku.. Ibu
Yang selalu puji aku.. Ibu
Yang selalu nasihat aku.. Ibu
Bila nak kahwin..
Orang pertama aku tunjuk dan rujuk... Ibu

SEKARANG AKU ADA PASANGAN SENDIRI

Bila seronok... aku cari pasanganku
Bila sedih... aku cari Ibu

Bila berjaya... aku ceritakan pada pasanganku
Bila gagal... aku ceritakan pada Ibu

Bila bahagia, aku peluk erat pasanganku
Bila berduka, aku peluk Ibuku

Bila nak bercuti... aku bawa pasanganku
Bila ibu nak bercuti bersamaku...aku tidak mahu

Bila sambut valentine.. Aku hadiahi bunga pada pasanganku
Bila sambut hari ibu... aku lupa nak ucap Selamat Hari Ibu
Selalu ..... aku ingat pasanganku
Selalu... Ibu ingat padaku

Aku akan talipon pasanganku
Entah bila.. ...aku akan talipon Ibu

Hingga saat ini...
Ibu tak pernah merungut padaku
Ibu tak pernah minta padaku
"Kalau kau sudah habis belajar dan berkerja... bolehkah kau kirim wang
untuk Ibu? Ibu bukan nak banyak... lima puluh ringgit sebulan pun
cukuplah".
Berderai air mata aku. Hari ini kalau Ibu mahu lima ratus sebulan pun
aku mampu. Aku boleh kirimkan.

Tapi Ibu sudah tiada. Aku tidak berkesempatan lagi.. bukan lima puluh
ringgit.. lima puluh sen pun tidak sempat aku kirimkan!

Hanya yang termampu Alfatihah, alfatihah, alfatihah. So.. bagi yg masih
ada Ibu... renungkan lah sebelum terlambat

Diriwayatkan seorang telah bertemu Rasulullah SAW dan bertanya,"Wahai
Rasulullah, siapakah yang paling berhak mendapat layanan baik dariku?"
Rasulullah menjawab,"Ibumu (dan diulang sebanyak tiga kali), kemudian
ayahmu, kemudian saudara-saudara terdekatmu."

Oleh itu...
• Ziarahlah ibu bila ada kesempatan. Sebelum kamu terpaksa menziarah pusaranya..
• Kirimkan ibu walaupun lima puluh ringgit. Namun wang bukan impiannya, hanya ingatan jadi taruhan
• Andai ibumu telah pergi.. kamu juga SANGAT beruntung kerana anak yang soleh selalu berpeluang mengirimkan doa untuk ibunya!
• Hubungilah ibu hari ini, jangan tangguhkan ke hari esok, kerana esok belum tentu.

Sesungguhnya, kehidupan ini ibarat roda, jika kita mahu mempunyai anak yang solleh, kita jadilah anak yang solleh. Jika kita takut mendapat anak derhaka, janganlah kita jadi anak derhaka...Ingatlah, Syurga itu Di Bawah Tapak Kaki IBU...

Electronic Mail Management: A Corporate Memory towards Organizational Performance

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2008

Nurussobah Hussin, Haslinda Mohamed, Nor Rashimahwati Tarmuchi

Faculty of Information Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA, Kampus Puncak Perdana, Shah Alam, Selangor.


ABSTRACT

This study evaluates government practices in electronic mail (email) management to identify perception on the email management’s contribution as a corporate memory towards organizational performance. The study uses questionnaires as the instrument and a sample of 250 respondents from various government officers in Putrajaya, Malaysia participated in this survey. The study aims to investigate the practices at the government agencies in applying records management principles to email, such as separating email information from email records in the circulation and dissemination process, storing emails, and applying retention and disposal management. The result reveals that the respondents perceive that the documents send through emails contribute to the better performance of their departments.

Keywords
Electronic Mail Management, Corporate Memory, Perception, Performance, Organization

1.0 INTRODUCTION

An electronic mail message or “email” consists of a digitally stored message and any attached digital documents transferred between computer users. Any organizations either public or private organizations use email for a variety of tasks such as sending and receiving internal and external correspondence, distributing memos, circulating drafts, disseminating directives, transferring official documents, and supporting various business processes of the organizations. Therefore, email constitutes a ‘corporate memory’ on how an organization conducts its business, evidence of corporate decisions and behavior.

According to Sabah.net (2005), email is provided to enhance the performance of the government. Unnecessarily large email messages or email with unnecessarily large attachments create congestion within and between email systems. This congestion results in long delays and unnecessary costs for the storage and transport of the said email. Just a few excessively large messages can create a number of email delivery delays and other "performance" failures for many users. Hence, to help manage the potential for email system congestion (and some type of denial of service attacks), controls on interagency and extra-governmental email size should be in place.

Like any other record in any medium, email should be managed according to basic rules and principles. According to Makhura (2005), the management and retention of electronic mail in South Africa is subject to the National Archives and Record Service of South Africa Act (No. 43 of 1996 as amended) and its regulations. Meanwhile in Malaysia, there are guidelines on procedural use of internet and email management established by National Archive of Malaysia and other government agencies such as circulars on email management issued by Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) and Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU). It is hoped that by establishing the procedures with the compliance to it, Malaysian organizations can create an environment that promotes successful management of email records. According to Sutcliffe (2003), if email is not captured as soon as it is generated, then it may never be captured. Furthermore, once information is published on the Web, it becomes a record, and creates liability for the organization that published it if it has gone through a formal review and approval process.

2.0 PROBLEM STATEMENT

Email has revolutionized communications in the modern working environment. Thousands of valuable email records are created and exchanged by email systems in offices around the world every day. Yet despite this prolific level of usage, the process of managing and preserving email records remains a significant challenge for many organizations. This is not least because of the technical challenge involved in email circulation, but also the accompanying organizational and cultural challenges of raising awareness, achieving compliance, and integrating email management into organizational infrastructures. Email has thus become both a solution and a problem. Failure to properly address these challenges has already resulted in billion-dollar financial penalties, negative public perception, and corporate embarrassment for a number of high-profile organizations. Such repercussions can only be avoided if action is taken across the life cycle of not only email records but also other, more transient email messages (Pennock, 2006).

Since the envisioning of Malaysia being a developed country in the year 2020 and with the introduction of Electronic Government Flagship Applications in 1996, Malaysian government agencies create many records in electronic formats such as emails, word processed documents, databases and images. Mahfuzah (2004) pointed out; electronic records such as email can be easily manipulated, updated, deleted or altered. There are a lot of problems in managing and preserving electronic records such as technology obsolescence, lack of awareness, security, lack of skills, and one of the main issues in managing electronic records is the lack of standard. This is been supported by Cowper (2005) where he formulated that employers frequently cite their staff as the biggest security risk to their business. Undoubtedly, the only way a company can prevent malicious, offensive or confidential information being transmitted across its network is by invoking the company’s ownership of email rights to monitor mail and enforce a consistent and coherent email policy.

Nussey (2002) further expound that larger organizations do not manage the email channel properly because they do not focus on internal cost savings opportunities or investments necessary to improve performance. Executives at these corporations do not manage their internal email management expenses and processes well. Most organizations fail to realize that for every dollar spent on third-party services and solutions, corporations spend at least another dollar on internal costs.

3.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are to examine the practice of email management in public agencies and to capture the staff perceptions on the contribution of electronic mail management towards organizational performance.

4.0 METHODOLOGY

This study used the survey method. The questionnaires were distributed to a total sample of 250 staffs in five government departments in Putrajaya. Putrajaya was chosen because it is the administrative center for the Federal Government. It is also located within the Multimedia Super Corridor which equipped with the latest infrastructure and high technology facilities. The response rate was 91% with 228 returns.

The questionnaire was designed by partly adapting from the Doctoral Degree thesis entitled “The Contribution of Records Management towards Organizational Competitive Performance” prepared by Makhura. There were 67 variables focusing on the management of electronic mail and perception on its contribution towards organizational performance. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis through SPSS 12.0. In addition to the survey, one of the authors of this study is a former system analyst at the National Archive of Malaysia. She also had an experience in checking the email management guideline and did the feasibility study of the guidelines whether it can be implemented in government agencies.

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Using emails for communication is easy and it is a form of communication for personal or official affairs, as the study reveals that 81.6% of the internal staff members and 50.4% of the management consult or refer to their emails. The types of documents mostly received and disseminated by the respondents via emails are shown in Table 3 and Table 4 respectively. There are more respondents who receive the different types of documents than there are respondents who disseminate them but the difference is not high. Apparently, reports and minutes have the highest two percentages. The findings also present the types of document which said to contribute most to department’s better performance: report (39.9%), minutes (39.0%), circulars (38.6%), policy and manuals (28.9%), and newsletter (26.8%). Based on the types of documents being received or disseminated via emails by the respondents, it is important to note that some of these emails can be classified as records.

As the usage of emails is quite high, based on the results discussed previously, a clear and guided filing system is required for emails just as it is required for paper records. The study reveals 39.5% of the respondents agree that a formal filing system for electronic records is available but 39% of them are not sure, and 21.5% says it is not available. The same results can be seen in the percentages of the respondents who agree that a filing procedure manual is available (43.4%), not sure about the manual (39.5%) and not available (17.1%). When asked about the rating of the filing system in the departments, the majority agrees that it is just average (61.8%). 26.8% of the respondents think that the filing system is good and only 8.3% says it is poor. If a formal filing system for electronic records is available, or if a filing procedure manual is available, then, based on the above results, the departments should look into providing awareness to the staff. In addition, a case study can also be conducted to understand the issues with the existing electronic records filing system and the issues with the existing filing procedure manual with the aim to improve them.

In addition to a proper filing system for emails, retention and disposal of emails should also be incorporated in the email management. Table 6 shows that the majority of the document types received via emails are stored for less than a year. The study also reveals, in Table 7, the respondents’ view whether they are allowed to dispose electronic documents in their job or not. Based on the findings, it cannot be confirmed if the practices stated in Table 6 and Table 7 follow any email retention and disposal policy even though the majority of the respondents (69.7%) are aware of an existing policy governing email storage and retention in their departments, based on Table 8.

The number of email users may increase over time and the types of documents received and disseminated through emails may also expand, and hence, it can be implied that the need to enforce the email management policy (if available), to develop new email management policy, or to improve the existing one becomes vital. This is because records as evidence of departments’ activities contain valuable corporate information and the information can be used for various purposes: to assist in strategic planning, to assist in decision making, to identify lessons learned from past experience, to keep identity, to ensure reliability, to ensure integrity, etc. Furthermore, government departments have the responsibility to manage records according to the guidelines specified by the National Archives of Malaysia, as stated in the National Archives Act 2003.

Moreover, if the management of official emails is to contribute to the organizational performance, then the aim is to manage them as records. The way emails are stored, retrieved, and managed technically can vary due to the varieties of email systems being used. Nevertheless, the principles of records management should be incorporated in email management. Hence, the study suggests the following: (1) government departments should have in place email management policy and guidelines, (2) corporate assignment of responsibility must be addressed, (3) to continuously communicate to the staff regarding the policy and guidelines, the responsibility, and the importance of email management from its creation, dissemination, storage, retention, and disposal, and finally, (4) to implement the email policy and guidelines.

There are several standards and guidelines available on email management which addresses some of the issues of email management. The email guidelines tested by the National Archives of Malaysia (ANM) in 2005/2006 were developed by ANM and the Malaysian Administrative Modernization and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU). Prior to e-SPARK project, ANM has produced a guideline for email management to be used internally. The significance of this guideline is that it covers email retention and disposal. Another guideline in email management was developed by MAMPU. The focus of the guideline is towards the security of using emails to send out official messages. The third guideline for email management was produced as a result of the e-SPARK project. The guideline distinguishes email management using electronic records management systems from email management using email application software.

Those guidelines developed by ANM and MAMPU provide no standard solution for storage and retrieval of email records and even though the guidelines are not able to address all the issues of email management, they are sufficient for an interim measure to save, store, and manage official emails immediately. In order for email management to contribute as a corporate memory towards organizational performance, a policy in managing emails should be comprehensive and corporate assignment of responsibility must be conveyed to all the government staff, and not only to the IT administrators maintaining the email systems. Email management involves the management, email users and administrators; i.e. the creator of emails, the receiver of emails, the IT administrators, as well as the high level management staff who have the authority to enforce email management policy. Users have obligations to use email systems and protect information transmitted through email systems in accordance with the organization’s policies and guidelines. Therefore, email users and administrators need training and support to understand and practice the policy.


REFERENCES

Arkib Negara Malaysia. (2002). Garis panduan penggunaan dan pengurusan mel elektronik (No. Siri PRETM: 1/2002). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Arkib Negara Malaysia.
Arkib Negara Malaysia. (2004) e-SPARK Guidelines for the Management of Electronic Records. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Arkib Negara Malaysia.
Cowper, Jamie. (2005, January 7). The threat within - why businesses need to manage and monitor employee e-mail usage. Retrieved September 20, 2007 from http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0164.htm
Nussey, Bill. (2002). Best practices in e-mail channel management. Retrieved October 3, 2007 from http://www.emory.edu/BUSINESS/readings/SilverpopWhitepaper.pdf
Mahfuzah Yusof. (2004, September 27). Problems in preserving electronic records & standard for electronic records management in Malaysia. Proceedings of National Seminar on Management of Corporate Memory: Key Challenges, Issues and Trends. Shah Alam: UiTM, Faculty of Information Management: 27-34.
Makhura, Mphalane Moses (2005). The contribution of records management towards an organization’s competitive performance. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Johannesburg. . Retrieved August 11, 2007, from http://etd.uj.ac.za/theses/available/etd-05112005-120710/.
MAMPU. (2003). Garis panduan mengenai tatacara penggunaan internet & mel elektronik di agensi-agensi kerajaan (Pekeliling Kemajuan Pentadbiran Awam Bil.1 Tahun 2003). Putrajaya, Malaysia: MAMPU. Retrieved January 1, 2008 from http://www.mampu.gov.my/mampu/pdf/pkpa012003.pdf
Pennock, Maureen. (2006). Managing and preserving emails. Retrieved October 7, 2007 from http://www.information.net
Sutcliffe, Paul (2003). Building the corporate memory in the e-environment. Records Management Journal, 13(2), 51-53. Retrieved September 29, 2007, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com
Unit Kemajuan IT Negeri (2005). It policies and standards: electronic mail. Sabah: Kementerian Pembangunan Sumber Kemajuan Teknologi Maklumat. Retrieved February 20, 2008, from http://www.kit.sabah.gov.my/policy/mail.htm

TEKNIK 7B MENUJU BAHAGIA MENURUT PERSPEKTIF ISLAM

Ditulis oleh: Nurussobah Hussin


Kebahagiaan, kegembiraan dan ketenangan hati adalah nikmat yang terindah dalam kehidupan. Bagi meraih kebahagiaan, seseorang itu perlu meningkatkan daya ketahanan jiwa, tidak mudah tergoncang dengan kritikan, tidak gentar dengan halangan dan dugaan. Sesungguhnya setiap yang berlaku pada kita adalah apa yang telah ditakdirkan untuk kita dan adalah dengan kehendakNya...Kukuhkan hati dan kuatkan minda untuk berjuang menuju kebahagian yang diredhoi Allah. Berikut adalah diantaranya:

Beriman dan Beramal Solleh

Di dalam mengharungi resam kehidupan yang tidak lari dari ujian dan dugaan, kadangkala persoalan-persoalan seperti `kenapa aku sering diuji, kenapa rasa kecewa, bagaimana perlu aku menghadapinya dan mampukah aku menanggungnya' bermain difikiran. Namun, ketahuilah bahawa Allah swt sentiasa berada disamping orang-orang yang beriman.

Seperti firman Allah dalam surah Al Ankabut ayat 2-3:

" Dan sesungguhnya kami telah menguji orang-orang yang sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui orang-orang yang benar dan sesungguhnya dia mengetahui orang-orang yang dusta."

Surah Al Imran ayat 139 menerangkan:

" Janganlah kamu bersikap lemah dan janganlah pula kamu bersedih hati, padahal kamulah orang-orang yang paling tinggi darjatnya, jika kamu orang-orang yang beriman. "

Keimanan adalah rahsia kepada ketenangan dan keamanan manakala kebingungan dan kesengsaraan selalu mengiringi kekufuran dan keraguan. Di antara amalan solleh yang insyaAllah membawa kepada ketenangan dan kebahagiaan adalah berzikir, melakukan solat sunat dengan kusyu’, membaca Al Quran, berpuasa sunat, bersedekah dan meringankan beban seorang muslim yang berada di dalam kesulitan.

Firman Allah dalam surah Al Fath ayat 18 yang bermaksud:

“… maka Allah mengetahui apa yang ada di hati mereka lalu Dia turunkan ketenangan atas mereka”

Firman Allah dalam surah Thaha ayat 123 yang bermaksud:

“… dan barangsiapa berpaling daripada mengingatiku, maka sesungguhnya baginya penghidupan yang sempit.”

Sabda rasullullah s.a.w yang bermaksud:

"Kenalilah Allah saat anda senang, nescaya Allah akan mengenali anda saat susah.”


Berilmu

Ilmu adalah ibarat pelita yang menerangi hati nurani, menghidupkan jiwa dan pemancu semangat. Ilmu mampu mengubah sesuatu yang tidak jelas, dan menyingkap sesuatu yang tersembunyi. Dengan ilmu, manusia akan memperolehi pengetahuan yang baru dan selalu ingin mengkaji pengetahuan yang lain. Dan hasilnya akan membawa kepada kepuasaan, keceriaan dan kebahagiaan.

Firman Allah dalam surah Hud ayat 46 yang bermaksud:

“ Sesungguhnya Aku mengingatkan kepadamu supaya kamu tidak termasuk orang-orang yang tidak berpengetahuan”

Firman Allah dalam surah Thaha ayat 114 yang bermaksud:

“… dan katakanlah: ‘YaRobbuku, tambahkanlah kepadaku ilmu pengetahuan’ ”

Dengan ini, mencari ilmu amat penting dalam kehidupan kita. Ibarat pepatah "carilah ilmu sehingga ke liang lahat". Namun, jika pelbagai dugaan menghampiri diri ketika mencari ilmu dan ketika saat hampir menggapai kejayaan dan sepertinya segala yang diidam-idamkan tidak tercapai dan menjadi sia-sia, maka ketahuilah bahawa sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui betapa keras kita sudah berusaha dan segala yang berlaku, pasti ada hikmah disebaliknya.

Bersikap Optimis

Berfikiran positif dan bersikap optimis akan membawa kepada kekuatan, ketenangan, kebahagiaan, kesihatan yang baik dan sebagainya manakala berprasangka buruk akan merugikan hidup dan mengurangkan aura positif dan seterusnya akan membawa kepada kesedihan. Biar dugaan datang melanda, kita harus berjuang dari hasutan syaitan dan menerima dengan fikiran positif dan elakkan sifat berdendam dan membenci sesama manusia kerana ia akan membawa kepada kemusnahan kehidupan di dunia dan akhirat.

Orang yang solleh biasanya sangat optimis dengan masalah yang dihadapi dan biasanya mereka melihat sesuatu yang terjadi itu pasti ada hikmah disebaliknya. Abu Darda’ r.a. pernah berkata: Ada tiga perkara yang sangat dibenci oleh kebanyakan orang, namun aku menyukainya: Aku suka kefakiran, sakit dan kematian kerana kefakiran adalah ketenangan hati, sakit adalah penghapus dosa dan kematian adalah pertemuan dengan Allah.

Firman Allah dalam surah Al Baqarah ayat 216 yang bermaksud:

“… boleh jadi kamu membenci sesuatu, padahal ia amat baik bagimu dan boleh jadi kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu…”


Bersabar

Di dalam mengharungi hidup yang penuh onak dan duri, kadangkala kita merasakan bahawa tidak mampu lagi menanggung ujian yang silih berganti. Namun, kita tidak punya pilihan lain melainkan bersabar... Dugaan tetap datang samada kita redho atau tidak...jika kita redho dan sabar...pahala dan keberkatan bersama kita dan sebaliknya.. Di dalam Al Quran ada menyebut. " Wahai orang orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu (menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara kebaikan) dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih dari kesabaran musuh dan bersedialah serta bertakwalah kamu kepada Allah supaya kamu berjaya (mencapai kemenangan). "

Oleh itu, kesabaran adalah kunci yang terbaik untuk menghadapi dugaan. Orang yang bersabar dalam menghadapi ujian, menerima semua ketentuan Allah, dan bersabar atas semua kesulitan, nescaya Allah akan menampakkan kepadanya kebaikan agar ia dapat memahami musibah yang tersembunyi disebaliknya. Umar b Al Khattab berkata: Dengan kesabaran, kita tahu makna kehidupan yang baik.

Firman Allah dalam surah Yusof ayat 110 yang bermaksud:

“… sesungguhnya Allah bersama orang-orang yang sabar”

Firman Allah dalam surah Az Zumar ayat 10 yang bermaksud:

“ sesungguhnya hanya orang-orang yang bersabarlah yang dicukupkan pahala mereka tanpa batas”


Bersyukur

Kebahagiaan akan dapat dirasai jika kita bersyukur di dalam kehidupan kita. Sifat yang sering tidak berpuas hati dan mencari kesilapan orang lain adalah sifat yang dilarang oleh Allah kerana tiada yang sempurna di dunia ini melainkan Allah. Setiap kali kita terfikir dugaan yang Allah takdirkan pada kita...setiap kali itu jugalah cuba kita sirami dengan memikirkan nikmat-nikmat yang Allah telah berikan pada kita yang sebenarnya lebih banyak dari dugaan yang kita sangkakan sangat berat itu.

Orang yang bersyukur adalah orang yang paling menikmati hidup kerana mereka sentiasa ikhlas dan berterima kasih di atas nikmat yang Allah berikan. Sesungguhnya nikmat Allah tiada terbatas.

Firman Allah dalam surah Al A’raf ayat 144 yang bermaksud:

“… oleh itu berpegang teguhlah kepada apa yang Aku berikan padamu dan hendaklah kamu termasuk orang-orang yang bersyukur.”

Firman Allah dalam surah Adz-Dzaryat ayat 21 yang bermaksud:

“… pada diri kamu juga terdapat tanda-tanda kekuasaan Allah. Apakah kamu tidak memperhatikannya?”

Berdoa

Sesungguhnya kebaikan Allah sangatlah dekat dengan kita kerana Dia Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengabulkan doa. Sebagai insan yang kerdil dan lemah, kita amat memerlukan pertolongan daripada Allah. Dengan ini, kita harus berdoa tanpa jemu dengan bersungguh-sungguh dan yakin suatu saat Allah akan memakbulkannya. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak pernah memungkiri janji. Rasullullah s.a.w pernah bersabda kepada Ali b Abi Thalib r.a: ‘Ucapkanlah doa’

Firman Allah dalam surah Al A’raf ayat 55 yang bermaksud:

“ Berdoalah kepada tuhan kalian dengan merendahkan diri dan dengan suara yang lembut”


Bertawakal dan Redha dengan ketentuan Allah

Persoalan: "Kepada siapa aku berharap?"

Jawapan: " Cukuplah Allah bagiku, tidak ada tuhan selain daripadaNya. Hanya kepadanya aku bertawakkal" (Surah At-Taubah ayat 129).

Insan yang berserah pada Allah dan redha hatinya akan dipandang mulia di sisi Allah dan seterusnya membuka pintu syurga dunia sebelum pintu syurga akhirat. Tawakal dan redha akan menciptakan ketenangan, hati yang ikhlas dan tabah didalam menghadapi permasalahan yang bertindih-tindih. Hati yang redha akan yakin sepenuhnya kepada janji Allah dan Rasulnya. Bagi orang yang tidak menerima keredhaan, kehidupannya akan tidak terurus, nasib yang selalu malang, dan musibah yang tidak juga berakhir.

Firman Allah dalam surah Al Ma’idah ayat 119 yang bermaksud:

“Allah redha kepada mereka dan mereka pun redha kepadaNya.”

Hadith Rasullullah s.a.w yang bermaksud:

“ kami tidak akan mengatakan, kecuali perkataan yang diredhai tuhan kami ”


Kuatkan keyakinan bahawa setiap kesulitan pasti ada kemudahan. Jangan jadikan dugaan yang kita hadapi hari ini membawa kita kepada kemusnahan yang berkekalan. Jadikanlah dugaan hari ini sebagai peluang untuk kita mengumpul sebanyak mungkin pahala dan mengkaji kelemahan diri. InsayaAllah. Ambillah hikmah dari setiap kejadian dan insyaallah, suatu hari nanti kebahagiaan akan sentiasa bersama kita. Namun, adalah amat penting agar kebahagiaan yang dicari seiring dan seimbang diantara dunia dan akhirat agar kita dapat menjadi hambaNYa yang amat beruntung, bahagia dan berjaya di dunia mahupun akhirat. AMIN. Wallahualam.


Rujukan:

Al-Quran dan terjemahannya. (1412/2001). Madinah Munawarrah: Komplek Percetakan Al-Quran Khadim Al Haramain Asy Syarifain Raja Fad.

Ayidh b Abdullah Al-Qarni, Dr. (2005). Jangan Bersedih. Kuala Lumpur: Percetakan Zafar Sdn Bhd

Nurussobah bt Hussin. (2006). Teknik Mengkritik Pelajar Secara Berkesan Menurut Perspektif Islam. Shah Alam: Unit Percetakan UiTM

TEKNIK MENGKRITIK PELAJAR SECARA BERKESAN MENURUT PERSPEKTIF ISLAM

Ditulis oleh: Nurussobah Hussin


Sebagai seorang pendidik, kita bertanggungjawab mencorakkan pelajar agar menjadi seorang insan yang cemerlang, gemilang dan terbilang. Kritikan atau teguran boleh diibaratkan sebagai kenderaan utama untuk pelajar bergerak mencapai kejayaan. Melaui kritikan dan teguran, pelajar mengetahui kelemahan mereka dan juga apa yang perlu mereka perbaiki di masa hadapan. Oleh itu, kritikan adalah salah satu daripada teknik mendidik namun kritikan yang dibuat haruslah berhemah agar ia dapat memberi kesedaran, pengajaran dan dapat diterima pelajar. Sebagai seorang Islam, kita mempunyai Al Quran dan hadis sebagai rujukan. Al-Quran sumber bagi hukum-hukum dan peraturan-peraturan yang menyusun tingkahlaku dan akhlak manusia. Al-Quran menjelaskan bagaimana sepatutnya kelakuan manusia. Al-Quran juga menerangkan perkara yang baik dan tidak baik.

Berikut adalah teknik mengritik secara berkesan:

Kritikan haruslah di buat secara persendirian atau privasi

Kritikan kepada seseorang individu haruslah secara persendirian atau privasi. Ini amat bertepatan dengan sabda rasulullah s.a.w: "Sesiapa yang menutup keaiban seseorang Islam, Allah menutup keaibannya di dunia dan di akhirat". Mengkritik dengan mengherdik atau meninggikan suara sehingga di dengar atau di ketahui oleh orang lain adalah tidak wajar. Sesungguhnya, salah satu daripada sabda Rasullullah s.a.w tentang maksud kebaikan pada diri seseorang ialah apabila seseorang itu dapat mengawal diri mereka. Selain itu, Allah s.w.t telah berfirman dalam surah Al Hujuraat ayat dua yang bermaksud: Hai orang-orang yang beriman janganlah kamu meninggikan suaramu lebih dari suara Nabi dan janganlah kamu berkata dengan suara yang keras sebagaimana kerasnya (suara) sebahagian kamu terhadap sebahagian yang lain supaya tidak terhapus (pahala) amalanmu.


Mulakan kritikan dengan pujian dan keihklasan

Menghidupkan suasana yang harmoni dimana mulakan kritikan dengan pujian contohnya apabila pendidik mengemukakan soalan secara lisan untuk di jawab oleh pelajar di dalam kelas, jika pelajar menjawab dengan salah, pendidik boleh mengritik dengan kata-kata perangsang seperti...Satu percubaan yang baik tetapi kurang tepat..... Pujian adalah digalakkan di dalam Islam. Sesungguhnya Allah s.w.t amat menyukai pujian sehingga Rasullullah s.a.w telah bersabda yang bermaksud: Tidak ada seorang pun yang lebih suka kepada pujian selain daripada Allah s.w.t, kerana itulah Dia memuji Zat-Nya sendiri. Begitu juga tidak ada seorang pun yang lebih marah daripada Allah s.w.t, itulah sebabnya Dia mengharamkan perbuatan keji. Selain itu, kritikan dengan wajah yang ikhlas dan manis akan lebih mudah diterima pelajar.

Kritik hanya pada kesilapan yang dilakukan

Apabila seseorang pelajar melakukan kesilapan, kritikan haruslah kepada kesilapan yang dilakukan dan bukan kepada diri atau keperibadian seseorang. Umpamanya mengeluarkan kata-kata seperti malas, lembap, degil dan sebagainya. Allah s.w.t telah berfirman dalam surah Al Nisaa’ ayat 148 yang bermaksud: Allah tidak suka kepada perkataan-perkataan buruk yang dikatakan dengan berterus terang melainkan mereka yang dizalimi.’ Selain itu, orang-orang Islam dilarang menghina sesama mereka sebaliknya mereka hendaklah saling hormat menghormati. Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda yang bermaksud: "Cukup seseorang itu menjadi jahat dengan ia menghina saudara muslimnya“.


Sediakan jawapan

Apabila kita mengkritik kesilapan seseorang itu, kita haruslah menerangkan dengan jelas kesalahan yang dilakukan. Ini dapat dilakukan dengan memberi sebab dan juga jawapan atau cara yang betul bagi menanggani kesalahan tersebut agar pelajar mengetahui di mana silap mereka. Dengan ini, pelajar akan dapat belajar dari kesilapan. Ini adalah salah satu sebab kenapa pendidik digalakkan memulanggkan kertas-kertas ujian kepada pelajar.


Jangan mengkritik perkara yang sama berulang kali

Kritikan haruslah dibuat hanya sekali dan bukan mengungkit kesilapan yang sama berulang-ulang. Kritikan yang berulang-ulang bukan memberi kesan yang baik tetapi akan mendatangkan marah bagi orang yang menerima kritikan. Sebagai manusia, kita tidak sempurna, oleh itu kita tidak boleh terlalu ghairah mengkritik sehingga melukakan perasaan seseorang.


Mendengar penjelasan

Beri peluang kepada pelajar untuk memberi penjelasan dan meluahkan apa yang tersirat di hati agar terurai segala salah faham. Ini dapat melapangkan minda mereka dan menerima teguran dengan ikhlas.


Tamatkan kritikan dengan baik

Tamatkan kritikan dengan kata-kata manis agar tidak menimbulkan ketidakpuasan hati pada pelajar tersebut. Contohnya.. saya tegur kerana sayangkan pelajar saya, awak mempunyai masa depan yang cerah jadi jangan mudah putus asa dan sebagainya. Kata-kata yang negatif hanya akan mengeruhkan keadaan di mana tiada faedah yang akan diperolehi. Ini bertepatan dengan Hadis Anas b. Malik r.a di mana Rasullullah s.a.w telah bersabda yang membawa maksud `Aku tidak akan berkata sesuatu melainkan perkataan yang disukai oleh tuhanku’.

Sesungguhnya, kewajipan orang Islam terhadap saudara muslimnya yang melakukan kesilapan dan kesalahan ialah memberikan nasihat. Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda yang bermaksud: `Agama itu ialah nasihat’. Ada yang berkata `untuk siapa ya Rasulullah’. Sabdanya `untuk Rasul-Nya, untuk pemimpin orang-orang Islam dan orang ramai di kalangan mereka’. Oleh yang sedemikian, jika kritikan dilakukan dengan teknik dan cara yang betul berlandaskan Al quran dan hadis, insyaalaah, krtikan akan membawa kepada kebaikan, kejayaan dan kesempurnaan. Maka secara tidak langsung, generasi yang berakhlak mulia dapat di bentuk.



References

Al-Bayan: Hadiths authenticated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. [CD-ROM] (2003). Riyadh: Harf Informatic Technology.

Al-Quran dan terjemahannya. (1412/2001). Madinah Munawarrah: Komplek Percetakan Al_Quran Khadim Al Haramain Asy Syarifain Raja Fdd.
Giblin, Leslie. (2003). S