TI TLE: WHY KHAZANAH NATI ONAL SCHOLARSHI P IS FOR ME AND HOW CAN I

CONTRI BUTE TO GOOD GOVERNANCE PRACTI CE AND LEADERSHI P

DEVELOPMENT I N MALAYSI A.

Ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moment of comfort and
convenience but where he stands at time of challenge and controversy. This quotation
by Martin Luther King Jr. has been ingrained in my mind and deep-rooted in my soul
ever since I heard this from my English teacher a few years back. As I tried to churn its
meaning, I found that I am deeply gravitated to this single line of sentence. I feel that I
can relate to it and this has been keeping me moving on forward.
Being born into a poor family, my life has always been challenging- I have tasted the
hardships and watched my parents struggled just to raise us, the children, ten in total.
Despite of the hardships and troubles, my parents keep stressing on this one particular
thing- which makes them gain my utmost respect. Education. Both of my parents had
never have the chance to study properly but they realize that education is the only light
that can lead us out from the misery. Education is the kindling of flame they said, not
filling of a vessel. Education is a gift, it is a miracle, so do not waste it. Thus, I totally
believe that I should not waste this opportunity given by my beloved parents. It is also
my greatest hope that Khazanah National can shine my way out and be a part of my
journey to achieve my dream, in addition serves as a stepping stone to another future
leader.

Hoping only is not enough if I aspire to be successful -this is what I firmly believe. I have
to have what it takes to be one and I am sure that Khazanah National would not want
someone who is like Jack of all trades and master of none to be renowned as a scholar.
However, I believe that I have the virtues and the deserving qualities which are needed
for me to be awarded this prestigious scholarship. First and foremost, a future leader. I
am really serious when I said I want to be a leader. With this, I dont mean getting
involved in politics or somewhat be a politician even more to the level of being a Prime
Minister. I want to be a leader in my profession- engineering in a way which I can lead
my company eventually this country to the advancement of technology and embrace the
fast pace of technological developments. My aspiration is to make Malaysia level to
other well-developed countries such as Japan, United States, Germany and United
Kingdom that are undoubtedly dominating this field. This might seem like a dream too
big to achieve but I strongly think that aimless life is no lesser than a sin and with
strenuous efforts and right actions by Malaysia- this dream of mine will no longer be a
dream in no time.
I do enjoy being a leader and I think it suits me. I have been assigned with this task
since I was in primary school already. As a proof, I was appointed to be the Vice-
President of the Librarian Board for two years. In high school, I was the Chairman of
Science and Mathematics Society and also the Vice-President of Muslim Student
Society. I love the feeling of having the responsibility to lead my friends and work
together harmoniously. I know it is a difficult position but it benefits me in many way. It
boosts my confidence level and moulds my personality and my inter-personal skill. I am
able to speak well and conveys my ideas to others easily. I believe that this ability is
what makes me a good leader as it is important for a leader to communicate well with
his subordinates to attain the productive work environment and obtain excellent results.
This will keep me ready with the challenging world of occupation especially engineering
when I have to work collectively in group to come up with best solution to each problem
faced every day.

Another reason of why this scholarship is for me is that I am balanced and I know that
Khazanah National can assist me in both way which is for me to become a professional
engineer and as a bonus point, re-establishing my skills and natural talents in
leadership. I believe it is important to have that sense of balance in ourselves. The
absence of the element we call as people skill or social skill is undoubtedly will affects
ourselves as a whole person. Being brilliant in your own work isnt enough to call you
successful but it is what insides you. Therefore, although I am focused in scoring well in
examination which is a necessity if I want to pursue engineering, I also get myself
involved in non-academic matters. Co-curricular activities and outside-of-school
activities have been my concerns throughout my schooling days. For instance, I am an
active debator and I have been representing my school for four consecutive years. I find
this as very meaningful and beneficial activity as it trains me to think critically under
pressure and works on my teamwork spirit. For outside-of-school activity, I help my
sister at her nursery taking care of small children of age 3 to 4 years old which can be
quite a challenging task. Through this, I learn to be patient and build up my social skill.
In a nutshell, this is what I mean as me being balanced. Instead of just working hard to
pass with flying colors in every examination, I grasp the sense of balance in life through
participation in non-academic activities. I believe that being balanced- is a bit of a trait a
leader should possesses. This is because not only he should know balancing himself
but also to balance people under him. Take for example, a group of people each with
respective weaknesses and strength. It is on the leader to turn the table to their sides by
making the strength overshadows the weaknesses- giving each of his subordinate the
suitable task maximizing their strength.

A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. The
echo of every words in my mind as I repeat this line to myself every day drives me to be
self-motivated. I take the initiative to do thing first or literally I volunteer not only in giving
thoughts but in other task. Not everyone has the gut to volunteer and be the first but I
think as a leader, I think this is mainly it. A leader should be brave and not be a yes man
or just go with the flow but to be the a starter. To be a starter is to think ahead of others
and to lead- and this is what I have been striving on each days, trying to be a better me
than yesterday. For instance, I volunteered to be the mastermind for our mural project
back in form 4.
How can I contribute to the good governance practice and leadership development of
Malaysia? This question is mind boggling. So, I give it a deep long thought. How can I
be useful to Malaysia? I am aware of this fact-that I am the future of tomorrow and will
be the pillar of society. The future of this country will be in my hands. Thus, in what way
should I contribute? What can I do now for the future later on? I believe what I do today
will determine what happen in the future. To ensure a good governance practice, I
personally think that as a citizen, abiding to the laws is a must. I should also be
supportive to the plans implemented by the government and channel my pinions and
thoughts through the right method. Upholding to the value of integrity in whatever I do
and carry out my responsibility as a responsible citizen are some major ways that I and
all Malaysian should take into account so that the corruptions are minimized and
Malaysia will prosper. Good governance is an ideal and is difficult to achieve in its
totality. However, to ensure a sustainable human development, actions must be taken
to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality. Everyone should be treated
with fair judgment and the voices of the most vulnerable in society should be heard in
decision making which is a major key in governance practice.
On a final note, I believe that Khazanah National scholarship will help me in
unimaginable ways. In line with Khazanah Nationals commitment to grooming
exceptional future leaders, I will not rest in making myself better in all aspects especially
my leadership skill, so that the benefits will not only be obvious to me but also to the
country wholly. I am fully dedicated in my dream to lead Malaysia to the uncharted
waters and see Malaysia grows along the way. I really want to prove everyone that if I
were given the chance to be a scholar, I will not let anyone down, and do my best to live
up to others expectation in making my dream not just merely a dream.
With this, I want to convey my greatest gratitude for spending your time to read my
essay. I really hope that Khazanah National scholarship can be the head start for me to
embark on my journey and be the answer to my prayer.
Thank you and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Dont be afraid to take a big step. You cant cross a chasm in two small jumps
David Lloyd George