Harvard stint for Johor civil servants
(From left) Natazha, Joharudin and Mohd Riduan say the course is relevant to their work.
Three officers undergo short course on negotiation strategies in the United States
EVERY year, senior officers from Johor Civil Service (JCS) are chosen to attend short courses at prestigious universities abroad.
This year, three officers were given a chance to benefit from a short course at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
They are chief private secretary to Johor Mentri Besar Dr Joharudin Samion, Invest Johor chief executive officer Natazha Hariss and Syarikat Air Johor Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohd Riduan Md Ali.
Their trip to the US was in line with Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim's hopes for the state government to hold talks with Harvard University to develop courses for JCS officers.
Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the officers attended a course titled 'Negotiation Strategies: Building Agreement Across Boundaries'.
'This is in line with the aspiration of Tunku Ismail who gave his full support for continuous skills upgrading of our civil servants by sending them for courses at Ivy League universities,' Onn Hafiz said.
He said this initiative also reflected the state government's pledge to produce visionary and committed leaders.
'Funding for the three officers came from Tabung Pendidikan Permodalan Darul Ta'zim,' he said.
The course aimed to train the officers to build consensus and make the right decisions in negotiations involving many parties.
'This is also a strategic move when handling agendas such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) as it involves formulating agreements across nations in order to strengthen investment and propel infrastructure development.
'Johor needs senior officers who are capable of handling negotiations and able to build the trust of many parties.'
The Mentri Besar said he hopes the course would better prepare the officers to bring about tangible success that would strengthen Johor's position globally.
He stressed that this was not just an individual investment but one for Johor's future.
'We want to build a public sector which will be on par with global standards.
'We want our leaders to be able to excel in the new era of growth, innovation and regional prosperity, especially through the JS-SEZ,' he said.
Onn Hafiz also expressed hope that these moves would help boost Johor's transformation into a developed state.
Joharudin said the course was beneficial in his role as chief private secretary to the Mentri Besar.
'I frequently engage with various stakeholders including federal agencies, corporate leaders, international partners and community representatives.
'The skills I acquired through the course, particularly in cross-cultural communication, strategic preparation and conflict resolution, are instrumental to the job I do.
'These skills facilitate high-stakes negotiations, align diverse interests and secure favourable outcomes for the state,' he said in an interview, emphasising the focus on emotional intelligence, power dynamics and consensus-building.
These areas are important in managing sensitive political and administrative engagements with tact, professionalism and strategic foresight, he said.
'These capabilities directly contribute to more effective policy implementation, and stronger inter-governmental and cross-sectoral collaboration,' he added.
Natazha shared that the short course was attended by about 50 international participants.
They were mainly top civil servants from various countries including the US, Canada, Brazil, Albania and Mexico, he said.
'It was an eye-opener, especially the insights gained from former Ecuador president Jamil Mahuad.
'He shared how he negotiated a peace agreement with Peru, thus ending long-standing border issues,' Natazha said.
He added that he found the skills helpful in issues pertaining to JS-SEZ, which involves two countries.
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