1Malaysia

As many of you can see in the chat box next to this post, there is a question from Aini regarding the ethnic diversity in Per Una.

Before I begin, allow me to tell all of you the reason why I’m taking time to address this issue. Firstly it is because Aini is an old friend of mine from the university days, and she is also a journalist, and second, because the issue of unity and racial diversity in Per Una.

It is important not just for Aini to know, but also for everyone to understand that Per Una is not a company that practices affirmative action. This can be seen through the diverse board of directors that comprises of multiple ethnicities, including an Italian adviser. There are some departments that have staff members of only one ethnicity, and maybe this was what Aini meant. Because although we have a few departments that only have one ethnic group working in, it does not mean that the entire company comprises of only one ethic group. Being a multinational company, it is clearly impossible that Per Una only has Malay staff members. Per Una itself is a large company that has almost 100,000 employees, ranging from high level to lower level workers, and it is simply impossible that all of these 100,000 employees are all Malay. We at Per Una believe in meritocracy, and that everyone deserves a change.

However, being an Italian-based company in Malaysia, there are some issues that need to be addressed, for example certification of ‘halal’ ingredients or contents used in our products. This is why we have a special department that comprises of Malay Muslims who ensure that all the content and chemicals we use get the “halal” certification. It is also important to have this team who understands the mindset, culture and attitude of Malay Muslims, because they are the ones who usually have issues regarding the way things are made and processed, and whether or not it is done the Islamic way. This means that in order to adapt to the local surroundings, we decided to establish this team.

I apologize for the misunderstanding, and if it has caused Per Una to be seen as a company that favors any party over another. I would like to stress here that we value merits, and that we practice a fair recruitment system.
This query allows me to move on to discuss a more recent and pressing issue – about the 1Malaysia concept.
I honestly believe that we Malaysians do not need a campaign that already propagates something that has come so naturally to us. I believe that we have been practicing and living in the spirit of 1Malaysia even before our Prime Minister told us to do so. I do believe in 1Malaysia, and that it can and will exist if promises that were made are actually kept.