a servant's heart.

My little take on the NKF-SPH saga that's been raging back and forth in the papers.

In the end, it isn't the question of whether Mr Durai 'deserves' that pay, of whether it's commensurate with his ability and with what chairmen in the private sector are getting.

To me, I feel it's a question of where the heart lies. For someone with a servant's heart, the good he or she is doing will never require recompense. Of course, it isn't realistic to expect pure altruism and sacrificial service from the employees of an NPO, but doesn't it weigh on the conscience when you compare the magnitude of what you're getting as a reward to the source of that money? With a servant's heart, no one needs to tell you the right thing to do, or give you 'guidelines'.. You will be motivated to do what serves the people best.

And no-one can perform a job effectively without passion; in order to work in an NPO, I feel that one must be prepared to accept lower recompense than an equivalent job outside. The added satisfaction, however, comes from the fact that your efforts are helping to make a difference to the lives of others. That must be the passion that drives the organization and its' people, not the promise of more moolah. This passion should also be consistent among all the employees of the organization; working for a common purpose and knowing the heart of their boss is the way to go.

Similarly, I believe that the NKF should be more transparent and honest with its' funding matters; the more you hide, shadow-box and defend yourself, the worse others' impressions of you will be. It isn't wrong to expect a certain amount of money and benefits when you've acheived a certain career standing, but all the more since it's an NPO, shouldn't the question of accountability to the public be ever-present?

Hm.

Just my viewpoint.