By Tarcisius Chin                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
SINCE Vision 2020 was first mooted in 1991, there has been                                                                                            
strong confidence that we will fulfil our national aspiration                                                                                         
of achieving full development status. This confidence had been                                                                                        
reinforced by continuing economic prosperity with growth rates                                                                                        
in excess of the average annual 7% projected to secure the                                                                                            
vision.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
The present economic turmoil leading to a downward revision of                                                                                        
next year's growth rate to between 4% and 5% has dented our                                                                                           
confidence, and our competence to fulfil our vision is being                                                                                          
questioned.                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Fortunately, our economic fundamentals are strong. But we have                                                                                        
to make sure that these fundamentals continue to remain strong                                                                                        
by eliminating wastage, reducing unproductive projects,                                                                                               
increasing savings and investments, and returning to behaviour                                                                                        
that puts a premium on thrift and prudence and frowns on                                                                                              
conspicuous consumption.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
We survived the mid-1980s recession. We should be able to                                                                                             
handle this economic slowdown, provided we have learnt from                                                                                           
the experience of the 80s.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
In the last recession, the pain extended to massive                                                                                                   
retrenchment by most organisations. We are better positioned                                                                                          
this time with a layer of fat of over one million migrant                                                                                             
workers.                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
At a review of Vision 2020 early this year, the clear message                                                                                         
transmitted was that we were on target on the economic front,                                                                                         
and we should now have the maturity to recognise-that economic                                                                                        
upturns will follow downturns.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
We should have the wisdom to resist the temptation to                                                                                                 
surrender to a national psychosis of impending disaster.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
I believe that if we take steps to toughen ourselves to face                                                                                          
the challenge, we should have every confidence that our                                                                                               
economic aspirations will materialise.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
What is more difficult to fulfil is the social equation of                                                                                            
Vision 2020. The review of Vision 2020 early this year also                                                                                           
transmitted a second message - that we are way behind in                                                                                              
achieving the nine challenges that specify the terms upon                                                                                             
which we embrace development.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
There are essentially three pathways to meet the nine                                                                                                 
challenges.  One pathway addresses the need to develop the                                                                                            
Malaysian who is progressive, scientific and technology                                                                                               
biased.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Another is to develop the caring, tolerant and united                                                                                                 
Malaysian society.  The third pathway is to develop the moral,                                                                                        
ethical and spiritual Malaysian.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
These are universal attributes promoted by religions and                                                                                              
philosophers. They call for the creation of the civil society                                                                                         
and Vision 2020 is less of a destination and more a continuing                                                                                        
journey towards all that is good in Man.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The first pathway is easier to, pave.  The ingredient is IQ.                                                                                          
We have already accepted the notion that the development of IQ                                                                                        
amounts to ensuring personal economic prosperity.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
This relationship is reinforced in the family and through                                                                                             
educational processes. Hence we strive after paper                                                                                                    
qualifications. The danger, however, is the misleading                                                                                                
perception that the only goal of education is to obtain the                                                                                           
highest grades to the exclusion of non-academic pursuits.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
We should be wise enough to observe-that the most successful                                                                                          
people are not necessarily the individuals with the highest                                                                                           
academic scores in early life. Tunku Abdul Rahman, Winston                                                                                            
Churchill and many other leaders were not academically smart,                                                                                         
but their contributions have been enormous.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
What then are the determinants of their success?                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
The ingredient that makes some of our great people-is                                                                                                 
emotional intelligence (EQ). This has been the essence of the                                                                                         
Asian culture, founded on concepts of community, consensus and                                                                                        
relationship.                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
It seems ironic that the West has only recently discovered                                                                                            
that EQ is important and is claiming ownership of the insight,                                                                                        
when in Asia the practice of ringgi in Japan, gotong-royong in                                                                                        
Malaysia and clan support in Chinese communities, suggest that                                                                                        
EQ has been part of our heritage.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
We have unconsciously neglected the second pathway. In                                                                                                
Yesteryears, extra-curricular activities in schools and                                                                                               
universities were encouraged and many of our political,                                                                                               
business and community leaders were presidents and office                                                                                             
bearers of student unions and related bodies.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Developing a caring, tolerant and united nation has to be                                                                                             
anchored on the ingredient of EQ. IQ does not guarantee                                                                                               
fulfilment in these areas; often IQ develops arrogance,                                                                                               
distance and a sense of superiority, qualities that are                                                                                               
anathema to building the civil society.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
The third pathway of creating a moral and ethical society is                                                                                          
now a contemporary concern, and the vital ingredient to                                                                                               
develop integrity has to be spiritual intelligence (SQ). In a                                                                                         
secular sense, SQ refers to values developed through character                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
formation from young. The danger is the increasing worship of                                                                                         
materialism without concern for the means taken to achieve it.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Incompetence, dishonesty, patronage, bribery and corruption                                                                                           
must be rooted out. This can only be effectively done if we                                                                                           
build on the core values that have been the essence of                                                                                                
religions most Malaysians subscribe to.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
Every religion preaches good behaviour, not to cheat, steal,                                                                                          
kill or injure others. We know where to draw the line-                                                                                                
unfortunately some live the rituals of religion without living                                                                                        
the substance of our beliefs.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Developing good values must be done early in life. The route                                                                                          
has to be by deed, not words. Character formation has to begin                                                                                        
with the home, through school and into our career.  Our faith                                                                                         
and hope lie with the new generation.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
The deviant behaviour of the older generation has to be curbed                                                                                        
by law and social sanction. Legal restraints on wrong                                                                                                 
behaviour can only seek to impose minimal standards. Even                                                                                             
capital punishment for serious drug offences, for example, has                                                                                        
not deterred wrongdoers.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The only real safeguard we have in creating a moral and                                                                                               
ethical society is the substance of inner defence, the stuff                                                                                          
of missionaries and personal conviction. This is the most                                                                                             
difficult pathway because of moral choices. It is becoming                                                                                            
even more difficult when society itself places an increasingly                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
high value on materialism.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Nearly every Malaysian mouths the commitment to Vision 2020.                                                                                          
The perception is that by the year 2020 we will be living life                                                                                        
like the Americans or the Japanese. What is often missed is                                                                                           
that the journey is going to be difficult and will require the                                                                                        
continuing commitment, unwavering support and behavioural                                                                                             
change of all Malaysians to create the Malaysian with                                                                                                 
intelligence, interpersonal skills and social values.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
If we walk through the wisdom of the ages we become acutely                                                                                           
aware of the seeds of decay and destruction when we lose sight                                                                                        
of the larger purpose of human civilisation.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
I am reminded of the idealism of my youth best described in                                                                                           
the philosophy "What does it profit a man if he gains the                                                                                        
whole world and suffers the loss of his own soul?" I am also                                                                                     
influenced by the Rotary dictum "He profits most who serves                                                                                      
best."                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
The passage to Vision 2020 is to meet the challenge of                                                                                                
transforming us and, consequently, our society. Our legacy to                                                                                         
the new generation has less to do with economic wealth and                                                                                            
more with quality of life.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The pathways through IQ, EQ and SQ development are                                                                                                    
interrelated and provide a distinct and useful framework to                                                                                           
map out the initiatives and steps that can be consciously                                                                                             
introduced at different levels of home, school and                                                                                                    
professional experiences.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Nearly a quarter of the time period available to us to                                                                                                
transform society has passed. We need to take corrective                                                                                              
action to ensure the dream of vision 2020 will be a reality.                                                                                          
We have to be more conscious of what still needs to be done.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
Any vision has to be communicated, shared and managed. Along                                                                                          
the way, new forces may reshape the vision. We may, for                                                                                               
instance, be now more acutely concerned with environment                                                                                              
degradation, an issue that may call for a 10th challenge in                                                                                           
our drive towards development.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
Above all, for a vision to work it has to be living-not as                                                                                            
slogans that sound nice but as a benchmark of our own                                                                                                 
individual behaviour. After all, the powerful movements all                                                                                           
began with the conviction and example of an individual.