>> MIM Speaks
ASPIRING TOWARDS A CIVIL SOCIETY
NOV 8, 1998 -
THE STAR
In recent years there has been much commentary on the decline
in traditional values, civic consciousness and personal
integrity of the Malaysian society.
The contributing causes for the deterioration have been
ascribed to international influences, the breakdown of family
and social institutions, the culture of materialism, a narrow
educational base biased towards academic excellence and
insufficient opportunity to develop the full person.
As a nation, we are concerned over this social development. We
are particularly concerned over the increasing occurrence of
displays of discourtesy, the abandonment of aged parents and
children, the abuse of power and of the weak, road rage, dirty
toilets, substance abuse, environmental degradation,
corruption and injustice.
We have already recognised the need to do something about it.
As early as 1991, when Vision 2020 was launched, our Prime
Minister called for the creation of "a united nation, with a
confident Malaysian society, infused by strong morals and
ethical values, living in a society that is democratic,
liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable,
progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an
economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient."
This is a good expression of a civil society. Eight years have
passed, and we are no nearer to achieving the vision of a
civil society.
The gap between current reality and future hope is indeed
wide. With just 22 years to 2020, it will be a most difficult
journey to bridge the gap.
But bridge it we must, otherwise Vision 2020, even if economic
targets are achieved, becomes a promise devoid of heart and
soul.
Given the current attention to economic recovery, it will
suggest that issues of revitalizing society will now have much
lower priority on the national agenda. But it need not be so.
There is in place a body of governmental, non-governmental,
professional, community and private organisations, whose
mandate collectively is to promote, create and strengthen a
civil society.
A fragile society is vulnerable and susceptible to economic
difficulty as so clearly demonstrated in Indonesia. A good,
civil and responsible society is the cushion against the
excesses of more fragile societies.
The current economic crisis is just over a year in duration.
The social degeneration has been with us for a much longer
time.
While economic perceptions can be specific and results can be
measured more immediately, developing the civil society has to
be long term, and the approaches taken are varied and
multi-faceted.
We may have to learn and relearn to behave in ways that
manifest the good society. Any dictionary will refer to the
good society by commonly understood adjectives - courteous,
polite and responsible.
A good society does not happen overnight. Current society is
the product of the legacy of earlier societies. The Malaysian
society is the fusion of the traditions of Malay, Chinese and
Indian values and norms.
With globalization, society has been increasingly influenced
by Western and other values. For the younger Malaysian and
those euphemistically labelled as belonging to Generation X,
the tide of materialism is threatening to erode the values
that have been the inheritance from our forefathers.
The older generation has taken and accepted traditional values
for granted. But we have been rather lackadaisical about
passing on these same values to the younger generation.
In many situations, we have allowed our young to behave in
very un-Malaysian ways. For example, showing disrespect to the
elderly, lack of sympathy for the disabled, and making
excessive demands for conspicuous consumption.
One approach towards revitalising Malaysian society is to go
back to our roots, to reestablish our identity and to promote
the values that we hold dear.
We can retrace and relearn from the wisdom of our ancestry.
Fortunately, much of the wisdom is documented in the classics
of Confucius, Kautilya Al-Ghazali and many other philosophers.
Their philosophies should be shared by all Malaysians so that
we can understand where we came from and can more confidently
go forward.
In our desire to be "progressive and prosperous", we should
also heed the parallel objective of creating a society that is
"democratic liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just
and equitable."
Therefore, the focus on economics and IT should be supported
and nourished by a culture of positive human values.
A civil society is good and responsible. Such a society will
endeavour to elicit behaviour in which the strong will help
the weak, the rich will Support the poor, and the able will
look after those with physical and mental handicaps.
The first base for this empathy is an understanding that
current society is not equal and for it to be more equal, we
must learn to reach out to help those less fortunate than us.
We live in different worlds. The stratification of Malaysian
society cocoons us to move in our circle of relatives,
associates and friends, often quite removed from other
circles. In a community project of the Malaysian Institute of
Management, many young participants in their twenties were
experiencing for the first time, contact with old folks'
homes, drug addicts and shelters for the underprivileged.
Not only were these experiences eye openers, but they welcomed
the opportunity to cross the divide to reach out to other
segments of society and to realise that they can indeed be a
source of help.
We need more such opportunities for all Malaysians to cross
the divide, to understand the microcosm of our society, and to
be enlightened to the point of contributing time and effort to
improve the quality of life of those less fortunate than
ourselves.
Society is not only Concerned with economic development. It is
also concerned with human development and the quality of life
of its citizens.
Human beings seek fulfilment and thrive when they can express
themselves in different ways. The forms of human expression
are many.
Throughout the ages, Man has expressed himself in the arts, in
sports and in other fields of human endeavour. All these
aspects of human expressions contribute to the culture of a
civilisation.
The current educational bias towards academic excellence
leaves little room for human achievement in other fields. We
need to not only support the arts of the theatre, music,
poetry, dance, painting and sculpture, but also to provide
recognition and encouragement for people to contribute their
talent in practical ways.
The same can be said for sports conquests (ala Mt Everest) and
contributions to peace, environmental protection and
happiness.
Malaysians may have to be reminded that there is much more to
just making money. As the country goes through the throes of a
recession, we should also be mindful that there is also the
companion need to address the social order.
How do we renew the human spirit and cultivate the human
persona? As we respond to the currency crisis in courageous
ways, are we also equal to the challenge of engineering a
human renewal of our society?
In economics, macro-management is the driving force; in social
development, we have to look to micro-management to drive the
renewal process.
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