Listen to the child within

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
August 26, 2015

THE coming Merdeka celebration has a special significance, more than the previous years, given that many felt the need for a "consolidation" of some kind. The fact the prime minister issued a statement that Malaysia is not a "failed state" has brought this point home. It may well be that we are not but to hear it from the prime minister is something that most, I am sure, would not have dreamt of. At least not in the last five years of trying to break out of the so-called "middle-income trap" to be a developed nation come 2020.

Malaysians have been psyching up all along towards this "visionary dream" especially the younger generation who have a very high stake in the future.

Hence it is not surprising that they are among those who have been looking forward based on what Wawasan 2020 has to offer. This can be discerned from their mental make-up and lifestyles that are very different from what we are used to.

Shaped by the new media, they are more open and frank in giving their opinion. Loyalty takes second place to their right to know and even disagree. They prefer engagement to being talked down to because they too have a point of view to share.

To them this is what patriotism is all about, beyond the symbolic gestures of flying the flag, wearing hand bands or putting the hand on the heart while observing the national anthem. Many may not feel comfortable with the attitude of the younger generation but this is the reality that we need to adjust to as the country matures democratically into a developed community.

Perhaps this is where we have "failed". Not so much as a nation as such but as individuals who make up the nation. This has been brought about by the collapse of earlier assumptions; on the need to conform rather than agree to disagree.

To grasp this better it is instructive to recall the fable by Hans Christian Andersen about two ambitious tailors who offer to an emperor an outlandish robe made from the finest material that would appear invisible to those who were not fit for their positions or incompetent.

Since this applies to the emperor as well, he is quick to endorse such a venture. When the emperor goes through the motions of wearing the invisible robe and proudly displays it before his advisers and ministers, he receives a rousing round of applause. In fact, in order to convince the emperor, some even encourage him to do the same in public in an elaborate procession where the emperor puts on the robe for his subjects to admire. Many stand in silence, perplexed at what they see, although some are sceptical. They are more comfortable going along with the pretence so as not to be singled out as being dumb or disloyal. It is not until the emperor's procession passes in front of a group of children who are sincere enough to say what they see that things flare up.

As soon as one child spontaneously blurts out that there is nothing on the emperor, and he is parading in his undergarments, the crowd begin to "open" their eyes and hearts, admitting what they really "see" or rather do not see! The truth is finally exposed.

On hearing this, the emperor suddenly realises how much he has been wrongly advised, not so much by those who are incompetent as they are more interested in themselves and protecting their positions. It takes the innocent conscience of a child to reveal the reality, even though it is a bitter pill to swallow. Popularly known as The Emperor's New Clothes, this tale has been conveyed in over a hundred languages because of the many powerful lessons relevant to leaders.

Like the emperor, leaders too are only as good as the people around them – as the saying goes. Andersen has admirably illustrated this through his tale with the moral of the story: be cautious of sweet talk and flattery from those encircling the leaders. It adds to the risk of failures when the voice of the "child" within is drowned by vanity and pride.

Instead, to quote the German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, be a great person who attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.

Next week, when witnessing the Merdeka celebration and the many processions, try and keep this mind. Be aware of the "child" within and attract great people so that together we can hold the country well as we live the Malaysian dream!