Reclaiming our dignity

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
May 2, 2018

NEXT week the nation will go to the polls for the 14th time – dubbed by some as the "father" of all elections; the last one was the "motherly" version. This is the moment that everyone is waiting for because it is the last before we cross the momentous 2020 deadline. A whole generation has grown up under the Wawasan 2020 (W2020) banner as a symbol of new "hope" for the future guided by courageous ideas and bold ambitions.

However as implied in this column last week, the promised future is no longer as certain since much of the focus has been (mis)placed largely on mega-infrastructure and the tangibles. Little attention is paid otherwise. Hence the stark contradictions: we are thankful to have a credible road system nationwide but it also doubles as a tragic "graveyard" for many especially those travelling on express buses and motorcycles. We may be recognised as an economically "successful" country, yet of late we are also well known for widespread and rampant corruption and unethical practices. While our infostructure is said to be well developed somewhat, so much so it has spawned mistrust so serious that we have to institute almost in a rush an anti-fake news law to contain it. Yet imported "fake" and counterfeit items are easily available. We are gung-ho about the Fourth Industrial Revolution but there is hardly a whimper on sustainable development goals launched at almost the same time in 2016. These are just some random examples of the (unintended) contradictions as a result of the imbalanced development for the last 30 years. The sprint over the last decade alone has worsened the state of disparities and divides nationwide.

More often than not some of these are only acknowledged through lip services with little real action to back it up even though it is a matter of life and death. Not surprisingly many of our youth and the younger W2020 generation continue to be haunted by some issues which have remained unresolved for decades. High on the list is drug abuse including tobacco and nicotine addiction. More recently, there is ample evidence that mental health problems including suicide are beginning to rear their ugly heads. So too is obesity among teenagers although ironically one politician "crowed" that this is a sign of prosperity. Baffling.

This takes us to the next issue of alarming concern – the state of our political and intellectual maturity. Despite the possible developed country status lurking around the corner, the level of maturity and quality high order thinking skills (HOTS) is well below par. In this election, we are exposed less to HOTS debates befitting an aspiring developed nation. Instead more of the tired political antics of washing dirty linen in public targeting individuals and personalities. At international platforms and conferences, some Malaysian speakers whine away unashamedly. Often this is accompanied by crude words and crass behaviour (tanpa budi bahasa, budi pekerti) that embarrasses citizens of this country. Elders have not been spared, breaching one of the most established cultural values and norms long nurtured within our society. All justifiably so in the (desperate) effort to seek and preserve power at all cost. Not only does it degrade the practice of wholesome politics (if there is one) but also creates more politics of hate and deeper polarisation. It reinforces the "failure" to acculture and sustain hi-culture as the soul of a dignified nation in the new century.

Consequently, social (media) behaviour becomes highly erratic in almost all sectors as shown by the mounting cases of bullying, sexual harassment, social violence as well as vandalism. The assassination of a Palestinian academic in Setapak last week sent shivers down our spine. While the "big" talk has always been how prepared we are against "Islamic terrorism" yet the premeditated slaying has nothing to do with it. Are we so preoccupied with "Islamic terrorists" that we created our own "blind spots" for other militant groups to operate unknowingly within our borders? This is not the first time too (recall Kim Jong-nam?).

Such contradictions and uncertainties when put together in the local context do project some "real" anxieties pointing to the urgent need for values beyond the material and tangible dimensions. The supporting "true values" are by and large missing going by the stipulated nine challenges of Wawasan 2020. Instead, the "counter" values have been the mainstay, thanks to the leadership style that left this unchecked. In other words, Malaysia 2020 could be "stillborn" because it cannot be sustained without the underpinning "right" values and attitudes to hold it together as envisaged by W2020. And that 1Malaysia and its many aspirations are more slogans sans in-depth substance.

In sum, we still lag far behind in terms of cultivating and embedding values critical for an advanced nation. As such it is imperative that this vital missing link be bridged most urgently to reclaim our dignity. The time to exercise it is now when we thoughtfully cast our votes on May 9.