Place national values as national interest

LETTER | Malaysia, as a diverse country with 62 years of independence, has in the recent years seen ethnic and race relations becoming a matter of concern where the general perception is skewed towards a nation that is more divided than united.

After the triggered May 13 racial clash, efforts were increased to restore peace and harmony. These efforts yielded the birth of our Rukun Negara which was officially promulgated on Aug 31, 1970. Its tenets were the guiding principles to restore national harmony for nation-building followed by various unity-based interventions introduced and promoted by the government.

However, these interventions seemed fragmented and lacked focus. Whenever an issue surrounding race surfaces, the May 13 tragedy is flagged to remind us of its ramifications. Thus, with the spirit of a renewed Malaysia, efforts for a sustainable, consistent and doable framework for national harmony in the form of “national values” is required. Our national interest policies must include national values. This will ensure our policies are decided by values rather than race to further strengthen our co-existence beyond tolerance.

These values if well implemented will be passed on to the next generation to continue the Malaysian journey and legacy. A legacy that Malaysia should always be branded as multi-cultural nation co-existing with solid national values.

The prescribed national values are derived from each ethnic’s value that complements rather than overrides. In the long run, if properly implemented, these values will be the Malaysian way that transforms the attitudes and behaviour of the nation. This transformation will be evident when we project these values through our unified identity to the world, making it worthy as our own “Malaysian Brand”.

The national values are built around the “muhibbah spirit” since Malaysians before the nineties regarded this spirit highly weaved into the fabrics of unity echoed by the Rukun Negara principles.

The muhibbah legacy to promote nationalism was promulgated by our first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj. The purpose was to create a chivalrous feeling in each individual citizen to be identified as Malaysian. Our founding father said, “Every one of us must respect each other’s rights and feelings, be tolerant of each other's religions, customs and habits, for in diversity we can truly find real unity”.

Hence muhibbah is better regarded than tolerance since the latter denotes a “win some, lose some” attitude while the former roots our co-existence, sense of togetherness, affection, empathy, respect etc. The word budi was also then widely used. It builds acceptance with sincerity among Malaysians since muhibbah became our legacy and spirit. Such a spirit prevailed and permeated every fabric of our living and advanced us in many areas including sports.

People that share cherished values often feel greater attraction and are more at ease in communicating with one another. Such similarities and ease in communication and understanding may also fuel public diplomacy in the use of values. I remember that we were an envied nation by other countries who wished us to be a role model for how we coexisted peacefully in a multi-ethnic setting.

The national values are aimed to guide us in our political, social, environmental and economic direction. The Rukun Negara is the foundation where these values are upheld and built upon culminating in our way of life. Our values must be deeply rooted in “unity in diversity”. Coincidently, our coat of arms (Jata Negara) explicitly states Unity For Strength (Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu) which gives credence to our unique value proposition in unity. Integrity becomes the epitome of our values which are strengthened thereafter. A brief description of each value is given below:

MINDFULNESS - our ability to be fully present. Being aware of where we are, what we are doing and not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY - our cooperation and coexistence between fellow citizens to build a sense of oneness despite differences and barriers in ethnicities, languages and religions.

HARD WORK - our basic traits for everything worthwhile we intend to achieve in life by applying our ability with focus and intensity.

INTEGRITY - our wholeness in character by doing the right thing in a reliable way with an unwavering moral compass to uphold principles.

BEHAVING WITH “BUDI” - Our way to display gracious, polite, good-natured and calm behaviour reflected in the modesty of our attire, body language and demeanour to approach daily life with a great deal of patience. We will make our budi contagious to be easily recognised as Malaysians.

ATTITUDE OF PRIDE AND SHAME - our sense of worth (maruah) by earning respect (hormat) and contributing to our country as living examples upholding the Rukun Negara principles. Doing anything contrary will bring shame (malu) upon our reputation, influence, dignity and honour.

HUMANITY - our natural ability to love, have compassion and live in harmony with fellow beings and the preservation of nature by respecting and not discriminating against the rights of others and to accept our own values and cherish our own right to life. The wealth of our nation is derived from harmony in humanity.

The success of these values in Malaysia lies in the seriousness of the government and related stakeholders to promote and roll out specific programmes.

Immediately implementable programmes:

- Declare 2020 as “Year for National Values” themed “Our Diversity, Our Unity”. Special launch event simultaneously at both the national and state level.

- Special cultural programmes for the rural and interior folks of Sabah and Sarawak.

- Develop a “National Unity Prayer” to be used as a sermon at all places of worship and before the start of any public event. This prayer will be designed by the respective religious leaders.

- Remove the classification of “Peninsular” so that people of Sabah and Sarawak will feel more Malaysian and to espouse the value of unity in diversity.

- Hold monthly promotional talks to boost awareness of national values and showcase the diverse food, clothing and culture.

- Hold a food competition to develop a “Malaysian Food” that blends the recipe of all ethnics.

- Select and feature in the media a role model that has demonstrated any of these values and confer on him or her the title of “National Values Ambassador”.

- Compose a song with lyrics incorporating these values which shall be compulsorily sung after the national anthem in schools and public functions as a form of indoctrination.

Long term programmes:

- Government policies and decisions must be value-based and not on race to ensure national values enshrine national interest.

- The starting point to ingrain these values will be the school system. Introduce national values in the school textbooks under the subject “Building National Values”. Schools to be the catalyst and driver of values development.

- Interweave national values within the government machinery, reflecting their standards of conduct and service delivery. Establish “National Values Ombudsman Unit” for receipt of public complaints against civil service personnel that are non-compliant with these values.

- Recruitment of civil service personnel must include these values as selection requirements so that when they serve the civil service, they are value-ready.

- Encourage traditional games to national level sports to strengthen unity in diversity.

- Encourage companies doing business in Malaysia to direct their Corporate Social Responsibility budgets and intended programmes towards enriching these values.

In conclusion, the aim to establish national values is noble for it seeks to bridge the gaps between our multiracial groups. The idea to relate these values to the word muhibbah will be universally appealing helping in our quest to achieve unity in diversity. It is indeed the secret recipe for our success in managing this pluralistic society.

The time is right for us to resolve our domestic affairs using our home-grown values as a formula for our nation-building success. I extend these suggestions to our beloved Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed and hope he will take serious efforts to roll out these national values so that Malaysia will once again grow in leaps and bound to become the “Asian Tiger” it once was.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.