PUTRAJAYA, Jan 19 — The six core values of the Malaysia Madani concept introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim need to be translated into comprehensive national policies and not just populist ones, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the six core values namely Sustainability, Prosperity, Innovation, Respect, Trust and Compassion should also be emphasised in the construction of human capital that is capable of solving the people’s problems.
“The implementation of populist programmes will only cause dependency and ultimately it will cause frustration in a very short period of time,” Amirudin said when appearing as one of the panellists at Developing Malaysia Madani Discourse at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) here today.
He described the Madani concept as a way to boost the physical development of the country’s economy which creates a fair, prosperous and equitable situation driven by plans like in Selangor.
“For example, in Selangor, the Bitara Yayasan Selangor programme (Bitara) gathers smart students to be sent to the world’s 50 best universities. At the same time we have a public tuition programme to help students who have the potential to fail in the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) to succeed in the public examination,” Amirudin said.
Meanwhile, Institut Darul Ehsan (IDE) executive chairman Prof Datuk Mohammad Redzuan Othman expressed confidence that the Madani concept which will become a national vision can make Malaysia a developed and an excellent country.
He said the concept of Madani inspired by Anwar did not come suddenly but was based on his long experience of being a leader.
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Institute for Social Science Studies (IPSAS) director Prof Haslinda Abdullah who discussed the aspects of ‘trust’ and ‘compassion’, said that in the context of forming trust, the people demand a fair policy that is clearly manifested where the system should also be holistic and high-impact.
In order to build confidence in the community, she said the existing leadership (in the government) should always go to the ground to understand the pulse of the people and explain the concept.
“The policy that is drafted must be sensitive to the local community and the environment,” Prof Haslinda added.
The discourse that was held in conjunction with the Prime Minister’s Mandate was to explore the core values of Madani policy in an effort to provide a more thorough understanding of the framework of thought, philosophy, ethics and actions in developing a Madani Malaysia.
At the event, Anwar also launched a book entitled Membangun Negara Madani: Visi dan Kerangka Dasar Reformasi (Developing a Madani Malaysia: Vision and Framework for Reformation Policy) published by IDE.
The Madani framework not only focuses on the problem-solving process and meeting the current needs of the nation, but also on the creation of a peaceful and prosperous future which fulfilled the potential of the people and the country.
Madani is targeted to be the basis for each core value that will be explored to strengthen the eight requirements namely economy and finance, legislation, institutions, education, community, culture, urban and rural.
— Bernama
