KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s election fever has gone up a notch with the government’s announcement to bring forward the tabling of Budget 2023 to October 7.
And while a “feel good” basket of election goodies is expected ahead of the 15th general election, what of resolutions to longstanding problems and real reforms?
It was with this in mind that opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told the recently held seminar “Pathway Towards a Better Malaysia” that Malaysia needs a new framework to address the country’s flawed policies and put it back on track.
“These are not just the opinions of a politician critiquing the government. The same concerns are expressed by the business community both domestic and international.
“The same problems identified years ago continue to be highlighted as obstacles that prevent Malaysia from achieving a more vibrant economy – persistent monopolies in key industries, overreliance on low-skilled labour, and the lack of talent, to name a few.
“Corruption remains a major factor draining the economy. As a result, our competitiveness has lagged and our peers in the region have surpassed our ability to remain a preferred destination for investment,” said Anwar in his keynote address at the seminar at Dorsett Grand Subang.
The people’s grouses
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman and PKR president said the consequences of these failures are experienced daily by Malaysians.
This includes poor access to public transportation in urban areas, despite billions spent on infrastructure projects, leading to infuriating traffic jams and hours of lost productivity.
“Our inadequate provision of public healthcare services was on display during the height of the pandemic. The reports of dozens of people being brought in dead to the local hospitals every day during the summer of 2021, and the images of overcrowded hospital wards with patients sleeping on floors and benches were truly disheartening.
“Students who have missed almost two years of schooling during the pandemic have yet to see a plan to get them back on track and ensure they don’t become a lost generation whose chances of obtaining good jobs and earning a decent living are impaired.
“Our national food security plan has not been successful in protecting the people from the impact of rising food prices, reducing our reliance on imports, and empowering our local farmers to earn prosperous livelihoods by serving the national interest,” he said.
Anwar also highlighted the frequent flooding plaguing Malaysia this year. He said the slow, inadequate response to the floods is a further indication of the shortcomings and reactive nature of the authorities’ problem-solving approach.
“The failures of public policy and the ongoing machinations of some politicians who amass wealth for themselves have taken their toll on the rakyat. We cannot ignore the growing cynicism among those losing hope that politicians can make any meaningful contribution to the resolution of these basic problems,” said Anwar.
Introducing SCRIPT – a new framework
He proposed a new set of values to rebuild the nation, acronymised as SCRIPT for “Sustainable, Caring and Compassionate, Respect, Innovation, Prosperity, and Trust”.
Explaining the acronym, Anwar said Malaysia needed to be more sustainable, with care and compassion underpinning the relationships and interactions between people and the government.
“The country must advance through embracing knowledge and innovation. People must engage each other with respect to promote the ideals of justice and mutual understanding.
“We must adopt a holistic understanding of prosperity that addresses the issue of wealth and income and embraces with equal fervour the cultivation of values and ethics, the promotion of knowledge, and the fostering of healthy communities. Trust in the government and among the citizens is integral,” he said.
The framework’s six components are interconnected and cannot function in isolation, he added.
Collectively, they lay the foundations for a “thriving, dynamic, and inclusive society”, and would require collaboration across government ministries and agencies, and between the public and private sectors.
“It is a common grouse that our bureaucracy has become convoluted and simple ideas require complex engagement with dozens of ministries not always working towards the same common goal.
“This is a consequence of applying conventional thinking to problem-solving. What must be instilled in the new cadre of public servants is an appreciation that most of our problems are interconnected and require simultaneous efforts on a number of different fronts – a society-wide endeavour – and a deeper awareness of future needs and challenges.”
SCRIPT comprises habits that provide a strong basis to expand and enhance Malaysia’s democracy and deliver a competent and effective government, he added. – The Vibes, August 28, 2022
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