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When I Become Prime Minister of
Malaysia… By Adnan
Amir
WHEN I become Prime Minister of Malaysia, I
would thank God for the progress my country has made in such a short time,
much better than many countries that had achieved independence at or around
the same time as we did. While
recognising that we have gained much in technological fields and
infrastructural development, more can be done. I recognise that other area
have lagged behind. I
want to see a more holistic development of the nation, such as in
agriculture, town planning, social welfare for women and children as well as
in the field of entertainment. Introspection
We need to develop critical introspection and
self-examination so that we will be able to understand ourselves as a nation.
As chief administrator of the nation and Prime Minister to all Malaysians, I
want to listen to honest views, devoid of self-censorship and restrictions. I
do not want ‘yes men and women’ as my advisors or in my cabinet. I consider
this to be most important and necessary towards constructive dialogue, which
is necessary to build bridges between various ethnic, cultural and religious
communities that make up Malaysia. However,
just as much as I acknowledge that honest dialogue is crucial to the nation’s
well being, I will legislate that conversations should be conducted in an
atmosphere of mutual understanding, acceptance and respect, and that
knowledge should be exchanged through a process of sharing and discussion in
a non-judgmental and non-discriminatory way. In particular, “enforced
solutions” including threats of violence or coercion must be avoided. Or
simply put, a degree of responsibility must be exercised in the democratic
dissemination of honest views. Ethno-Religious
Politics As Chief Executive
of the nation, I will ensure that Malaysia will be a secular state devoid of
theocratic law, while affirming that Islam is the official religion of the
country. While I am aware that I am a Muslim and that religion plays a very
important part of my life and my community, I believe that the key to
developing a strong and united Malaysia is not founded (solely) on religious
piety, but on core principles of justice, equality and respect for human
rights and fundamental liberties of every person regardless of race or
religion, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution. This is something
I must look into as there is a need to stress common and shared values of
every person regardless of race and religion. More importantly, I will also
forcefully ensure that I:- i)
Eliminate the
misuse of identification by ethnic or religious background. ii)
De-construct
arguments or discussions entrenched along racial or religious paradigms
within our nation, moving towards an egalitarian issue-based paradigm. With the establishment
of this general premise, I will focus and channel national resources on
meeting the interests and needs of the disadvantaged, marginalized and
vulnerable of our society. For example, though unrelated, I will ensure that
the NEP becomes a true policy that will literally benefit all Malaysians and
not just one ethnic group. This form of action is
very important as Malaysia is very diverse and that there are more than just
Malays and Muslims. I acknowlege that the continuous Islamisation and preference
for Malays in employment, education and politics has elevated the
apprehension experienced by Malaysians with regards to their status as
“Malaysians”; thus leading to an exodus amongst talented and able Malaysians
to contribute to the nation. My administration
shall reject ethnic and religious based politics and ideologies. Malaysia
must be made to celebrate it diverse racial and religious identities. Education
& National Development As prime minister,
I will see to it that education policies within primary, secondary and
tertiary level institutes shall be instruments that promote national unity
and reflect the reality of Malaysians as one people while holding on to their
various ethnic and religious identities. I feel that this
reform is necessary as my predecessors had married ethno-religious policies
and politics together with the education policy, thus making them inseparable
triangle of prioritising the wrong things. Take the quota system, the UUCA
and “Aku-janji” as valid examples of this deadly marriage which has made the
education system nothing more than a political vehicle, when its chief
purpose and aim was to produce future leaders. Therefore, I will
ensure that all educational institutes will incorporate programmes and
training modules that seek to improve ethnic and religious relations, bearing
in mind historical, anthropological and sociological aspects with the aim of
promoting national unity and racial harmony. At the same time,
I will also ensure that Malaysian educational institutes enhance teaching and
research standards which will encourage critical thinking and give students
the liberty to accept and consider divergent opinions with the aim of being
international leaders in their fields. Once we can address
this, we can finally proceed to find ways of enhancing things like student
assessment methods, syllabus and study plan revamps, library expansions and
invest more in research and development. More
Importantly… During my term in
office, I shall forge a Malaysian identity towards shaping a future founded
upon national unity, especially among the younger generation which will form
the future of our Malaysian leadership. At 50, I believe that the time has
come for Malaysians to move beyond its “accommodationist” approach to
interacting with one another in terms of mere tolerance; towards a full
appreciation, understanding, acceptance and equal treatment of every person
regardless of race or religion and in embracing all diversities and complexities. I also am of the
opinion that national unity should move beyond a superficial interpretation
based on form (e.g. food, language and traditional festivals) towards one
based on essence, substance and shared values (e.g. mutual respect, love, justice
and equality). At 50, it’s about time we change our ways and approaches for
the better. After all, we’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to
go. The
writer is an Information
Technology student at HELP University
College and intends to go into
teaching before going into politics.
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