By Syed Azwan Syed Ali KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (Bernama) -- For 1Malaysia to succeed, the government's service delivery, which interfaces with the country's 27 million population of various races and faiths, must be improved first to inspire greater acceptance of the concept, a media discussion was told.
The 1Malaysia concept espoused by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak essentially takes into consideration the interests and aspirations of all communities in moving the country forward.
In other words, a place in the sun for all Malaysians.
The discussion was told that when there is more efficient delivery by the government service, it will fit in with several core values of the 1Malaysia concept -- a culture of excellence, meritocracy, integrity and loyalty -- and be in consonance with the newly-coined motto, "People First, Performance Now" of the Najib administration.
And the people's satisfaction will be a good yardstick for the performance of the current administration in time to come as disaffection with government policies and delivery are said to be among the main reasons for the Barisan Nasional's dismal performance in the 2008 general election.
"I think this whole idea of 1Malaysia is more on the administrative side, the management of Malaysia," said the Director-General of the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim), Datuk Dr Syed Ali Tawfik Al Attas.
He said he was attracted by 1Malaysia's concept of equality, or "to put something in the right place", in the administration promoted by Najib.
"In Islamic research, I would say we understand that this actually refers to justice, and therefore, in this sense, we are saying that there is no preferential treatment for one over the other.
"Justice, as you know, is not biased," said Dr Syed Ali, who heads the institute which is responsible for increasing the understanding of Islam among Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
He said the concept of equality in the administration would ensure that all sectors would receive the same opportunities based on merit without taking into account one's race, religion, political leanings or economic status.
"This proper and correct manner of administration should be done in order to afford everyone their rightful place," he said when referring to the ills of bureaucracy which had stifled good governance and administration.
He told the discussion, aimed at furthering the dialogue on the 1Malaysia concept and understanding it better, that it was important for every civil servant to understand his or her role as an "administrator" to facilitate service to the rakyat.
"Civil servants should realise that when it comes to multi-religious, multi-cultural, multi-lingual considerations, they have nothing to do with the theological or 'akidah' part. The government has no business in that. They are only supposed to be responsible for the administration or 'pentadbiran'," he said.
Datuk A. Vaithilingam, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), said each decision of the government should be for the benefit of all races in the country.
"For example, if justice is to be done, justice must be seen to be done. There should be hearings for the people so that their grievances can be heard before a decision is taken," he said in respond to a question from by Bernama editor-in-chief Datuk Yong Soo Heong, who chaired the discussion.
"Policies of the government must be such that they are acceptable to everyone," said Vaithilingam, who is also president of the Malaysian Hindu Sangam.
He was referring to mixed marriages involving Muslims and non-Muslims that had gone sour, resulting in disputes over the custody of children, property and funerals.
Vaithilingam believed that these problems could be overcome through dialogue under the umbrella of 1Malaysia, which is based on the promoted core value of acceptance instead of tolerance, a vital ingredient towards greater national unity.
"By doing that, I think we can overcome the difficulties in many fields," he said.
Najib had said that what made Malaysia unique was the diversity of its people.
"1Malaysia's goal is to preserve and enhance this unity in diversity which has always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future," he had said.
In his maiden speech as prime minister on April 3, Najib said his administration would give priority to performance and the welfare of the people without leaving anyone behind.
"We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left confused by political games, deceit and showmanship" said the prime minister, who also urged the people to come out of their "ethnic silos" to make 1Malaysia a success.
Both Dr Syed Ali and Vaithilingam strongly agreed that emphasis should also be placed on education, which would eventually spawn a culture of excellence among Malaysians -- not just education which emphasises academic excellence but also moral values like mutual respect, integrity and trust -- to ensure the survival of the nation.
While Najib acknowledged that education and knowledge are important prerequisites for any nation to succeed, he also stressed that education must be viewed in a holistic manner where it has to be integrated with values as well.
"You must have a society which places education and knowledge at the apex of everything," he said.
Education, being the pivotal foundation of it all, can unblock the blind spots that may have held Malaysians back in the past to move forward in unison.
And education is also the key to effect a culture of excellence, integrity, perseverance, humility, acceptance, meritocracy, loyalty and integrity for 1Malaysia to succeed.
As Najib said, a sense of new energy and optimism has been discerned. And constant dialogue among Malaysians is the way forward to enable 1Malaysia to gather greater momentum.
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