LETTER | It is customary or in vogue for a new prime minister to introduce a new slogan to distinguish their time in office from their predecessors.
Malaysia Madani is a policy framework and government slogan introduced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Madani is the acronym for the core values: keMampanan (sustainability), kesejAhteraan (prosperity), daya cipta (innovation), hormAt (respect), keyakiNan (trust) and ihsan (compassion).
It is a replacement for the Keluarga Malaysia concept of the previous administration. Earlier slogans include Wawasan 2020, Islam Hadhari, 1Malaysia, Malaysia Baru and Malaysia Prihatin.
In Arabic, it connotes being modern and civilised.
Anwar said: “Malaysia must be known as a Madani nation that is prosperous, fair and rejects any form of cruelty towards any individual or race”.
He added that Malaysia has to stop its obsession with measuring success solely through economic development and numbers.
The slogan is also meant to reset the direction in respect of race and religion. He emphasised the pillar is still Malay majority on the principles of Islam, the Malay language and Malay privileges.
Based on the Malaysia Madani website, there are 10 achievements that need updating.
Since there are six core values, I will just concentrate on one, ihsan (compassion).
I would include the following items that may give a higher score for compassion.
The 50 percent discount on summons - for one month where the police offered a special settlement rate of RM50 for every traffic summons issued in 2022 or earlier.
Deputy prime minister's special visit to meet imprisoned former PM (allowed under Clause 10 of the Prisons Regulations 2000), a principle of universal justice and equal rights as a citizen, guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. Other prisoners will be waiting with bated breath for such opportunities.
Highlight the 16 high-profile cases dropped since 2018 since it was made fairly and to ensure the victims, witnesses, accused, and the public obtain appropriate justice in accordance with the jurisdiction of the attorney-general as provided under Clause (3), Article 145 of the Federal Constitution.
Favourably consider the pardon for the imprisoned former PM.
Umno opening up its door to members who were sacked or suspended.
Offer the land to the unlicensed Musang King durian farmers in Raub. The farmers should accept the terms now that the durian price is much lower than the fixed ceiling price. And, negotiations cannot be on an equal partnership basis since the farmers are unlicensed.
However, I am not so sure in the civil service whether there is complete understanding and endorsement down the line since it will be used as a guiding principle in policymaking.
What is required now would be a more comprehensive guiding principle understood by all since policymaking is a much more complicated process.
Even the abbreviation is confusing because an acronym is usually formed from initial letters.
We need to be clear-eyed and realistic instead of a feel-good public relations exercise than anything else. Lofty and uncontroversial ideas need to be qualified and possibly quantified later.
The internet and disruptive technology have transformed the world and we need to reinvent not only how we do things but also our thought process because it has attributes that are recognisably superior.
Malaysians, especially the civil service, need the flexibility to adapt quickly to new threats and challenges to make Madani a success and be modern and civilised.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
