WE must to have a serious discussion about the future of Malaysia. I would like my children to live in a country where people of different and diverse cultures can live in harmony – without the sickening petty politics of today, without the crippling economic structures, and without an education system that makes our children dumb.

Culture

Let me start with what I consider to be highly important – culture. I once asked a friend what determines culture in an organisation and whether we can transpose that to a country. He said yes emphatically, and continued, “it all begins with what we believe, which in turn determines our values and how we behave.”

He made a profound point. I believe policies and laws have a secondary effect on how people and communities behave. They are secondary to culture. Even a country with a plethora of rules and regulations that threaten strict punishments cannot control how people behave if the politicians themselves flout those rules and regulations. At the end of the day, people will do what they feel like doing as long as they can get away with it.

From my observations, four cultures drive the way Malaysians think, speak and act. They are fear, apathy, mediocrity, and corruption.

Values

If we want to change our culture, we need to work on our beliefs, values and behaviour.

We lack courage, compassion, self-respect, and integrity. If we had these values, we wouldn’t be so scared to say something when someone says or does something acceptable.

If we cared and had compassion, we would not look away when people are bullied, when our young people are subjected to stupid programmes, when our society is rotting to the core.

If we had self-respect, we would stand up for what is right and demand better public services from the government and corporations. Most of us are like sheep when dealing with public agencies that provide lousy service – be they public hospitals, schools, local councils – or even when we deal with corporations that bully us with unfair deals and sub-par customer service.

If we had integrity, we would not offer the policeman or government clerk a bribe; we would not just accept that politicians are corrupt. We would not keep quiet and do nothing. If you’re wondering what you could do, you can join a #RasuahBusters initiative – look for them on X.

Let me say something about the beliefs we hold: we don’t believe we can do anything to change things, so there’s no point in trying. And we don’t believe in meritocracy, instead we believe in so-called pragmatism – we are a divided country, so let the politicians divide and rule.

Coming back to values, if we had integrity, self-respect, compassion and courage, we would tell our elected representatives and public servants what we expect them to do. We would tell them to stand up for our rights, not bow to the demands of corporations. We would tell them to stop messing around with our children, not bow to political agendas. We would tell them to give us the sustainable development we deserve, not bow to bureaucratic procedures.

Leadership

In a feudalistic society such as ours, I don’t expect people to suddenly wake up and become courageous and compassionate, and suddenly have self-respect and integrity. The responsibility of steering our nation on a path where our people will learn, grow and flourish is on the shoulders of our leaders.

From an economic and social viewpoint, Malaysia’s human resources are under-capitalised. What is the greatest asset of any country? Her people. Why did Singapore, Japan and South Korea become economic powerhouses? Because their governments invested in education and social services that enabled their people to become intelligent, skilled, resilient and socially aware.

In contrast, Malaysian politicians have done the bare minimum to educate the masses – and sometimes completely making a mess of things – and have deliberately cultivated mediocrity, fear and apathy. Worse, our politicians are driven by personal agendas and greed, which is evidenced by the record-breaking corruption cases in Malaysia that involve top political personalities.

Politicians

Under this Pakatan Harapan-led government, despite its partnership with Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, many Malaysians expected better governance, transparency and accountability, not to mention the values embedded in Madani (which encompasses respect, trust and compassion).

Alas, the people are sorely disappointed, to say the least. When are the politicians going to wake up and smell the smoke? The country is being torn apart and people are suffering, yet they are still going on with their petty politics. Are they waiting for the people to rise and revolt before they take us and our problems seriously?

On that note, I am wondering what happened to our brave civil society and activist groups? I thought they would take to the streets after the discharge of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Indeed, I have noticed that many of these groups are also plagued by the cultures of fear, apathy and mediocrity.

Sorry if I sound harsh. I am angry and impatient. I would like to see some changes before this so-called Madani-government serves the next general election to the opposition on a silver platter. The year 2028 will arrive faster than we think.

It’s time for Malaysian citizens to act. Don’t wait for the politicians or the activists. Be courageous. Take the first step by joining a group that takes your problems seriously and is doing something to make things better. You don’t have to take action alone, but you need to make that decision on your own. – November 12, 2023.

* Jonson Chong reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.