“Dear PMX, would you implement Agenda 33.4 mil for the salvation of Malaysia?”

MALAYSIA has progressed since independence with different Malaysia Plans focusing on the requirements of the time as Malaysia progressed from one stage to the next.

The plans were generic in nature, targeting certain sections of the population or community but not each individual citizen, as we can see from the outcomes of the growth and development, which are lopsided and bring up diverse social and economic issues and problems.

It should have been a precise and satisfactory trajectory with steps taken successively for all Malaysians, but it was not so. All homo sapiens are creations of the creator, regardless of race, religion, or any other diverse differences.

Just look at an individual, his or her growth and development from birth are subjected to various elements, right from genetics to environment to the educational level and resources of parents and the commitments to make the family unit successful. These elements must be present for an individual raised in a family to be successful spiritually, economically, and socially, regardless of their race or religion.

If a country’s family unit is stable and prosperous, the spiritual, social, and economical life of the country will take an upward trend with less money to be spent on health, social, and internal security. In Malaysia, that is not the case. We are spending billions on areas that can best be utilised to develop our human resources in skills and education, thus bringing about economic growth.

The reasons are glaring and visible to all. We must bring about an inclusive society where each individual citizen takes ownership of the country and contributes positively according to Rukun Negara’s five principles, an emblem we proudly display and recite but do not practice in action.

To me or many, it is the trained human resources with skills, knowledge, intelligence and character who are proud to be Malaysians, not while abroad but in Malaysia itself.

The loyalty and ownership to this beloved country must be exemplary in words and action, as the citizens are the country’s resources. Is it reflected in each Malaysian of today? It is a big no. The very fact that Malaysians are migrating to other countries—a brain drain—and the reflection of our economic, social, political, unity, corruption, etc. tells all.

How are we going to rectify the past missteps to make Malaysia glorious again?

It is nothing less than an agenda of inclusiveness for the 33.4 million Malaysians, whether they are illiterate, literate, skilled or unskilled, Bumiputra, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans, or members of any ethnic group.

If Agenda 33.4 is carried out meticulously, without fear or favour developing the potential of each Malaysian citizen with policies of inclusiveness in place, the potentiality of all will be developed, thus contributing to the country’s growth and development.

The main culprits are politicians who with their hidden agenda of selfishness and narrow-mindedness combined with fanatical and racial sentiments, have brought the country to the edge of bankruptcy economically and disunity.

Can we carry on after a few decades of independence relying on politicians to set the tone and the trajectory for the future?  The guiding magna carta should be the Constitution of the country, correctly interpreted, and Rukun Negara, not the whims and fancies of the politicians.

Malaysia must become a melting pot of various races, religions, and ethnicities to blend into a mosaic tapestry, colorful in its diversity, bright and dynamic, dictated by the wisdom of the principle-minded. Enough is enough for politicians to direct the trajectory, which has become the laughing stock of the world.

The economy of a country can only be built on hard work, creativity, and inclusiveness for all, not on exclusivity.

By not allowing one race to develop more than the other, these policies resulted in 1.4 trillion dollars in debt for the country. Barking at the wrong trees as the issue for our disunity and economic imbalance is the art of the politician to influence the innocent public.

We find answers in nature. We should pay attention and focus on the flora and fauna, immaterial of its significance. Tinkering or tweeting must be done fairly, without creating imbalance.

The present natural disaster is due to human greed and short sightedness for short-term gains, for which we are paying the price. So it is in the economic, social, and political arenas, where the agents are human beings that need to be handled by the sciences available, not by the rhetoric of the vain imaginations of politicians.

We can forgive the politicians of yesteryears who led the country through disinformation because there was no internet. Today it is a world of transparency where “the Earth is but one country and mankind it’s citizens” a clarion call made a century ago.

Can we still move forward with the same energy as in the past?

We need calibration of the highest order in our thoughts, words and action, failing which there will be an exodus of people leaving the country or Malaysians becoming maids and workers in neighbouring countries, which is emerging.

I call upon the 10th Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to direct the ‘titanic’ after its disaster in hitting the icebergs, to emerge again prosperous and glorious, even if you need to proclaim an emergency until you complete your term, as done by the former PM during the pandemic.

This time around it is worse than before, to safe the country from fanatics, bigots, and racists, which may bring the economy to disaster. — March 17, 2023