Government by Slogan: Malaysia Madani
A guiding framework or folly?
Anwar Ibrahim has followed previous prime ministers and verbally visualized “Malaysia Madani” as the new slogan for the government.
Mahathir Mohamed had his ‘Vision 2020” or ‘Wawasan 2020”, which reflected his eagerness for development. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi instigated ‘Islam Hadhari’, as a reflection of his vision of Malaysia, which he even tried to export to other Islamic countries. Najib Razak used ‘1Malaysia’ on everything from sundry stores, to cash hand-outs. Ismail Sabri had the advertising firm develop ‘Keluarga Malaysia’.
No doubt the new slogan will cost the government money to rip down and reprint stationary with ‘Malaysia Madani’. Slogans create a mini-industry for a few weeks. There will be the ‘Malaysia Madani’ introductions, and the ‘Malaysia Madani’ seminars and workshops with what will no doubt be promoted as a new ideology.
So what is ‘Malaysia Madani’?
The new slogan was used by Anwar earlier this week in a 2023 budget dialogue meeting. The work has its roots in Arabic (which hasn’t gone unnoticed in non-Malay circles), meaning city, indirectly referring to the City of Medina.
Madani according to the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka explains the meaning of the word as being developed in terms of thinking, spirituality, and materiality. (Once again there is no doubt local consultancy firms will be now working hard on developing Madani management modules).
Anwar has used the term madani to explain his vision of development.
Masyarakat Madani was a concept Anwar espoused as a balance between individual liberties and social stability.
Anwar has already laid the groundwork to put meaning behind the slogan. He published a book prior to the last general election outlining the philosophy.
Mao Zedong had his Red Book. Muammar Gaddafi had his Green Book, and Anwar Ibrahim has Malaysia Madani. In Anwar’s mind, there should be some legacy here. We will soon see a number of academic papers from local universities applying Malaysia Madani to many issues and problems.
What is not clear is whether the cabinet and component parties to the “unity coalition” have agreed to Malaysia Madani as the basis of all policy.
Institute Darul Ehsan Executive Director Ismail Yusop explains Malaysia Madani as a framework based upon six holistic and interconnected components, being a set of core values to live by and used as the foundation of a nation-state. These are;
1. Sustainability,
2. Wellbeing,
3. Creativity and innovation,
4. Respect,
5. Confidence, and
6. Courtesy.
This provides academics, along with consultants with lots of fodder to work with.
Predictably, on social media sceptics are having a field day. Comments like ‘another slogan’, ‘slogans don’t work’, to the more crude ‘Mad Anwar Ibrahim’, are coming through.
The consensus is that its good policy people want to see. Let’s see where Malaysia Madani goes from here.
This could be substantial. A replacement to the New Economic Policy (NEP), or just another slogan following a long line of previous slogans.
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Penerapan nilai nilai Islam dalam pentadbiran dan masyarakat since 1985 failed Malaysian society and the civil service big time.
Apa leluasa, ketrisan wang rakyat, korupsi, kleptokrasi and money laundering all by the Ahli Sunah Waljamaah, Sunni Islam, the largest branch of Islam in the world and in Malaysia.
Simply put, apply Islam in any form of governance, it will fail that governance, the country and its people.
The bottomline for Islam is its four doctrines of kafirisms institutionalized in 68% of our Quranic and Extra-Quranic texts, that divides mankind into just two groups, ‘kafirs’ and ‘Muslims‘.
That divides mankind, a nation and its people into just two distinct groups, forever in a state of perpetual attrition, of ‘them’ and ‘us’, forever clutching each other’s throats, forever killing one and the other.
Like idol worshiping Hindus and Muslims in India and also in the rest of the Muslim world, clutching each others’ throats and killing one and the other.
And among Muslims, we divide ourselves into those who differ in their understanding of Islam and those who professes that ‘true’ Islam, branding them the sectarian slur ‘takfiri’ as in Shiah Yemen and Sunni Saudi Arabia and also in the rest of the Muslim world, forever clutching each others’ throats and killing one and the other.
And then there is that yearning of that Quranic mandate, to achieve, that Allah’s promise of a Global Caliphate with Shariah, Hudud and the Quran as the world’s constitution.
Historically with subjugation, converting, dhimmihood and the rest of the recalcitrant ‘kafirs’ exterminated.
For a Daulah Islamiyah, where no religion nor adherent can be higher than Islam and Muslims.
It’s an ideology that’s supremacist to the core, that is opposed to our democratic status quo we are practising now and because it believes in the supremacy of one set of people to the exclusion of all others.
A repeat.
Where no religion and no adherent can be higher than Islam and Muslims.
Show me a mature ‘true’ Islam following all the tenets of the Quran, Hadiths, with Shariah and Hudud, not a pre-mature Islam nor one that melds with secularism, that is safe, peaceful, progressive, productive, where Muslim women who are the 50% potential of that Muslim country and the ‘kafirs’ those laknatullahs, cursed by Allah, are given an unfreterred place in their soceities.
Show me.
Malaysia Madani too will fail because, where is that touted Medina Charter or that ‘peaceful Islam’ applied anywhere in reality or the Muslim world then and now?
Where please?
During the Prophet’s time the Jews agitated and were kicked out, so that in itself is a failure of peaceful co-existence, for the Medina Charter itself.
Only a Slogan until the ontological basis for its newness is articulated.