At 25 January 2019, there was a seminar held in University Tunku Abdul Rahman(UTAR), Sungai Long campus, KB-105 in block B and start by 10am. The title of the seminar also the launch of the book named “Value to Bind and Build: A Reflection”.
The author of the book, YBhg. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Tan Chong Tin, was invited to give a speech to the audience about his book. This book is about the ethnic relation in Malaysia, there is need for intellectuals of different communities to build common ground as a foundation to ethnic harmony and nation building. About the ethnic relationship in Malaysia, they have been analyzed from different perspectives, like culture, law, political and history.
Dato’ Dr. Tan Chong Tin said that one of the solutions is the paradigm shift to focus on needs for recognition and dignity. The key to grasping the psychological drive to ethnic harmony was to respect the role of “identity”, “collective self-esteem” and “dignity”. About his own personal appreciation of the collective identity and dignity is the field of epilepsy, where patients with epilepsy suffer far more from stigma, rather than the direct effect of epileptic convulsion. This was similar to understand the modern history nowadays, people need to appreciate the enormous in influenced by identity, collective self-esteem or ethnic and national dignity which would lead to the development of nationalism.
“New Economic Policy” (NEP), is the most important national policy to achieve ethnic harmony since the 1969’s racial riots in Malaysia. NEP is built on the foundation that correct of national harmony cannot be achieved without ethnic equality. There is enormous growth of the Bumiputera professionals and middle class in the last fifty years, the ethnic tension has worsened.
Secondly, Dr Tan also said that the dignity based on being recognized as competent. The neglected value was included the quality of education and English competency. The strong work ethic to be similarly as successful economically. All of the ethnic groups must develop and nature good work ethic, as ultimately work ethics determines economic productivity. The second is openness, the best example is China. The history of decline and rise of China has demonstrated the importance of openness as another key to economic competitiveness. A comprehensive approach to openness should include open-mindedness, the receptiveness to better ideas and willingness to adopt the best which is a meritocracy. The third neglected value is freedom, which is essential for nurturing of competence, creativity and maturity. One of the example that lack of freedom would result in loss of creativity is reflected in the low number of publication in the Arab world today. Pakistan American N Quereshi on authority: “Islamic cultures tend to establish people of high status as authorities, whereas the authority in Western culture is reason itself. When authority is derived from the position rather than reason, the act of questioning leadership is dangerous...”.
The next was about the dignity of being recognized as good. Dr. Tan want to develop the theme that the core of a man’s self-esteem is ultimately moral. In Maslow’s hierarchy of human need, there has three level which the lowest level is physiological, the next is psychological and the highest level is about moral, such as truth, justice, goodness, perfection and meaningful. Dr. Tan give two example that was a fundamental issue in Malaysian life which include affirmative action policy and also the public space. Affirmative action policy is formerly a policy that to achieve social harmony. The underlying reasoning is that to have long term peace, a society should be the same or minimize the inequality of society. About the public space, the difference racial would have different faith share, it would be of help to emphasize for learning how to differentiate.
Lastly was the needs of our individual differences or identities to be respected. It was about enhancing competence and goodness to strengthen ethnic self-esteem and dignity. In Malaysia, which is the country that multi-ethnic and multi-culture, whilst the historical Malay polity should be recognized, it is essential to accept and respect the identities of the minorities, including the language and culture. The identity of Chinese is rooted in a long history of civilization, preserved and transmitted by an idiographic script. The insistence of the Malaysian Chinese community on its vernacular schools is based on the need to learn the complicated language.
In conclusion, people should have a paradigm shift to how we work at achieving ethnic harmony and change the perspective that looks at each other. No matter who you are, we are all people driven by emotions. The needs of emotional are the first to be recognized as competent and good, capable and want to contribute equally to the common goods, and our identities to be respected. This is the foundation of ethnic dignity that is the point to ethnic harmony.
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