The change in Malaysia Madani is energically driven by Anwar

JAKARTA: An Indonesian analyst expressed admiration for the energetic leadership of 76-year-old Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in driving a dramatic transformation in the country through Malaysia Madani.

N. Syamsuddin Ch. Haesy analysed how Anwar, as the 10th Prime Minister, took bold steps in his first year and made strides in building trust and gaining support from all stakeholders.

In his article, ‘One Year of PMX Anwar Ibrahim Expanding the Civil Vision of Malaysia,‘ published on AkarpadiNews.com, he wrote Anwar’s manifestation of the process involves active communication, transparent work processes, and empowering the team. These elements, as per Syamsuddin, played a crucial role in achieving rapid success in the early days of Anwar’s administration.

Syamsuddin is a political and cultural observer in Malaysia, also serving as the Secretary-General of the Ikatan Setikawan Wartawan Malaysia Indonesia (ISWAMI) in Indonesia.

The announcement of Malaysia Madani 80 days after assuming office reminded Syamsuddin of an event in Jakarta where Anwar was the first figure to translate ‘masyarakat madani’ (civil society) as such in 1995.

Malaysia Madani is referred to as a modern, democratic, and inclusive society where the values of religion and national culture evolve alongside the development of science, technology, creativity, innovation, and ecosystems.

Malaysia Madani

Syamsuddin perceives Malaysia Madani as an advanced nation that promotes global unity, equality, prosperity, humanitarian governance, and a shift towards serving the people rather than political power, with democracy aimed at national harmony.

It represents a national policy that goes beyond economic development based on ‘humanity’ – governance that fulfills the demands of justice based on values that encourage sympathy, empathy, appreciation, mutual respect, and compassion among humans.

This, in turn, reflects etiquette and language skills, including the mastery of ethics in politics, economics, society, and cultural civilisation.

“Moving Malaysia Madani forward requires a rapid shift in national thinking from narrow nationalism to global nationalism, as well as hard work through synergy among all elements of the nation, building trust between the government and the people, and implementing effective governance policies,“ he explained.

Embrace strategic growth and responsive governance

He also stated that Anwar strategically laid the foundation for sustainable growth and excellence, as evidenced by the 2024 Budget. Anwar responded firmly to opposition criticism in the Parliament, addressing government initiatives and improving governance and development programs.

Internally, he prioritised building a competent and strong team in his government, focusing on talent management and enhancing human resource governance. Despite facing political challenges, he remains optimistic about realising the vision of Malaysia Madani and encourages collective participation in shaping a new national vision.

“Anwar shifted the focus from ‘programme-centric’ to ‘people-centric’ and clearly understands the needs of the people, addressing opposition concerns and aligning government policies,“ added Syamsuddin.

Complex global challenges

A year into the government, Syamsuddin stated that Anwar is not only facing domestic political challenges, as a result of the logic of the formation of the Unity Government, a coalition between Pakatan Harapan and UMNO-Barisan Nasional.

Anwar faces the challenges in the midst of a rapid change from the script era to the digital era: the era of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things.

He also faced global political and economic dynamics in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, including world political instability due to the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas conflict, which triggered crimes against humanity.

Anwar also has to navigate the shift in geopolitical and geo-economic orientation from America-Europe to Asia-Pacific and China’s gambit in the Asian region which significantly affects Southeast Asia, Syamsuddin wrote. – Bernama