By Ramanan Ramakrishnan

Most of our fears stem from ignorance. Awareness gives us the ability to deal with what is right before us. Education is power. But this is not the full story.

The Postnormal Times Theory demonstrates that we need to do more than just accumulate knowledge. AI, such as ChatGPT, can handle that aspect for us. And, every day we come across countless headlines and notifications and queries such as ‘did you hear about this?’ or ‘did you hear about that?’

No one can know all of it. And much of all these are lies anyway. That’s why we need to think critically about what we hear. We need to try to see what is happening from different perspectives and strive for more creative solutions to the problems of the day. Sometimes, we need to unlearn what was told to us in school.

Often times, the world moves so fast that the education system cannot keep pace, especially with how slow educational reform is. No one can address this alone, not me, not you, not even our Prime Minister.

Malaysian Move

We must take this on together. It needs to be a collective, Malaysian move, involving the whole society. In appreciating what we see in the ‘What Just Happened’ section, from post-truth, AI, genetic manipulation, to climate change, pandemics, and degrading governance, I see opportunities for us to come together in our communities and as a strong and united society, opposed to that which tears us apart.

We are just a month shy of the first anniversary of GE15. During that campaign, in the lead-up to that historic moment, I began to confirm an idea I’ve had in my mind for quite some time.

One that, until recently, I was having trouble putting succinctly into words. Some ideas are too great for words but over many conversations and much consideration, I have found that this idea is, in fact, rather simple.

We Malaysians have a deep, almost primordial fear. We are afraid of being the ‘Other’. As Malaysians, we are always filling out countless forms.

And there is nothing more alienating than to find that what you are isn’t on the form, you are forgotten. Grouped in with all the ‘others’ who lack definition.

We of the Indian community know this all too well. To be nameless and lost. To always be defined in terms of some ignorant and racist stereotype that always falls short of who we are. As our world grows more complex, more and more are also sharing this feeling. We are not alone.

Our Chinese brothers and sisters bear that same fear deep down. As do our Orang Asli and Bornean countrymen. In fact, this fear is also a deep terror in the hearts of Malays as well. It is a universal phenomenon.

Many promote and feed this fear for their own benefit, to drive unnecessary anger in the rakyat. Everyone is afraid of losing what they have in whatever access to power they wield. In a way, like the polar bear in the Exhibition, we are all united by our fear of extinction.

But while fear can be a great motivator, when used as a tool for nation-building the result is far too often failure. And this is where the genius of our Prime Minister shines brightest.

MADANI Values

The MADANI framework not only draws from values that the Prime Minister holds by himself or that he simply made up. They are not just Malay values or Islamic values. They are all our values. We just have to take ownership and give a fresh voice to these concepts.

One that embodies our rich diversity. The multitude of Indian worldviews paints a rich picture of the MADANI values. We put forward a variety of perspectives that uplift and enhance the ethical backbone of this nation.

Who knows compassion or care like the Indian community? We know the need for Respect and the power of building a lasting Trust between the people and society, amongst each other. Sustainability and Prosperity are not lost on us either.

MADANI, or SCRIPT as it is known in English, is not for one, but for all. MADANI is Indian. MADANI is Chinese. MADANI is Malay. MADANI is Dayak. MADANI is Malaysian. MADANI is for everyone. And in its future awareness and its acute appreciation of our postnormal times, it can unite Malaysia and take us further than we ever thought possible. It can save us.

PM’s Vision

The Prime Minister’s vision is the vision we all look to: a future where we no longer have to be afraid. We need not fear becoming some ‘other’. Only together can we get through these postnormal changes, characterised by complexity, contradictions and chaos, with the rough and tumble ahead. This outlook allows our future to be broad and limitless. And here no one need to be defined by stereotypes or other outdated notions.

We have the power to craft our own destinies. And then we will see our greatest desires come to pass, namely, that our children and future generations will be able to surpass our highest expectations, comfortable in their differences, knowing they live on the greatest nation on earth – Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA

Datuk Ramanan Ramakrishnan is the MP for Sungai Buloh and Chairman of the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra) Special Committee.