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By Toman Mamora
KUCHING –Information and interaction of ideas must prevail in societal relationships in order to generate healthy debate on issues affecting the society, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud
He said conscious efforts must be made to ensure that the people would be better informed of changes as much as the Government would be expected to be more receptive and open to criticisms and suggestions.
Datuk Patinggi Taib was delivering his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly here yesterday.
He called on the legislators to be more articulate and vocal by going to the ground and explaining the government policies to the people. He stressed that such a move was an integral part of the process of educating a society that was undergoing transformation.
“ Legislators need to go down more often to the people to explain the basic concepts of development and social adjustment in order to bring them to our level of understanding of public affairs”, said Datuk Patinggi Taib.
Stressing that there was more to the role of legislators than just airing the people’s grievances and granting projects, he said: “ They should play the role of a friend, a teacher and a communicator to the people.”
By doing so, they would be able to impart ideas and resolve conflicting views and in the process allow the people to make conscious effort to adapt to changing situations.
“ Such a change will make people disoriented unless we can make them feel the change is a natural process if they desire greater progress”, he said, adding that self-discipline was a necessary prerequisite to facilitate meaningful transformation.
He also spoke of the need to reach out more effectively to the younger generation so that they would not consider themselves as being marginalised in the face of transformation. According to Datuk Patinggi Taib, the results of the recent parliamentary election had brought to light a worrying gap between the delivery of information and delivery of projects.
“Although the Government has done much more in recent years, the people did not feel they have received enough”, he said of the rising expectations of the younger generation.
Indeed, despite the numerous legislation, ranging from Bills pertaining to the environment to that designed to enhance protection of public health, which had been passed by the State legislative Assembly in recent times to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people, the social palate of the younger generation seems to be insatiable.
He warned that the spirit of the young people posed a big challenge to those involved in policy formulation and programme implementation, as it “ represents a desire to move fast, have more say in the decision-making process, and achieve what they crave for in the shortest possible time.”
Of the young people, Datuk Patinggi Taib said: “ They are going to be the thermometer by which we are going to build a more progressive Malaysia. They are the ones who will be more swayed by CNN, Hollywood, global advertising and the internet and are likely to reiterate foreign views rather that of our country.”
In coping with the process of transformation and rising expectations of the people, more attention will have to be paid to defining the country’s concept of democracy wherein greater opportunity for debate will be availed in order to accommodate the wishes of the younger generation.
“However, democracy is a social machinery and it can be maintained if it has sufficiently strong foundation in our social structure. Otherwise, democracy becomes the privilege of a few”, added the Chief Minister.
The swaying of democracy, he cautioned, was not conducive for a country which was still struggling to build its economy as it would hamper the Government from developing long-term policies.
Hence, basic to the effective operation of democracy is the need to build and maintain a strong social and political foundation and it will remain so as the country moves into the new millennium. In the case of Sarawak, the maintenance of harmony among all races and unity in the political framework underpins all social and economic efforts.
On the result of the parliamentary election, Datuk Patinggi Taib said the two-thirds majority secured by the Barisan Nasional would enable the ruling coalition to chart long-term policies in consonance with the existing social structure of the society
He was optimistic, given the continuity of leadership in the Federal Government following the recent election, that Malaysia would be able to embark on the new millennium on a healthy and positive note. “It is a leadership that has survived the test of time and the people must be commended for their steady support”, he added.
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