The meanings and\ngoals of development in Malaysia since independence has understandably been\nfocusing on the socio-economic domains of the nation, and indeed, it has seen millions\nof Malaysians now living in an improved material conditions than the generations\nbefore them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To his credit,\nTun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in his formulation of Vision 2020 sought to expand on\nthe meaning of development to include also the spiritual, psychological, and\ncultural dimensions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is worthwhile however, for us to revisit the conceptual root of the\nterm \u201cdevelopment\u201d with the aim of possibly offering a more coherent vision of\ndevelopment for the present context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The earliest usage of the term in public debates perhaps began in 1902,\nwhen it was referred as a \u201cstate of economic advancement.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the leading figures to articulate the meaning of \u201cdevelopment\u201d in\npost-World War II was the Swedish Nobel Prize Winner, Gunnar Myrdal. He argues\ndevelopment involves changes to a society in the direction of modernization ideals\nbut his conception is limited only to the material aspects of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a lesser known economist who was a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 to the famed\neconomist John Maynard Keynes by the name of E.F Schumacher whose\ninterpretation on development is compelling. Schumacher emphasizes for greater\nattention to the inner development of a people to give meaning to the material\ndevelopment by drawing from the wisdom of world religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1999, Amartya Sen had extended the contemporary meaning of\n\u201cdevelopment\u201d by linking it to the idea of expansion of human freedom such as\nfrom famine and malnutrition, poverty and premature mortality. But again, these\nquestions remain within the confines of material aspects of life although not\nobjectionable in the worldview of world religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the 21st<\/sup> century however, the only construct related to\ndevelopment that has held sway in the international community is \u201cSustainable\nDevelopment\u201d. Although it conveys real concern and care\nfor the environment, yet at the same time it is silent on the question of inner\ndevelopment that the likes of E.F Schumacher and other thinkers draw our\nattention to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It must be\nremembered that in Malaysia, eight out of its thirteen states possess Islamic\nhonorifics (\u201cDar al-Ihsan (Abode of Excellence)\u201d, \u201cDar al-Ta\u2019zim (Abode of\nDignity)\u201d, \u201cDar al-Makmur (Abode of Prosperity)\u201d, \u201cDar al-Ri\u1e0dw\u0101n (Abode of\nGrace)\u201d, \u201cDar al-Iman (Abode of Faith)\u201d, \u201cDar al-Aman (Abode of Peace)\u201d, and\n\u201cDar al-Na\u2019im (Abode of Bliss)\u201d), reflecting the aspirations that these states\noriginally sought to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same\ntime, Malaysia is a microcosmic representation of the world in terms of the\npresence of great religions. Therefore it is imperative that we draw from the\ngreat wisdom in these religions and philosophical traditions to mould our\nnation\u2019s development vision and plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The proposal\ngiven by YM Tan Sri Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas to Tun Ghazali\nShafie in the 70s when he was Minister of Home Affairs remains relevant: guidance for our future must be sought from\nour own sources of wisdom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Certainly, not\nall the values of Western culture are undesirable, but in order to discern\nthat, it is imperative that our thoughts are informed by the ideas and values\nof the religious and philosophical tradition of Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to move away from an uncritical conception of modernization, and\nadopt a more coherent framework that\ngives greater attention to the question of \u2018tranquility of the human soul\u2019 or\n\u2018happiness\u2019 \u2013 consistent with the values of the religious and philosophical\ntradition of Asia in formulating our vision of development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Failure to do so will lead to what Wan Mohd\nNor Wan Daud explains in his Pembangunan\ndi Malaysia: Ke Arah Satu Kefahaman Baru yang Lebih Sempurna<\/em> (ISTAC, 2001),\nas \u201czero-sum development\u201d wherein the material aspects of development are\nhampered by the inner aspects of nation such as cultural bankruptcy, or the\ngeneral decline in the quality of thoughts of the people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We should elaborate our own framework of\nhappiness to better guide public policies in light of the 4th\nIndustrial Revolution. Happiness in our vision should not refer to merely a\nconvenient life due to technological advancement, nor a life of riches or\nleisure, but it is a life of dignified living; a life where wants are\ndiminished and needs are satisfied; a life where the self is in harmony with\nthe environment; and a life that is guided and inspired by higher moral and\nspiritual ideals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The religious\ninstitutions of the country under the leadership of the Malay Rulerscould further play a profound role for\nthe nation\u2019s inner development, and contribute to the Circle of Justice as\nexpressed by Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406) and leading Ottoman intellectuals in the\npast:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe world is a\ngarden the fence of which is the dynasty. The dynasty is an authority through\nwhich life is given to proper behaviour. Proper behaviour is a policy directed\nby the ruler. The ruler is an institution supported by the soldiers. The\nsoldiers are helpers who are maintained by wealth. Wealth is sustenance brought\ntogether by the subjects. The subjects are servants who are protected by\njustice. Justice is something harmonious, and through it the world persists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as cultural\ninstitutions are concerned, perhaps one could suggest that the Royal Museum in Jalan\nIstana Kuala Lumpur be converted into a comprehensive scholastic library. This\nscholastic library would assemble rare and treasured books, manuscripts and artefacts.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such a library\nwill not only benefit Malaysia in terms of providing a stronger base of research\nthat can position Malaysia as a leading scholastic hub in the region, but also\ninform more enlightened policy-making for the inner development of the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, our Islamic and Asian values and traditions should not be\npreserved only for the sake of nostalgia, but should be treasured as a cultural\ncapital that could supply us with abundant intellectual and spiritual resources\nto serve as a compass and driving force\nin maneuvering through this volatile and complex era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we are successful in this, not only will we be able to ensure our\nsurvival, but we could also inform and\neven lead the Western world to regain their grounding in the true understanding\nof man and his reality, thus ensuring deeper, more meaningful collaboration and\nmutual cooperation. Malaysia can be a\ncatalyst for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The meanings and goals of development in Malaysia since independence has understandably been focusing on the socio-economic domains of the nation, and indeed, it has seen millions of Malaysians now living in an improved material conditions than the generations before them. To his credit, Tun Dr. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[232],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bernama","category-232","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24838\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}