In Malaysia, the lack of practice of Malaysian values and the spirit of being a good Malaysian

especially amongst the younger generation have become recent issues.

Do you agree with this statement?

Discuss the challenges and give suggestions on how to implement the values among
Malaysian.

As the country’s economy advances and as our society becomes more affluent, courtesy, noble values
and ethics seem to be taking a back seat.

The family institution could be the first victim of economic progress, with children not getting enough
attention and guidance from their parents who are busy pursuing their careers, leading to the emergence
of various social ills among our teenagers.

Unless and until we succeed in boosting our social capital, no amount of economic development can
strengthen our social fabric. That is why it is important for Malaysia to balance rapid economic growth
with moral, ethical and societal values. These values are the bedrock of a civilized society.

Judging from the behavior and attitude of a large number of Malaysians today, I have serious
reservations about the effectiveness of our on-going campaign to promote courtesy among the people
and make it a way of life.

The negative behavior syndrome as reflected in problems like road bullying, breaking traffic rules,
littering and being disrespectful to the elderly has clearly proven that we are still far from being
courteous and polite.

The time has come for all strata of Malaysian society to ask whether they have done enough to ensure
the success of the national campaign to promote courtesy and noble values among Malaysians.

Based on my observations, courtesy, politeness, patience, humility, tolerance and respect have yet to
become our way of life.

A lot more remains to be done to inculcate these virtues among Malaysians, particularly the young
generation, today.
Many school children these days are not even prepared to say “thank you” when they are presented
with rewards in recognition of their achievements. Many do not seem to practice courtesy despite
learning it in school.

I have on several occasions given out certificates or awards to students to recognize their academic
achievements and, with the exception of a few, most of them just walked away without saying “thank
you”. They seem to take things for granted.

It is not unusual to see inconsiderate drivers obstructing yellow boxes on the roads and parking in areas
not designated for them, such as parking spots for the disabled and near fire hydrants; and people
littering in public places, vandalizing public property, jumping the queue and not saying “sorry” even
when mistakes are made.

Other discourteous behaviors include smoking in non-smoking areas, spitting in public and not giving
up seats to the elderly, disabled and pregnant women. The list can go on and on.

With the integration of digital technology in our daily lives, people have also become more self-
absorbed and not interested in those around them. Family members engrossed with their mobile phones
or tablets over family meals is a normal sight in restaurants and homes in Malaysia. Spending quality
time with the family has been overtaken by the need to constantly check their mobile devices, which is
bad manners at the table and can be considered rude.

Social media is an important tool to keep families, relationships and friendships closer in this digital
age. However, courtesy and respect for others are thrown out the window when some Malaysians
behind the keyboard spread malicious remarks, derogatory statements, slander and insults via social
media.

Having a campaign to promote courtesy and noble values is important but what is even more essential
is to put into practice in our daily life courtesy and the noble values we are promoting.

Leadership by example is essential for the success of the campaign. The civil service, for example,
should promote courtesy among counter staff dealing with the public. Basic civilities and courtesies
such as responding to calls and replying to letters from the public must be practiced by all those in
authority.
The success of any courtesy campaign must start from school where courtesies and noble values must
be taught. In this connection, Moral Education in school should be reinforced to emphasize the
importance of learning and practicing the 36 noble values.

Memorizing the 36 noble values for the sake of passing the subject is certainly not desirable. What we
want is for these noble values to be practiced in our daily life.

I believe that instilling good manners, moral and noble values should start at home and kindergarten
and reinforced in primary school. By the time children reach secondary school, the values they have
learned should be set in their mind.

Busy schedules should not be an excuse for parents not to inculcate basic moral values in their
offspring.

Children learn through observation and imitation. As parents are usually the role models for their
children, what parents should do is to practice courtesy and noble values as part of their daily lives.

That is why we need to strengthen the family institution as the core of a healthy and stable society in
the fight against social and moral decay. The power of the family is much greater and more meaningful
than the might of all the enforcement agencies we can muster to tackle social problems.

As a society, we should not be selfish and greedy or always pursuing material wealth. We have to build
communities imbued with a caring spirit, moral awareness and spiritual enlightenment.

Courtesy is more than saying “please” and “thank you”; it is about how we treat each person we meet
regardless of age, sex, race, background, religion or political creed.

This is especially relevant in the multi-ethnic society of Malaysia. In fact, we stand a much better
chance of getting problems and conflicts resolved when we are courteous, understanding and
treat people with respect.

There’s always so much one can learn by watching other countries closely. One of these things
is the way people behave in the society, which is what defines the term social manners or
etiquette. Here are 9 social manners that Malaysians are lacking and should adopt in the daily
lives to make the country a better place.

One of the biggest problems we have, as Malaysians, is to oversee the little gestures that can
make a huge difference to someone else. For example, keeping the door open at a public place
when someone is right behind you. It won’t cost us anything just to keep the door open so that
the person right behind us won’t have to open it again.

Have your ever rushed up an escalator only to be stopped by a person who’s standing still in
your track? Ideally in a better world, we should stand by the right side so that if people are in a
hurry, they can pass through on the left side. In Malaysia, we lack the escalator etiquette, don’t
you think?

When it comes to using public transportation, always remember to let the commuters get out of
the vehicles first. Otherwise, we’ll end up pushing our way in and those getting out will have to
push their way out. Situations like these can cause more congestion or even accidents.

One of the ways of being polite when travelling in public transports is to stand up and give our
seats to those, who need it the most such as the elderly and pregnant ladies. It doesn’t matter if
they thank you or not, what matters is you did the right thing.

It could be a fast food restaurant or a food court, the most decent way to end our meal is to put
away our food tray and used utensils. Think of it as a way to clean up after yourself.

As part of the manners, the most common words that parents teach their kids are “please” and
“thank you”. Somehow, we adults tend forget to use these words when needed. Remember,
saying either one of these words or both can make someone’s day better, especially if he or she
is having a bad day.

In Malaysia, we still find people who spit out of habit not thinking where they are. Spitting in
the public places is not just unhygienic, it is an unpleasant etiquette that dampens the
reputation of our society. If you need to spit, go to the washroom.
Did you know if you throw your cigarette butts on the floor, they eventually find their way to
the ocean and other water sheds? Not only that, carelessly discarding cigarette butts are also a
frequent cause of fires. Learn to throw your cigarette butts into designated bins.

Have you ever waited for a lift for so long only to find people who came later than you boarded
the lift first? Nobody likes the feeling of being queue-cut. Even though there’s no queue at the
lift, always remember to let the person waited before you to board the lift first.

Having the lessons in school will not be super effective if parents at home don’t behave in
an equitable manner towards their families, friends and neighbors.

Malaysia is very blessed as far as nature is concerned, in terms of plant life, wildlife, and natural
beauty. More importantly, from time immemorial, the beauty was also reflected in its people,
who were legendary for their gentle manners and charming politeness. The saying “Manners
Maketh The Man” has always been ingrained in local society in the form of gestures, manners of
address, and social interactions, which has infused a warm richness into the Malaysian psyche.

Unfortunately, it is becoming quite evident that that characteristic of gentility and politeness is
no longer the norm.

Elderly folk and pregnant women/mothers with children are often literally ignored in the LRT
trains; parents and children bickering and shouting at each other in public; selfish drivers
parking in handicapped spots when they are not supposed to; the exponential rise of bullying
in schools – we’ve all heard of such stories one way or another, either having experienced it in
person or hearing about it through various communicative means.

What could account for such a drop of social graces? Perhaps it is a tangible sense of unease
and simmering anger at what is happening on a daily basis. Nowadays, you will hardly see
Malaysians volunteering to help a total stranger in distress – because too many times, those
helping have become victims in turn due to unscrupulous brigands pretending to need help in
order to sting more victims. It really doesn’t help that authority figures, such as politicians and
the police chiefs, seem to be helpless and clueless to do anything about it, judging from the
amount of arrogant and self-centered statements that they have made in public.
The government is trying to combat this by introducing basic civil manners again in school,
which is supremely ironic considering that they were the ones who removed such niceties in
the first place. Moreover, having the lessons in school will not be super effective if parents at
home don’t behave in an equitable manner towards their families, friends and neighbors. This
is not to say that people should not stand up for their rights – but there is a whole world of
difference between how Bersih was done and how the Red Shirt Rally does things.

There is a Malay proverb that is translated thus: “When they die, tigers leave their stripes;
elephants leave their tusks; and humans leave their good name” – and parents need to
realize that courtesy begins at home. Setting a good example of civility will certainly make life
so much better – so let’s all chip in and start behaving well like how they used to in the old
days. Please?