Penang will promote freedom, build human talent and deliver good governance to keep the promise of the Malaysian Dream. The Malaysian Dream is not just simply about escaping the middle-income trap to become a high-income economy of a per capita GDP of US$15,000.
The Malaysian Dream is about the rakyat not about the government or its leaders. The Malaysian dream enables everyone to acquire a reasonable standard of living if they work hard, to live with dignity as a citizen with basic human rights, treated equally under rule of law, to enjoy sustainable development that protects the environment, provide equal opportunities in education, employment and resources for themselves and their children and most importantly gives hope of a brighter future for all.
One year after the 13th General Elections filled with so much hope of a brighter future for our children Malaysia appears caught in a time-trap of lies surrounded by a “conspiracy of silence,”. The atmosphere is skin to what the poet Czeslaw Milosz’s described as, where “one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”
It is easy to lose hope when racism and religious extremism is directed towards minorities, and when the language or hate and violence overwhelms words of compassion and respect. However we should not give up on fighting corruption, a compromised civil service, a cowed press, and where cronies bankroll the ruling BN Federal government to pursue their private interests.
We must not lose our forward momentum towards a rules-based democracy. The rakyat must speak their minds even if truth sounds like a pistol shot, and shape their own and their children’s futures. Public integrity, social justice, economic prosperity, democratic accountability, religious harmony and peace – all this is achievable provided we focus on values that unite us and trust those who share in the supremacy of the Federal Constitution.
Nothing is more important than education which is our lifeboat to the future. Not only can it reduce income inequality, it can provide social mobility and economic opportunity to all. Only a sound education foundation can provide ladders of opportunity and escalators to mobility. The Penang state government is adopting a 3-prong approach towards strengthening our education system:-
- Giving annual funding to existing half-funded vernacular and religious schools;
- Building Learning centers that focus of STEM teaching of science, technology, English and Mathematics; and
- Attracting world class universities as well as adopting the German vocational school system within multi-national corporations.
These are huge challenges and success is yet uncertain. But we must be willing to try and invest in education. For only when we boldly invest in the future then can we win the future.