On 25th January 2019, we were treated to an interesting lecture by YBhg Prof Dato’ Dr Tan Chong Tin. It's was regarding his new book Values to Bind and Build: A Reflection. this book takes a new and refreshing dive into the racial dynamics of our country. Race relations are always a hot issues in any country, more so in a multi ethnic nation like Malaysia. although we thing that in 62 years we have come far in terms of race harmony, events like the recent Seafield Mariamman temple riot prove how volatile things actually are. Although these events are anomalies in an otherwise "peaceful" Malaysia, they still should be paid attention to.
Dr Tan, says one of the main driving force of ethnic relations and its harmony can be boiled down to psychological drives. Being a neurologist for the better part of his life, Dr Tan, made an interesting observation. He sees that patients who suffer epilepsy, suffer far more from stigma related to the condition, than the onset implications of the illness itself. This is what made him come up with the idea of the psyscological drives of ethnic harmony which are ethnic identity, self esteem. and ethnic dignity. In regards to Malaysia, the popular narrative is that, we must embrace unity through our shared identity as Malaysians. Taking pride in your birth culture and identity is always taken as a sign of unwillingness to assimilate. Dr Tan, says that ethnicities must be allowed to keep their identities. Identity is very important to a human being. To strip that away, is to deny them basic rights of existing. Allowing people to express their identities, will reflect onto national harmony. This is largely due to the fact that this allows people to find similarities in their key differences and this will forge a stronger bond of unity among citizens.
Self-esteem is an individual's overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth. It's basically how much a person values themselves. It is a major component on ethnic harmony. Self esteem, gives people a drive to do things, a need and want to belong in society. This is largely due to the fact that a person will low self esteem will have emotional problems and might eventually react adversely. They might retaliate in ways that they feel is justified because of their self worth.
Ethnic dignity is basically the apparent reputation and social standing of an ethnicity in a society. How does the society view the ehtnicity and their contributions? Esteem and dignity are one of the higher tiers of Maslow's hierarchy of need. the need to be respected and viewed as a an essential part of society is crucial to maintain ethnic stability. This was one of the driving force of the May 16th tragedy that befell our nation. The Malays felt insecure and humiliated that in their own country, they were economically backward. This tension eventually spilled over after the 1969 election and riots broke out in our country. That was the birth of the hastily designed New Economic Policy (NEP) which 50 years on still doesn't completely work. The way to maintain ethnic dignities is through competence.
There are several ways to develop competency. One of it is strong work ethic. People must be willing to work for their success. Things like punctuality, hard work, and commitment are things that are encompassed in a strong work ethic. Besides that, openness is a key factor in competency. The willingness to learn and explore paradigms and experiences besides one's own, will enrich their world view. This will make them a more rounded individual armed with an arsenal of perspectives and thoughts on the things around them, thus birthing a more competent individual.. Lastly, freedom is also an essential part of competency. The freedom to express oneself is highly beneficial in creating competence.
Dr Tan also made emphasis on goodness. How that our identity, self esteem, and ethnic dignity all depends on the moral compass that we have. The more morally right things we do, it increases our self esteem, makes carry ourselves with dignity and this eventually becomes our identity. Goodness can generally be cultivated by how we approach things, Joseph Nye a famous political scientist came up with a theory of soft power. This in essence re-imagines how we approach things. It's the ability to co-opt instead of coercing. this is how we deal with our differences in this day and age. Aggressive calls for assimilation is going to bring and change. A more diplomatic approach is needed to prevent radicalization of any ethnicities. A disregard for soft power in regards to handling the issue of so called "Islamic" terrorists, has led to a world wide epidemic of idiotic Islamophobia which has nothing but detrimental effects on global harmony.
All in all, Dr Tan's lecture is a very interesting one and is much needed in today's society. Ethnic relations has and always will be a major concern for a country like Malaysia. We need to tread lightly but bravely in order to foster better ethnic relation.
Dr Tan, says one of the main driving force of ethnic relations and its harmony can be boiled down to psychological drives. Being a neurologist for the better part of his life, Dr Tan, made an interesting observation. He sees that patients who suffer epilepsy, suffer far more from stigma related to the condition, than the onset implications of the illness itself. This is what made him come up with the idea of the psyscological drives of ethnic harmony which are ethnic identity, self esteem. and ethnic dignity. In regards to Malaysia, the popular narrative is that, we must embrace unity through our shared identity as Malaysians. Taking pride in your birth culture and identity is always taken as a sign of unwillingness to assimilate. Dr Tan, says that ethnicities must be allowed to keep their identities. Identity is very important to a human being. To strip that away, is to deny them basic rights of existing. Allowing people to express their identities, will reflect onto national harmony. This is largely due to the fact that this allows people to find similarities in their key differences and this will forge a stronger bond of unity among citizens.
Self-esteem is an individual's overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth. It's basically how much a person values themselves. It is a major component on ethnic harmony. Self esteem, gives people a drive to do things, a need and want to belong in society. This is largely due to the fact that a person will low self esteem will have emotional problems and might eventually react adversely. They might retaliate in ways that they feel is justified because of their self worth.
Ethnic dignity is basically the apparent reputation and social standing of an ethnicity in a society. How does the society view the ehtnicity and their contributions? Esteem and dignity are one of the higher tiers of Maslow's hierarchy of need. the need to be respected and viewed as a an essential part of society is crucial to maintain ethnic stability. This was one of the driving force of the May 16th tragedy that befell our nation. The Malays felt insecure and humiliated that in their own country, they were economically backward. This tension eventually spilled over after the 1969 election and riots broke out in our country. That was the birth of the hastily designed New Economic Policy (NEP) which 50 years on still doesn't completely work. The way to maintain ethnic dignities is through competence.
There are several ways to develop competency. One of it is strong work ethic. People must be willing to work for their success. Things like punctuality, hard work, and commitment are things that are encompassed in a strong work ethic. Besides that, openness is a key factor in competency. The willingness to learn and explore paradigms and experiences besides one's own, will enrich their world view. This will make them a more rounded individual armed with an arsenal of perspectives and thoughts on the things around them, thus birthing a more competent individual.. Lastly, freedom is also an essential part of competency. The freedom to express oneself is highly beneficial in creating competence.
Dr Tan also made emphasis on goodness. How that our identity, self esteem, and ethnic dignity all depends on the moral compass that we have. The more morally right things we do, it increases our self esteem, makes carry ourselves with dignity and this eventually becomes our identity. Goodness can generally be cultivated by how we approach things, Joseph Nye a famous political scientist came up with a theory of soft power. This in essence re-imagines how we approach things. It's the ability to co-opt instead of coercing. this is how we deal with our differences in this day and age. Aggressive calls for assimilation is going to bring and change. A more diplomatic approach is needed to prevent radicalization of any ethnicities. A disregard for soft power in regards to handling the issue of so called "Islamic" terrorists, has led to a world wide epidemic of idiotic Islamophobia which has nothing but detrimental effects on global harmony.
All in all, Dr Tan's lecture is a very interesting one and is much needed in today's society. Ethnic relations has and always will be a major concern for a country like Malaysia. We need to tread lightly but bravely in order to foster better ethnic relation.
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