Dr Mahathir’s Vision 2020, stressed the importance of a developed mindset among the community. For all the economic and political development that we have enjoyed since then, the more important—and potent—underlying development, i.e., that of the Malaysian mindset, remains largely unattended to.
The Northeast Malaysia Forum believes that, in order to change our politics or institutions, we must first learn to change our mindsets – to create a Malaysia 2.0 from the inside out. We propose a new sort of forum, one where we come together to learn, to discuss, and most importantly, to arrive at common agreement. Our diversity is undoubtedly a great strength, but in recent past, it has threatened to tear us apart. As a new generation of Malaysians, we must learn to harness our strength in diversity, and yet stand together in agreement against a fast-changing world.
How do we arrive at agreement?
A Malaysian 2.0 is:
- Engaging: A discourse open to all, welcoming of different perspectives and one that encourages the voicing of opinions. The underlying belief: it is better to engage in dialogue and to seek a common ground for all, than to remain in apathy.
- Empathetic: The best understandings take place not just on an intellectual level, but also on a human level, when participants can step inside each other’s shoes and recognize not only the thoughts, but also the values and feelings of others. We actively seek this form of understanding between our participants.
- Effective: A discourse that is both empathetic and engaging should ideally result in collective action, building off what everyone can agree on. The true value of discourse comes when the many, as opposed to the one, can act on common understanding to arrive at win-win solutions for all parties involved.
The Northeast Malaysia Forum 2009 will be a learning experience. Here, we simulate the interactions of a community of developed Malaysian 2.0 minds.
At the end of the day, what is all this for?
Our theme for 2009 is ReVision 2020: Malaysia 2.0. As the new generation of Malaysians, our goal for NMF 2009 is to agree on a new, common Vision. The VisionWiki, edited and contributed to by NMF participants all over the world, will be our combined creation. It will be a collective individual pledge, which we can hold as a shared foundation upon which to continue building our country.
We invite you to join us. Register here for NMF 2009.