Madani is "Ekonomi Rakyat", not Madanon

The nomination date for the unnecessary six state election will be this Saturday, July 29th and polling will be on August 12th. 

Contrary to the claim by political soothsayers linked to Tun Dr Mahathir, Tun Daim, Perikatan Nasional and sympathisers, the election result is unlikely to change the  federal government. 

More so, should the outcome is a status quo 3-3 for Unity Government and Perikatan Nasional. Thus it is high time to bury the confusion created by PN to question the legitimacy of the Unity Government and refer it as Madani government. 

Since there were no clear winner for GE15, the multi-coalition government had to forego their 2022 election manifesto. Madani plan was concocted and the joint effort is more reflective of the peoples' hope than drastic cut in petrol prices. 

Today, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim unveiled the country's economic direction as the theme "Madani Economy: Empowering the people". 

It presented Madani as a serious effort to change for the better than the meaningless Madanon labeling on social media which is a pun on Anwar's nicname.  

The LIVE video and NST report below:

Madani Economy: Seven benchmarks to be achieved in next 10 years

By Adib Povera, Asila Jalil - July 27, 2023 @ 10:05am

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today outlined the country's economic direction when he unveiled the "Madani Economy: Empowering the People".

Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said there are seven benchmarks to be achieved by the country within the next 10 years following the launching of the blueprint.

The seven benchmarks include transforming Malaysia into the top 30 largest economies around the world and placing the country in the top 12 of the Global Competitiveness Index.

Other benchmarks outlined in the blueprint were increasing women's participation in the country's workforce to 60 per cent, placing the country as the top 25 nations in the world in the Corruption Perception Index and boosting the nation's fiscal strength with fiscal deficit of three per cent or lower.

"The Madani Economy: Empowering the People will be the master plan for several other policies that will be announced later including the National Energy Transition Roadmap and the mid-term review of the 12th Malaysia Plan," he said.

Concept

More news report and promotion material will be forthcoming to explain the plan. 

Though the concept of Madani is coming through, generally Malaysians are still unclear of Madani.

Generally, Madani is assumed as merely another sloganeering or conceptual idea which is perceived as being no different than 1Malaysia or Selamatkan Malaysia or Keluarga Malaysia. It is brushed in the same stroke as business as usual. 

No fault of their. Apparently, there are segments within the current administration still unclear with Madani. 

There are quarters viewing it as another Arab sounding ideology more inclined to Islamic state, especially with the term Piagam Madinah being bandied around. 

There is also the view that it is a liberalism philosophy for Civil Society as promoted by European philosophers such as Rousseau and John Locke.

Lets leave it to the hair-splitting academics and perhaps theologian to refine it. 

ESG

The viability of any slogan lies with its practicality. The practical side of 1Malaysia is "rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan", which emulated a Japanese slogan.

For all intended purpose, Madani is similar to the ESG or the environmental, social and governance framework used to assess  organisation and business on the organisational, practices and performance on various sustainability and ethical issues. 

The E for environment looks within the scope of climate change, natural capital, pollution & waste, and environmental opportunities. S for social from the perspective of human capital, product liability, stakeholder opposition and social opportunities. And, G for governance for corporate governance and corporate behaviour. 

Gone are the days of business for business sake mindset. ESG measures the operational risk and opportunity of organisations and businesses from sustainability and ethical perspective. 

For Malaysia, no more the hit and run attitude in business and development projects that end up becoming later days legacy problems for government and society.

Madani is an empowering vision and policy framework for a better Malaysia with sustainability and prosperity in mind together with accompanying values for care and compassion, mutual respect, innovation and trust.  

Both Madani and ESG has the similar goals. The bonus is Malaysia can look to tap at the prospective global funds for ESG compliance investment which can run up to the tune of US$80 trillion by 2026.

Till the intellectuals is sort out through their bon-conclusive discourses, paper presentations, academic journals etc,   the rest can move on to the comfort that Madani is ethnic and faith neutral.

It should be acceptable and inclusive to all while the explosive issues on status of Islam, Malay special rights and non-Bumiputera rights i1k0n the constitution remain unperturbed.

100 days delivery

The public response to Anwar Ibrahim's 7 months is that they liked the narrative for reform and combating corruption. They could see his efforts in that direction. 

But they still need to feel it. 

Unlike Anwar, previous Prime Ministers makes it a point to deliver or at least shout loud enough that they delivered something within the first 100 days. 

They did deliver all or part of the 100 days promise, but subsequently screwed up the country structurally over the next 22 months. 

#KerajaanGagal PN resorted to imprisoning the citizens over 18 months to stay in power. While, the remain of PN government had a dimwit puppet as Prime Minister. 

Actually Anwar did delivered something.

His communication could not promote it enough. The dimwit's officer cleaned up the media budget that Anwar's efforts were not well publicised. 

Thus the new comms team need to explain well the initiatives announced and the Madani plan well. 

Forget the confusing philosophy behind Madani. Just answer what deliverables rakyat can hope and get. 

Put it in the context of the new global standard and demand for ESG. Remind also it is not handouts, but what can be achieved by the effort to seize the opportunities and a more level playing field ahead.