The idea of 100 days administration is a new idea actually which I proposed the idea for my administration, and this idea will be applied without putting aside the ideas of Wawasan 2020 that have been introduced before. I still remember when Pak Lah introduced about the concept of Islam Hadhari, then 1Malaysia by DS Najib Tun Razak, where I had the chance to participate along in the Putrajaya arena to make it succeed just for the sake of our nation.
In 2018, when PH took over the administration of the country, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad presented the idea of New Malaysia or in malay “Malaysia Baharu”. During at that time I was assigned by the department to give a speech about the concept of “Malaysia Baharu” and even write about it because there are no officer at that time dared to do so. The reason why I am brave enough to do so is just because I focus for the nation rather than politics itself.
The New Malaysia idea aims to restart a progressive and visionary movement by implementing new tactics in order to achieve the objective of making Malaysia a great and respected country. There are some changes have been implemented, for the example the freedom of speech which that may create tension and uneasiness among the multiethnic population. During this time, the term of “Bangsa Malaysia” become a hot debate in social media because there are nation-building issues, such as wrong display of the flags, whether intentional or otherwise which has led to the questioning of loyalty and patriotism. In this situation, naturally I’ll bring up the topic of nation-building and instilling patriotism among people.
Similarly, when TS Muhyiddin Yassin led the country with the concept of “Malaysia Prihatin”. Today, I do the same thing through the concept of the “Keluarga Malaysia”. The concept of the “Keluarga Malaysia” must include Malaysians’ basics, such as respect and affection for one another that crosses religion, ethnicity, colour, and state boundaries. Moreover, the history of the country must be respected because patriotism cannot be develop strong enough without firsthand knowledge of the joys and sorrows in constructing a country. Love for the country must be one, and that is for Malaysia only.
Ismail Sabri, Jokowi Malaysia?
Actually, in 100 days of the administration of DS Ismail Sabri as the 9th Prime Minister, I see a persistence and not even a conflict or hatred. This is because I don’t perceive any conflict or hatred with any prior prime minister in Ismail Sabri’s political ideology and administration in Putrajaya.
Many people do not know that Ismail Sabri never aimed of becoming the Prime Minister, in fact he once stated that a pension as a Minister is more than enough. On the other hand, it is shows us a best example which Man’s plan is not the same as what God’s has design it. Surely God will give the best to our country and to the people at the appropriate moment. Let us be thankful to Allah SWT because during the times of political uncertainty, Allah has given our country a leader who is suitable for the country’s circumstances.
I feel willing to keep you updated on what’s going on in Putrajaya. First and foremost, I could said that DS Ismail Sabri is a kind and morally person and not a hateful, angry, or immoral individual as people think. That can be prove during the day before he was chosen as Prime Minister, he was willing to meet and listen to the top leaders of UMNO, BERSATU, PAS, and even court DAP, PKR, AMANAH, and other parties by presenting our government’s, country’s, and people’s ideas. Finally, on the night of August 20, 2021, the government was created in the midst of severe struggle.
From that its shows that, there is no need to wait for 100 days because Ismail Sabri’s first day and first weeks were a huge success. The Federal administration and the opposition Pakatan Harapan agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Transformation and Political Stability on September 13, 2021, which began a new chapter in Malaysian history. No Prime Minister has ever succeeded in achieving the achievement of this gentlemen’s agreement.
Other than that in an economic standpoint, the remarkable achievement was tested when the 2022 Budget and RMK12 gained confidence in the Dewan Rakyat. It should be highlighted that because considering the diversity of politic viewpoints within and outside the government, convincing members of parliament of the important of the Malaysian Budget and Plan, even without a 2/3 majority, is extremely difficult. It is for the good of the country, not for the benefit of parties, people, or cronies.
I could still remember during PH’s administration, the PAN Borneo highway project had been suspended at that time and I can say that every single day my phone keep vibrating especially in my Sabah WhatsApp groups because they angry at the Federal Government over the PAN Borneo highway’s failure. But today, that highway project was finally restarted two weeks ago which is less than 100 days of Ismail Sabri administration. From this its shows that Ismail Sabri is fully aware about PAN Borneo highway project which had been suspended during PH’s administration and from this also it’s actually portray political and economic ideology of “Keluarga Malaysia” for Sabah and Sarawak.
This situation same goes for the Bumiputera issue which I could said that actually they still leave far behind in the terms of economic development and I highly respect on how they struggle to overcome that problem. In other situation, Ismail Sabri as Prime Minister also taken a proactive action which he created the “Tindakan Pembangunan Bumiputera” 2030 (TPB2030) with 6 main thrusts, particularly to the digital economy. In my perspective, I see this as a brave decision taken by him in order to protect the status and future of Bumiputera, particularly the B40 group, the urban poor, and those living in rural regions.
I believe if we all can wait just for a little longer time until the end of 2023, I am assured that Ismail Sabri would be able to accomplish more great deal for Malaysia and its people. In the perspective of nation-state civilization, the short ruling time by the PH (2018-2020) and PN (2020-2021) governments, is not a good indication. That short ruling time should not be repeated.
Do we want to adopt Lee Kuan Yew’s technique? In his well-known bibliography “Kisah Temasek” he stated that a country’s government must be powerful to achieve success. While, for the opposition must be weakened in order to avoid interfering with the government’s objectives to build the country. From this statement we can conclude that does the Lee Kuan Yew technique working for Singapore’s development?
During the United Nations Conference in New York in 2015, I asked Najib why it is important for creating a high-speed train? And according to him, this massive initiative will employ tens of thousands of graduates each year. I just remember on why Tun Razak built the East-West Highway? Apart from the issue of development on the east coast, actually it is one of the strategy to expelled Communist elements at that time because they will run away and went deep into the jungle across the Thai border and leaving the East-West Highway. This fact is something that isn’t widely circulated among the public.
Moreover, I can say that Ismail Sabri has similar Philosophy just like Tun Razak did. This is because the plan to restart projects that have been suspended since 2018 is a proactive effort to revive the country’s economy. President Obama (2010) said nowadays whatever occurs out there whether it be the topic of balls, gold, clothes, or anything else. This topic would all be politicized. However, as we can see today people needs jobs, graduates need work opportunities, and the economy must function efficiently in order for the our economic network to revive.
The great achievement of Ismail Sabri during his administration is on controlling and lowering the numbers of COVID 19 cases from 10,000-20,000 cases per day to the level of 4000-5000 cases a day just in a few months ago is very remarkable. Of course, this success is currently in progress and in fact, Ismail Sabri decided to name TSMY as Chairman of the National Rehabilitation Council which this action not done by the previous prime minister.
CONCLUSION
Ismail Sabri’s 100-day achievement is an overview on how he manage to achieve successfulness governing the country’s politics in ethically way. The stability we experienced in 100 days today it’s portray a great perspective in the national economy.
If you’re wondering how long this will last, Francis Fukuyama has already said it, and I’ll repeat it which he stated till the end of democracy in 2023. While, the budget for 2022 must be enjoyed by all levels of society, and the RMK12 must be realized first. Forget about the insanity of election because it will affects people’s tranquility and that is bad democracy which have been said by one of my friends in Jakarta.
Previously, there were few people who asked me whether Ismail Sabri acknowledge the kindness of the people? This is my response, Ismail Sabri never missed a year of visiting his class teachers in 1973 until now, even after becoming Minister and Prime Minister.
There was an incident which Ismail Sabri suddenly told his driver to turn to a village that was not on the work schedule, apparently he went to an orphanage that was not even known by his officers. That is Malaysia’s humble Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri. I will call him as Jokowi Malaysia.
Dr. Al-Azharri Siddiq Kamunri, Political and Government Analyst.
