MANY of us remember the Look East Policy introduced in 1982, after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became prime minister a year earlier.
It had a huge impact when the Malaysian government and the private sector looked at
Japan and South Korea as role models for development and work ethic.
During his recent visit to Japan, Dr Mahathir again expressed his confidence that Malaysia would succeed like Japan if its people had a work ethic, mind and value system like the Japanese.
He advised Malaysians to follow the attitude of the Japanese, who feel embarrassed if they failed to perform their duties
or did not do their jobs as expected.
When the Look East Policy was first drafted in the 1980s, it was not just about attracting investments from Japan or going to study in the Land of the Rising Sun.
It was more of an effort to learn the work ethic of the Japanese as well as to develop a sense of shame when failing to perform tasks.
Although many senior citizens had bitter memories of the Japanese occupation, we have to learn from them how they rebuilt their country after World War 2.
Despite being a developed nation, the Japanese maintain their culture and values inherited from generation to generation.
Among them is their respect for others, especially those who are older, by bowing their heads as a sign of respect.
We must emulate their punctuality and cleanliness, which they practise when they are abroad.
Therefore, it is not surprising that their public transport schedules are accurate while their people are seen collecting trash dumped indiscriminately.
They take good care of their environment and nurture the love for nature in schools.
Japanese children are taught to love their country and the patriotic spirit stays with them until they draw their last breath.
Looking at the social problems in our country, it is clear that we need to learn from the Japanese on how to strengthen noble values in our society.
The most basic thing is to strengthen the family institution, which can thwart social ills.
Parents need to be more aware of the quality of family life and instil values in their children.
While law enforcement is important, the ability of each family to prevent social problems from creeping into their homes is more crucial.
We need to empower families so that they can deal with social problems.
This can be done by improving parenting skills and motivating parents to be aware of their children’s whereabouts and help develop them into good people.
Since the majority of Malay-sians are demanding change, we must play our role to take Malaysia to a higher level in national and economic development, including national and social integration, and social justice.
It is vital for Malaysians to practise noble values.
If we do this, we can emulate the Japanese in building a more caring nation.
TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE
Senior vice-chairman, Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation
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