KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today urged young leaders to treasure the Malaysian experience of preserving political order in its journey to enhance democratic governance.
“This is the main lesson that we can draw from Malaysian metamorphosis. Our 55 years of experience in maintaining political stability, racial harmony and economic affluence is replete with knowledge and wisdom that will guide us to steer our nation in the path of sustained peace and prosperity,” he said.
Muhyiddin said this in his speech “Malaysian Metamorphosis” at the closing ceremony of the Sixth Malaysian Student Leaders Summit here today.
He said it was the evolutionary process of economic, political and social changes that made Malaysia stand out from the rest of the developing world.
Muhyiddin said Malaysia enjoyed rapid economic development without sacrificing the institutions of democratic and constitutional government.
“We allow competitive politics in our multiracial and multi-religious society without sacrificing political stability. And most importantly we continue to enjoy racial harmony and social cohesion while steering our government and society in a more democratic direction,” he said.
To achieve the democratic governance, he said the country needed highly knowledgeable and talented workforce to propel the nation forward in the knowledge and innovation-driven economy.
Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister said, therefore the government must further improve the quality of education and concerted efforts are now being done through a comprehensive review process.
“This will substantially change the way education is delivered to our young generation. We will place more emphasis on students』 ability to develop their thinking skills and enhance their creative talent, rather than simply teaching them to memorise facts and figures,” he said.
During a brief question and answer session, Muhyiddin was asked a few questions by students regarding the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI) and the relevance of learning Moral Education in this century.
In his reply, he said the PPSMI programme would have been better for the students if the teachers were well trained and up to par.
Other factors involved the interest of the students, whether they could accept the prospect of learning Science and Mathematics in English, and be ready to face the challenges.
As for Moral Education, Muhyiddin said his ministry would upgrade the programme in line with the current situation and would review the programme soon to ensure a better programme for students. –Bernama