125 VARIA RANAH 2023 Malaysia MADANI: Way Forward From Vision to Reality INTRODUCTION A. The Malaysia MADANI’s Leadership The COVID-19 pandemic was a global health crisis in modern times which the world had never seen before and by any living generations. It had tested the capacity and readiness of all countries particularly in healthcare especially in terms of availability of hospital beds, equipment, medicine, vaccines and manpower (doctors, nurses and other supporting personnel). Capacity in terms of fiscal, operational, analytical and political were also tested. The COVID-19 also tested policy makers in making quick decisions to manage and overcome the pandemic especially in the light of no similar precedence, except for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which had a more contained spread (only 29 countries affected). Public trust towards the government was tested as well; how they perceived government decisions and how do they the response to it. Social cohesion of countries was also tested; For example, in some countries, strong neighbourhood ties played significant role such as providing voluntary care and food to people infected by COVID-19 while in other communities such closeness was less apparent. Social cohesion helped “fill in the gaps”, especially in under privilege communities where governments had limited capacity. In Malaysia, social cohesion was tested again after the intense rain and floods which hit several states. The COVID-19 had strongly shaped the Malaysia Madani concept, recognizing these are priority areas needed to be worked on. B. Singapore Experience Post COVID-19 pandemic served as a reset / restart button for many countries, to reflect upon how well they had fared and how to move forward, with a greater emphasis to build more resilience in the future. Singapore, for example, had identified 7 lessons learnt and are in the midst of conducting Forward Singapore (at this time of writing) to gather ideas and feedback from the public on 6 pillars namely: i. Empower To empower every Singaporean to have lifelong employability in a more competitive economy amidst an uncertain world. ii. Equip To equip every Singaporean with the opportunity to thrive, grow and realise their aspirations, regardless of their starting point in life. iii. Care To enable every Singaporean to lead a dignified and fulfilling life, and to better care for themselves and for others around them. iv. Steward To foster a more sustainable way of life that stewards our resources responsibly for future generations. v. Build To transform our living environment, and to build a more liveable home for all who stake their futures here. vi. Unite To grow sense of belonging to Singapore, their commitment to citizenship and their sense of mutual responsibility towards each other.
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