83 VARIA RANAH 2023 The Role of Civil Service in Accelerating Civic Engagement for MADANI-Nation Building and Community Empowerment C. Engage civil-societies leaders actively in government decision making and public policy implementation Government could spread and share the burden of responsibilities in managing complex nation affairs though many collaboration such as partnership through advice, co-design and co-implementation. Partnership through advice is when public or business representative are installed in government advisory board, co-design is when the public play deeper role in designing public policy and co-implementation is when the public working hand in hand to implement a public policy or decision. Undeniably, government has relentlessly gathering input and feedback from public on most of the decision made and policy formulated. However, to speed up civic engagement, the participation should be intensified at the implementation stage / phase of a decision and policy. Civil society leaders includes from local community and business segment must be actively involved not only in the formulation of a public policy but at the implementation phase. Public policy should be incorporated with a comprehensive proposed action plan to be executed by the public together with a hand book or manual as a reference. D. Increase civic learning by engaging, educating, enriching and empowering community especially youth In order to develop civil society with civic minded, civic learning needs to be nurtured among the community. Civic learning could be increased by engaging, educating, enriching and empowering the community, particularly the youth. Civic engagement is crucial for youth as an asset to a country because it helps empowering young people, build skills, talents and networks. When youth is empowered to participate, decide and take action, they could become agents of positive change in their communities. This will have a profound and lasting impact to the betterment of the society and progressive nation. Government should extensively organize a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of civic engagement and its benefits to them and their communities particularly for the youth. Education sector in Malaysia has started civic learning from primary to tertiary level through many extra co-curriculum activities and volunteerism. However, university could be the incubator in producing more young civil society leaders by organizing and providing more programs that instilled young people with the knowledge and skills to become positive agents of change. The programs should focus on Leadership development, Civic education and engagement, Global citizenship and Cultural competency including the training to run a meeting, deal with conflict, understand the public policy process, understand other cultures and work collaboratively with various people. E. Moulding civic minded through innovation and digitalization In line with fast pace change which make people interconnected and interdependent, government must encourage innovation and digitalization in promoting civic learning, thus, moulding civic minded to achieve civic engagement. Civil society is where its member is a citizen which not only equipped with knowledge of public concerns/issues and has the awareness on how the concerns/issues might affect their community and livelihood, but, over and above possess the ability to act on the issues of concern. Government should ensure that a correct and accurate public information is available and every single member of the society is accessible to such information as well as to public policy.
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