Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during his recent visit to Japan, reiterated his decades-long call for Malaysians to learn from and emulate the Japanese work ethic and value system as a path to progress and success.
He said the success of the Japanese was due to their dedication to hard work, quality or excellence and delivering on their commitments.
One might add that inherent in those values are the attributes of the samurai: courage, honesty, humility, forbearance, generosity and self-control.
Dr Mahathir elaborated that the Japanese took pride in honouring those values, which they considered their sacred duty; failure to do so was a deep shame.
In the olden days, rather than face the shame or humiliation, they would commit harakiri or suicide.
But of course, no one is propagating that now!
Comparing those values with that at home, Dr Mahathir said we “lack such a value system and are thus at a disadvantage when competing with countries such as Japan that have a so-called superior value system”.
On a previous occasion, in making a specific reference, Dr Mahathir had said that some Malaysians “did not feel ashamed when they failed, whether in examinations or in life”.
And, even when one is “sentenced to jail, the offender will walk with his head proudly in the air, smiling as if he has achieved something”.
These are critical exhortations that we, as Malaysians, must seriously heed, or be complacent at our own peril.
While no culture can be superimposed on another, it is of utmost benefit to draw upon those exemplary values of others and find the space to create innovative perspectives and approaches of our own.
Rueben Dudley
Petaling Jaya, Selangor