BUILD A GENERATION ATTUNED TO MODERATION, SAYS MALAYSIAN PM

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said
Monday night that a generation attuned to moderation must be built to forge a
better world with greater cohesion and understanding.

He said that for too long extremists had been allowed to take centre stage
and drown out the voice of the moderates, and that hence this should be changed.


"To me, the real battle that is upon us today is not a battle of religions
or race but rather a battle between the extremists and the moderates," he said
at the opening of the First Ladies Summit 2010 themed "A Child Today, A Leader
Tomorrow", at the prime minister's official residence, Seri Perdana, here.

Also present were his wife, Rosmah Mansor, who is the patron of the
summit, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Noorainee Abdul
Rahman, and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul
Jalil.

Najib said special attention should also be given to the areas of informal
education and the shaping of the world view among the children, besides their
education and care as well as the challenges faced in ensuring that every child
was given a fair chance in getting nutrition, affection and protection.

He said that even with focus placed on formal education, pedagogy, syllabus
and physical well-being, a child's world view could still be affected by the
things he doesn't learn from books or in the classroom.

"Sometimes a child models his behaviour on his observation of the things
said and done by the parents. Even little utterances and jibes can have an
enormous impact on how a child views the people and the world around him.

"This is the 'programming' that takes place, sometimes without us even being
aware. We must look into these elements with some depth if we are to examine the
best ways of creating moderate, sensible leaders of tomorrow, free from
prejudice and bigotry," he said.

Najib said that in whatever fields and disciplines a leader was created by
any nation, he must have the prerequisite attributes to succeed in life.

He said it included the right amount of determination, drive, perseverance,
self-confidence, diligence, resilience and positive attitude that would keep
them on the cutting edge of their respective fields and in the league of the
best among their peers.

"This is part and parcel of the human capital development that is
critically important to catapult a nation into the next stage of its growth and
development," he said.

Najib said there was no better group than the First Ladies to take on the
task of championing the children as they were looked up to as a maternal icon.

He said the Permata Negara early childhood care and education programme, for
instance, was a perfect example of how the initiative of a leader's wife could
gain support and momentum because of its merits.

"Begun with a group of professional women who sat with my wife and shared
their views on what can best be done to benefit our younger generation, Permata
now boasts some 500 centres around the country providing a fresh approach to
early childhood education and care in rural and urban areas," he said.

Najib also said he hoped that apart from sharing views and exchanging ideas
at the summit, a joint effort could be taken among the countries leveraging on
one another's strengths and capabilities.

The “Permata Negara” is an early childhood care and education programme that
will help realise the concept of 1Malaysia among children in the country through
its syllabus.


-- BERNAMA