SEJAHTERA : THE CONTEXT OF BALANCING

 

TAN SRI DR ZULKIFLI ABDUL RAZAK

What is the SEJAHTERA ?

Sejahtera is more associated with the practise of having a balanced well being or even co-existing with common shared values and prosperity. It is implied that the achievement of quality of life that is both sustainable as well as balanced is embodies in sejahtera as a way of life. As said by DR Zulkifli in his Speech " Sejahtera means in particular context is prosperity". There are a few terms that organization, programmes , songs and quotes that mention about SEJAHTERA. As example , Kedah Sejahtera, Wilayah Ceria Rakyat Sejahtera, Sejahtera Malaysia, Kampus Sejahtera and so on. Today, SEJAHTERA become the common word around the society around the world. 

        Furthermore, SEJAHTERA teach student to learn and to live with nature holistically in balanced way that can feel nature around. Good moral values should be given attention and taught to children from kindergarten to university, said the prime minister. ‎Accordingly, he remarked that the “national  educational system should teach students good values and character” beyond imparting (marketable) knowledge which is the true purpose of “education” as per the “Falsafah Pendidikan Negara” (later “Kebangsaan”) (national education philosophy) .

Quality of life is another area that “socio-economic wellbeing” is inadequate at addressing. It fails to grasp the full meaning of the entire human person (life). “Life” as in quality of life is invariably related to the “spiritual being” first rather than the material being which is socio-economically defined and determined. Otherwise, values/virtues such as happiness, love and mutual respect will be marginalised.

SPICE

Sejahtera is an indigenous concept that generally expresses “balance” as a holistic way of life, extending from the microcosm to the macrocosm. Tan Sri Dzukifli Abdul Razak summarised Sejahtera with the following dimensions: spiritual, physical, intellectual, cognitive, cultural, emotional, ethical and societal; and shared his vision on Sejahtera.

* Spirituality

* Physically balance

* Intelectualiy balance

* Culture balance

* Emotional balance

* Social 

He then gave an example from this concept of Sejahtera by looking at the Sejahtera Centre and Sejahtera Forest which is part of the United Nations University-Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies recognized Regional Centre of Expertise on Education (RCE) for Sustainable Development at Tongyeong in the southern tip of South Korea. This is apt as the centre is “specifically designed for learning self-sustaining lifestyle and sharing for a sustainable future.” It is a purpose-built centre – the first of its kind, as part of a project agreed by partners in the Asia-Pacific to serve as an RCE hub.

Dzulkifli Abdul Razak (Prof. Tan Sri Dato’) is the 14th President of the International Association of Universities (IAU), a UNESCO-based organisation in Paris. He was the 5th Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). helming the post from 2000-2011, during which he introduced the Sejahtera campus concept in the move to mainstream Sustainable Development in USM.