A Japanese student shows why Mahathir-san is looking east again

Since becoming prime minister in May, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has visited Japan thrice. He appears to be utterly in love with Japan, or at least Japanese work ethics and management systems.

Having visited Japan in the 1990s, I can understand why. And a recent unexpected chat with a Japanese youngster has served to underscore Dr Mahathir’s call to Malaysians to Look East, especially to Japan, as a model of development.

I found myself next to a Japanese youth, who gave his name as Yuki, on a flight to New Delhi recently. The polite and soft-spoken youth told me he was a student at a Tokyo university.

I asked the natural follow-up question, expecting him to say he was studying medicine, or law, or business, or accountancy or engineering. Smiling, he said: “Spanish”.

Surprised, I asked him to explain his rather unorthodox choice of subject. His answer gave me a little insight into the thinking of the Japanese, or at least the thinking of this Japanese youngster.

He said he had chosen Spanish as his major because he saw tremendous potential in mastering the language.

How? What good would knowing Spanish be in Japan?

He said he planned to work in South America. Again, I was startled by his reply. No one has ever told me they planned to go to South America to work, or even to study.

Why South America, when most youngsters preferred North America? He said his research showed the presence of many Japanese businesses in South America and that learning Spanish would help him get a job with one of these firms.

“At the very least I can start off as a translator. I understand there is a need for Japanese who can speak in Spanish there. I am doing business as an elective subject and that should come in handy. Later, I intend to establish my own business.”

Aren’t you apprehensive about leaving Japan and going to South America? No, he said. “I will be able to learn firsthand the culture of South Americans. I yearn to learn about how others live. It will broaden my mind.”

And it was with the idea of broadening his thinking that he was travelling to India. He said two of his friends from Tokyo had left a day earlier for India and that the three of them would meet up in New Delhi before commencing their travel. After spending a couple of weeks in India, he said, he planned to visit Pakistan on his own.

“I want to learn something firsthand about Islam and I thought Pakistan would be a good place to visit.” After reading news reports about Muslims being linked to terrorism, and Islamophobia, he said he wanted to get an idea about how Muslims lived.

Yuki said something else which I had not expected from someone his age: he did not like to waste time, and that was why whenever he had a break he would travel or pick up a new skill. I was impressed.

He told me that although he and people his age followed Japanese tradition, they were broadminded enough not to reject anything outright. For instance, he said, they followed Shinto rituals but were not averse to incorporating Buddhist practices and even partying on Christmas Day.

Here was a 20-year-old who was clear about what he wanted to do, who was willing to take the less trodden path, who yearned to learn about other cultures and religions and who kept an open mind.

No wonder, I told myself, Dr Mahathir was always telling Malaysians to learn from the Japanese.

In 1983, just two years after becoming prime minister the first time around, Dr Mahathir introduced the Look East Policy to emulate Japanese work ethics and acquire technological know-how.

He frequently told the Malays, especially at Umno conventions, that success or failure was in their culture, especially the values they believed in and practiced. He not only urged them to inculcate the work ethics of the Japanese, his government sent many of them for studies or training in Japan.

In fact, about 15,000 Malaysians have studied or trained in universities and companies in Japan in the last 30 years.

When I visited Japan, I noticed some of the character traits that Dr Mahathir wants Malaysians to emulate – discipline, patriotism, punctuality, competent management systems and an enthusiasm for work and learning.

I also heard about their deep sense of shame if they were to fail or sully the name of their family. This is something that Dr Mahathir says Malaysians must have.

Talking about National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loan defaulters in September, the prime minister said they did not feel any sense of shame. He said: “If you have a strong feeling of not wanting to be ashamed of your performance, you will do well to achieve the best results”

Obviously having in mind certain leaders arrested over charges of corruption, Dr Mahathir went on to say: “Today, there are people who don’t feel ashamed. When you see them going to jail, they are smiling.” They would also smile even if they were called “a thief”, he added.

During my Japan visit, I noticed that the streets where I traveled were very clean. I watched one sweeper at work: he was swift and meticulous. I also noticed that the Japanese gave immense importance to safety, something that is sorely lacking here.

For instance, they carried out road repairs at night and there would be warning notices from as far as 2km away. The repair spot and its immediate surroundings would be so lighted up that no one would miss seeing it.

In Malaysia, safety has a terribly low priority. We jump around after something goes wrong, with politicians and government officials making all kinds of promises to improve the situation or punish the culprits. And the cycle gets repeated after each avoidable disaster.

Whenever I use the North-South Expressway, for instance, I would only know of road repairs being done when I am almost at the spot. The warning would come from some orange cones and a sad-looking plastic figure with a moving arm.

Every time I see this, I’d wish they would emulate the Japanese.

So yes, let us heed Dr Mahathir’s call and learn from the Japanese. In fact, let’s learn from every culture so that we can become better in managing ourselves and our society. If we keep an open mind, we can adopt some of the best in other cultures for our growth and the development of the nation.

Not only that, let’s emulate the good doctor himself: he is always learning, always on the go.

Yuki the Japanese student reminds me of Dr Mahathir: both show foresight, both chart their own paths, both keep an open mind, both don’t waste time, both strive for improvement.

While Yuki is working to improve himself, Mahathir-san wants to improve the nation.

The difference between them is simply a 73-year gap.

A Kathirasen is executive editor at FMT.