NILAI, September 12, 2018 – Professor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, Founding Converner of Sejahtera Leadership Initiative (SLI) who’s Chairperson of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) and concurrently Rector of International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) graciously received the visit from top management team of Yayasan Hasanan (YH) led by its Managing Director, Shahira Ahmed Bazari. YH team comprised of Senior Vice President (SVP) Dr. Nur Anuar Abdul Mutalib, Head of Education, SVP Anita Ahmad, Head – Community Development, Vice President Razlina Azura Radzi, Head – Programme and Knowledge Manager Aditi Malhotra, Head of Knowledge. They came to brief about the revised objectives with 32 quantitative and 26 qualitative indicators for YH Scorecard using key national indicators as a guide for measuring its performance targets.

YH is a Corporate Responsibility (CR) Foundation of Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah), the strategic investment fund of the Government of Malaysia. It was set up as an independent entity on 01 July 2015 to empower communities, encourage social inclusivity and improve the environment. Where Khazanah oversees creation of true value for Malaysia through financial and strategic initiatives; YH focuses on the country’s pressing community and social issues, the upscaling of civil society organizations and partners working in collaboration through a social sector ecosystem. Together, Khazanah and YH drive a nation-building agenda of progressing Malaysia as a globally competitive nation.

A lively discussion on impact of YH scorecard centred around how to bridge the gap between poverty index to sustainable livelihood prompts many questions. Can something be done to make our economic and social systems fairer? Is the basic premise of our modern capitalist system – that the market’s invisible hand will ensure self-sustaining efficiency – valid in today’s globalised world? Is there any place for powerful positive human motivation, such as altruism and integrated culture, in our economic systems, or is the common assumption that selfish behavior reaps greater rewards correct? Is growth measured in terms of SDGs ( sustainable development goals) really the best indicator of our  nation’s economic progress? Finally, perhaps most important of all, we needs to examine the connection between economic and social systems with our quest for happiness & prosperity.
In a rich thought-provoking exchanges that took place during the discussions, Professor Tan Sri Dzulkifli recognized YH team success and said, “It became increasingly clear that fundamental rethinking needs to take place in the field of education and culture. Community services and development needs to broaden its horizons. Questions of fairness and more equitable distribution, as well as larger social and environmental impacts, need to be taken into account. There is a growing realization that sejahtera leadership values and compassion in education are equally important; after all, education involves human activity and the basic goal of promoting livelihood, happiness and alleviating sufferings.”
Given the opportune time, CEO Dr. Haji Zulkifly on behalf of General Director of Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM), Koh Sia Feai presented to Prpfessor Tan Sri Dzulkifli a new book entitled “A Dialogue Between East and West – Looking to a Human Revolution’ co-authored by a leading educationist & former President of the Club of Rome, Ricardo Diez-Hochleitner and Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) based in Tokyo with some eleven million members in over 190 countries throughout the world.

This book addressed the futuristic issues: how far do cultures affesct the future of the planet? Can the debate on environment and global warming be influenced by the culyures of East and West understanding each other better? In this provicative and wide-ranging dialogue, two of the most influential thinkers of recent times, Hochleitner and Ikeda propose that only a ‘human revolution’ and a fundamental shift in the hearts and minds of individuals can stimulate a revolution in humanity’s relationship with the planet. It requires a transformation of values and leadrship for a hopeful orientation towards the children of the future rather than a misguided preoccupation with short-termist policies.

Prepared by :
Dr. Zulkifly Baharom
CEO Sejahtera Leadership Initiative