Lessons from the East
A government plan that saw students going to Japan and Korea to acquire new skills will see a revival with the focus now on technology.
WHEN a batch of Malaysians were offered scholarships to study in Japan in the early 1980s under the Look East Policy (LEP), they were a little apprehensive. What they knew of Japan and its people were the stories passed down from their elders about the Japanese occupation in the country during World War II.
They weren’t all favourable tales but that was over 40 years ago and things had changed. Japan as a nation was rebuilding and rebranding itself. It was also earning a reputation as an economic powerhouse.
So when the batch of students took up the offer and landed on Japanese shores, it came as no surprise to see how industrious its people were.
Not only were the Japanese dedicated to their jobs, they had excellent work ethics and etiquette. What’s more, they were proud of their nation’s progress in just four decades.
The positive values of the Japanese (as well as the South Koreans) was what inspired then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to introduce the policy in 1982, shortly after he became the Malaysian premier.
Dr Mahathir held that the secret of Japan’s post-war success lay in the work ethic of its labour force, as well as its management style.
Under the LEP scholarship programme, young Malaysians were sent to Japan and Korea not only to come back with a degree or diploma, but for a total immersion in values that will lead to productivity and innovation.
The selected students were required to undergo a two-year preparatory course at Universiti Malaya’s Ambang Asuhan Jepun before commencing the actual study programme.
It consisted of two partsts – the te first one involving placem ments at Japanese universities and dinstinvolved tutes, while the second in industrial exposure at Jap panese companies and training in nstitutes.
As of last year, 15,700 Malaysians have been to Japan under the programme.
Malaysians currently fo orm the fifth Last largest year, group Prime of Ministfore eignstuter Datuk dents in the country. Seri Najib Tun Razak and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to embark on a second wave of the LEP.
Aptly termed LEP 2.0, it will placep greaterg emphasisp on develhighoping strategic sectors such astech and high-end service industries.
Under LEP 2.0, a course for working adults called the LEP 2.0 Train-ing Programme has been proposed.pp This initiative will see them being sent to the Land of the Rising Sun. It will be on a cost-sharing basis between the Malaysian and Japanese governments. Malaysia will send 500 trainees to JapanJp over the next five years.
Japanese ambassador to Malay-- sia Dr Makio Miyagawa says the LEP has led to “the rapid expansion of the economy, integration of people and growth of Malaysia” and has been a “binding element of the two nations”.
He adds that with LEP 2.0, Malaysia will continue to grow, and both countries will continue to benefit with fresh ideas and technological exchanges.
When the first batch of graduates came back in 1988, they took it upon themselves to form the Alumni of Look East Policy (Aleps), which now comes under the Public Service Department (PSD). Membership is open to former graduates of Japanese universities and technical colleges.
Aleps president Syed Putera Syed Mokhtar says he joined the LEP programme because it was a scholarship offered by PSD.
Although there were some negative vibes from the older folk which made him ponder over the offer for several days, Syed Putera eventually decided to take up the offer.
“I come from Teluk Intan, Perak, where friends and family elders were still harbouring bitter feelings over the Japanese (who occupied the then Malaya from 1942 to 1945).”
However his late father had the
foresight and saw the LEP programme as a good opportunity and encouraged him to take up the offer. “I had nothing to lose,” he says, adding that his family was poor and could not afford to send him for tertiary studies.
In March 1988, Syed Putera, then 20, left for Tokyo, where he spent a year learning Japanese before going to Niihama National College of Technology to pursue an Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.
“I wanted to go to Japan, although I knew I would initially suffer with the food, weather and a different culture,” says Syed Putera, the fourth Aleps president.
His initial fears were quickly put to rest and like his peers before him, Syed Putera has great respect for the Japanese.
“I’m impressed with their dedication and the pride they take in their work.”
During his stint in Japan, Syed Putera would volunteer for a group of senior citizens during gateball games. His task was to pick up the balls and occasionally run errands for them. Doing so was a good way to interact with them and learn about about their way of life.
For his help, the seniors reciprocated by giving him vegetables from their garden.
“I was so touched by their kindness and would cook the vegetables and share it with them,” says Syed Putera.
Having benefitted from a government scholarship, Syed Putera, who speaks Japanese fluently, feels that he needs to give back to society, through Aleps.
Most of the organisation’s activities are held together with the Japanese Embassy and the Japan Foundation or the local Japanese community. The focus of these activities is to strengthen ties between locals and the Japanese living here.
Aleps is involved in the yearly Bon Odori Festival with the Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur, and the Mini Malaysia-Japan Festival, both of which are aimed at showing the rich and hospitable aspects of Japanese culture and values.
It is this connection and the values he’s learnt from the stint that keeps this former student returning to Japan to help a charity that customises wheelchairs for children with cerebral palsy.
“Costing about RM16,000 in Japan, these wheelchairs are expensive as they need to be customised to fit each child,” he says, adding that the wheelchairs can be used for about three years before the child outgrows it.
The wheelchairs are then repaired before being sent to countries such as Nepal, India, Pakistan, Taiwan and Indonesia.
Under the Aleps Dream Factory, these wheelchairs are sold for about RM2,500 locally.
Syed Putera says he takes on the repair and customisation work himself and can complete about four units a month.
It is for a good cause and provides a responsibility to draw broad lessons and to continue looking East.
Members of Aleps also make it a point to meet the students at Ambang Asuhan Jepun at least four times to lend them some form of moral support and encouragement before they move on to Japan.
Aleps, he says want students to be aware that they are not just learners but are young ambassadors who must uphold Malaysia’s image.
Syed Putera quips that while the experience of the seniors like him may not be as relevant anymore, students can still count on them should they encounter problems.