Strengthen democratic practices through healthy communications

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PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail called upon Malaysians to use a healthy communication approach to strengthen democratic practices in the country.

She said the people should not let communications to be hijacked by bigots and hate mongers.

"The voice of reason, the advocacy of kindness and mutual respect as well as the call to unity must prevail.

"It is not enough to complain to each other about the negative vibes created by the bigots and hate mongers," she said.

Dr Wan Azizah, who is also the Women, Family and Community Development Minister said this in her keynote address at the WOWCOMM 2019, Malaysia's first-ever communication and sustainability conference.

She also called upon Malaysians not to allow the space for sectarian politics to grow in the country.

"The rakyat must speak out and define our identity and democracy. Otherwise, the voice of hatred and animosity would gain more momentum and become like a runaway train that will one day hurt us all.

"Do not waste our time trying to debate with the bigots and hate mongers," she said.

Instead, Dr Wan Azizah said the focus should be on creating a narrative of togetherness, kindness and mutual respect that define Malaysians.

"Make this a positive, the dominant and loudest narrative. More Malaysians should speak out for the sake of preserving our new democracy, for the sake of our hard-won freedom, and for the sake of our children," she said.

This is was among the five foundations Dr Wan Azizah laid out in her speech, to ensure that people achieve more benefits than harm from the advancements in the field of communications.

Among the other foundations are to always communicate with conscience, to use power with kindness, to communicate with others and to always be mindful of our long-term interest in building a better future for Malaysia.

Also present at the conference was Tunku Zain Al-'Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, the Founding President of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS).

The conference will focus on the role of corporate communication for today’s evolving market.

Participants will learn to the art of communicating with various stakeholders, such as the media as well as handling public relations using modern platforms and tools.

By Hashini Kavishtri Kannan December 5, 2019 @ 2:18pm