Sejahtera as Local Concept of Sustainable Development

SCSH 1201 (Sustainable Development : Issues, Principles, & Practices)

9/11/2022 (week 5)

Wednesday, 10a.m - 12a.m

Venue : Online class on Zoom

What I have learn to this lesson was 'sejahtera' acording to the Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan, unhappiness is due to the absence of kesejahteraan diri, the lack of inner peace. As emphasised by the Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan, the concept transcends religious, racial and ethnic boundaries, covering all age groups, regardless of geography and locations.

Nurturing it involves more than the Western pop culture practice of reducing stress as it involves a variety of factors, from spiritual to cultural, intellectual and social aspects. Hence, the role of education is key and goes beyond schooling as it is conventionally understood.

As sejahtera has ancient and indigenous origins, it carries nuances and subjectivities that cannot be easily taught, just like the African concept of ubuntu, Japanese concept of ikigai, Chinese concept of yin and yang and Swedish concept of lagom. Though there are no universal definitions for them, the ideas of "balance", "harmony", "justice" and common ethical-moral values are readily accepted. As such, sejahtera needs to be nurtured and cultivated as a common public good. The government opted for closely allied factors: good governance, sustainable development, preservation and promotion of culture and environmental conservation.

Role of Sejahtera in eliminating poverty

The theme was “Inclusive Development and Sejahtera in the New Malaysia”, linking for the first time “sejahtera” and “eradication of poverty” in the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2016-2030). The SDGs embrace 17 goals, and the very first one is the goal of “No Poverty”.

This makes it even more meaningful as the event was hosted by Yayasan Sejahtera, in conjunction with its 10th anniversary. For the last decade, Yayasan Sejahtera has been using a community-based approach to resolve numerous community issues involving some 12,000 people by adopting a bottom-up approach, funded by the private sector as part of corporate social responsibility.

In conclusion , the concept is very similar to the one advocated by Falsafah Pendidikan Kebangsaan in acknowledging those who are "capable of achieving high level of personal wellbeing as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large". More interesting still is that the original Bahasa Malaysia version used "kesejahteraan diri", which was rendered as "personal wellbeing" instead of "happiness".