In a survey by PEW Research Centre on 27 nations in 2019, in the study on Asia-Pacific nations, Indonesians have the most positive attitudes toward diversity overall, with 76% supportive of increasing diversity and only 5% opposed.
In more than half of the countries surveyed, younger adults favour increasing diversity more than older adults.
There are also differences between people on the left and the right of the political spectrum in 11 of the 18 countries where ideology was measured.
Generally, the left wing emphasizes "ideas such as freedom, equality, fraternity, rights, progress, reform and internationalism". In contrast, the right wing emphasizes "notions such as authority, hierarchy, order, duty, tradition, reaction and nationalism".
PM10 has publicly said he is committed to being more diverse and inclusive since he was appointed to lead the country.
Would he succeed?
It is still too early, but based on the repeated attempts to dislodge him from the perch, he will need help to make significant progress in these areas.
Those who opposed him are unlikely to support his attempt to make diversity and inclusivity the cornerstone for the country's progress.
The ideologies of those that opposed the present unity government pandered to only one section of the population already ruled them out.
In 19 of the 27 countries surveyed, people with more education are more likely to be in favor of increasing diversity in their country.
Countries with inclusive cultures tend to be more innovative and agile and more likely to achieve better economic growth and performance than those with less diversity.
Just like in the business world, organizations that embrace diversity have better opportunities to acquire new clients and expand into new markets.
The same holds for countries too.
Countries embracing diversity and inclusion are more likely than ever to outperform those that don’t or are less diverse.
Diversity in these countries brings together expertise and experience of different levels.
After all, in today’s business environment, meaningful innovations happen at cross-borders of different disciplines.
People who are different from one another in the race and gender dimensions bring unique information and experiences that could possibly and potentially provide superior solutions to the country’s most pressing problems.
Instead of repeating his mantra that he is working towards creating a diverse and inclusive Malaysia, maybe PM10 establish a clear baseline showing officially where the country is present and the causes that led us to the current position, where this, if not corrected, will lead the country to, what is required to create a diversity and inclusivity impact and how he planned to assess – using quantitative and qualitative analytics to scale and concurrently sustained the momentum - to show that he succeeds in bringing all Malaysians together.
Of course, many may find it uncomfortable during the initial stages as it requires individuals to adjust their behaviour and working styles.
But if the actions show an improved country, it is easier to convince them to support, cooperate and work together for a diverse and inclusive country as the way forward for the country.
Without that clear baseline, PM10 could be wasting everyone’s already scarce time and energy and miss the opportunity to get all Malaysians on board and support his action plans.
Without a clear baseline, your opponents will continue to delve into the controversial, often-politicized topic of the 3R.
With inclusive diversity, the country will have a better and more robust solution as a result of including diverse views.
PM10 could start by setting the tone at the top by making inclusive diversity the core value of his administration in leading the country into the next realm of growth.
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