::POSITION PAPER 5:: HAZWANI BINTI ABD HAMID (0720496)::

“Counselors are the key to the success at the 1 Malaysia Concepts”

The statements about the counselors are the key to the success at the 1 Malaysia concepts is an interesting topic we can discuss which is I agree with that because according to our culture and community here, we live with variety of races. For instance, Malay, Indian, and Chinese which are the major races in Malaysia even though we have several more ethnics that exist in this country. Since now, we live in peace and harmony and this year we have already celebrate our independence day for 52 years. This shows us along 52 years we live together without any crisis. So related to the counselors, as counselors, they have been exposed about multicultural counseling and how to handle it if the students had problems. So about this concept, I think, this is a not big problem in promoting this to people especially schools students, higher education students and others on accepting this concept.

For our information, “Satu Malaysia, Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan” concept was introduced by our Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Mohd. Najib bin Tun Abd. Razak since he was take that post on 3 April 2009. In this concept has promoted the Malaysian to be more patriotism and must be obeying to the country rules. Besides that, it also promos all people to get unite among each other and Malaysian people must assume that Malaysia is our own and all people in this country are Malaysian.

So as Malaysian counselors, we must alert about it and try to think how this concept can be acceptance by the students. Actually, the counselor also learnt about multicultural counseling, so it is a time to apply it in order to ensure the students understand this concept. For instance the counselors can collaborate with school which has different cultural to have some program that can unite these multicultural students for example “sports day”, “canteen open day”, and others. Actually it is an opportunity to them to cooperation to each other in running theses program and indirectly can make a close relationship among the students where at the same time it is including in this 1 Malaysia concept vision.

Besides that, respect the different cultural is very relevant and important, especially in this multicultural country. In discipline knowledge, respected to another cultural is important as example in multicultural counseling is very particular about respecting and understanding in different element and cultural. Besides that, as counselor must understand the uniqueness in client cultural. Failing to understand can make the counseling not functioning well and the counselor also cannot feel empathy in client itself. For instance, during the counseling session, the counselor must accept any client even different races such as Chinese or Indian student with unconditioning positive regard and try to understand them in solving such problems besides using the appropriate skills. Actually when we understand them, it makes them comfortable with us and discrimination between different races cannot be happen.
Last but not least, everyone must play their role in order to realize this 1 Malaysia concept especially counselor who has a big influence to students in school. Furthermore, in make a realization on 1 Malaysia, it is important for every community as example in education context, the students have to respect the identity and uniqueness without sacrifice their special tradition and cultural.