Among all the good qualities hardworking is the most important quality to be acquired by all Malaysians particularly the Malays and the Indians. Malays are known to be lazy when compared to the Chinese and the Indians. In order to become an advanced and progressive nation, Malaysian government must treat the bad qualities of the Malays and the Indians, particularly the laziness. What makes a person to become lazy or hardworking, neither race nor food. The wrong belief and mindset are the reasons that make them lazy. What is the wrong belief that the Malays have that make them lazy when compared to the Indians and the Chinese? Most Malays believe that to earn money or to earn material need is an action known to the Malays as worldly action. When Malays go to work, they believe they are going for worldly action. Malays are Muslims and as a Muslim the Malays believes that they can do worldly actions or earning for their worldly needs but they are not encouraged to do it wholeheartedly. As a Muslim the Malays believes, they should do worldly actions or earning for their living sparingly and not wholeheartedly. Many Malays think and believes that we should not work very hard for our worldly needs, as none of us is going to live long in this world. Many Malays think that Allah prohibits us to work very hard for our worldly needs and we are ordered to work very hard only for earning the rewards of the life hereafter. Many Muslims look at those Muslims who work hard for their worldly need as worldly people and are not pious. The pious and good Muslims to most Muslims especially those that has followed the teaching of Tabligh Jamat are those that devoted their whole life in the learning of Islam in religious schools or madrasah. Then after completion of their studies, they devote their life’s wholeheartedly in the teaching of Islam in madrasah and in the work of Tabligh Jamat. Many professionals in Tabligh Jamat are not sending their children to normal schools and to become professionals like them but they send all their children, both girls and boys to madrasah to become hafiz and hafizah of Quran or to become religious scholars who will devote their entire life to the teaching of Islam and the work of Jamat Tabligh. Malays are lazy and when they join the movement of Tabligh Jamat, they become even lazier than before. They work only to earn money and to spend the money to do the work of Tabligh Jamat. When they spend times in Tabligh Jamat, they believe they are doing religious work. When they go for their worldly needs they believe that they are doing worldly works.

Most Malays do not believe that Islam is a complete way of life. Working for the worldly need is also the order of Allah. Allah does not order us only to do the work of enjoining good and forbidding evil, five times daily prayer, fasting in the month of Ramadan, to pay alms and to go to pilgrimage but Allah order us to work and earn our living. Allah also orders us to eat, drink, and sleep and to have relationship with our wife or husband. Allah does not order us only to do dakwah, prayers, and leaving the orders of earns our living to others or to our wives. We have to obey all the orders of Allah at all time. At certain time of the day, month and years we have to know the orders of Allah that Allah loves most and that is the order that we must do at that particular time. At all times, there are many orders of Allah and we must do the orders that Allah loves most. Allah does not order us at all time doing prayers and Allah does not order us at all time to fast. When we have needs of this world, Allah orders us to work to earn our needs. We work because it is an order of Allah and our intention of working is not to earn what we want but only to please Allah. We have trust in the promises of Allah that He gives according to our effort. Most Muslims when they pray and fast they want rewards and when they work they want money. Because of the weak iman, Muslims does not understand Islam. Because of weak iman, Muslims do not have sincerity. When Muslims do prayer, they want the rewards and they do not do the prayer to please Allah and when they work for their needs, they want money and not to please Allah. When our actions are not sincere, Allah is not pleased and our actions are not accepted as a form of worship but as a worldly action.

When we work for living because it is the order of Allah and our intention is only to please Allah, then our works are also a form of worship. When the Malays who are Muslims believes and think that working to earn their worldly needs are also a form of worship that will also earn the rewards in the hereafter and the love of Allah, only then the Malay will become a hardworking race. When Muslims works for their worldly needs, they gain money as well as rewards provided they work with the intention to obey the command of Allah and to gain the pleasure of Allah. This belief and mindset has to come to the Muslim Malays in Malaysia. When the Malays have the correct belief and mindset, Malays will become the hardworking race in the world. How to change the belief and mindset of the Malays towards work? We have to make the Malays to hear and speak frequently certain good and correct words about work. Such words that can be used are; “I work hard, I obey the orders of God”, “I work hard to please Allah”, “God orders me to work hard”, “I am a hard working person”, “God is pleased with me when I work very hard”, “I work hard, I am obedient”, “I am lazy, Allah is not pleased with me”, “I work hard I obey the God orders”. These good and correct words are to be addressed to Malaysians particularly the Malays through electronic media, newspaper and billboards along highways. Once Malaysians including the Malays hear and talk these words to each other repeatedly, the belief and mindset of Malaysians and the Malays will become according to these words. When the Malaysians’ and Malays’ belief and mindsets are correct, then they will become hardworking peoples. Using the above method is not sufficient to eradicate completely the laziness among Malaysians workers. Malaysia needs to use the self-talk therapy known as Pekerja Bestari to all of her workers.

One of the most fundamental qualities that Malaysians workers must have in order to make Malaysia a progressive and advanced nation is hard working. Whenever men work there will be reaction. Every action there is a reaction. Without an action, there will be no reaction. When men made good action, there will be a good reaction. It is the rules of Allah that Allah looks at the action of men. When men make an action definitely, there is certain reaction. It is better to do a wrong action than not to do any action. It is better to do a good and correct action than to do wrong action .The worst condition of men is not to do any action at all or in other words being lazy. Laziness is the worst situation that a man can be. When we are lazy, we are not moving forward. When we are lazy, we are not willing to do anything. When men do a wrong action, eventually they will know that the action is wrong and they will move forward to do a better action until the day will come when they will do the correct action and obtain the correct result. A lazy person that is not willing to do anything is the worst person and always a loser. Malaysia must eradicate this bad habit from all her peoples particularly the Malays if Malaysia wants to become a progressive and advanced nation.

In order for Malaysia to move forward as an advanced nation, Malaysia must have workers who are hard working. In order to have hard working workers ,all workers in Malaysia must take a therapy known as “Pekerja Bestari “which consists of six tracks and each track consists of twenty good and correct words. Each track must be taken for one day, three times daily. The next day listen to the next track, until all the six tracks are completed. Once all the six tracks are completed, the whole process is repeated the next week. Once the treatments are completed and that may takes about six months all the workers have to take examination. When they passed the examination, the workers are certified as Pekerja Bestari. The results of a research study conducted by Universiti Utara Malaysia on workers who have taken self-talk therapy on Pekerja Bestari for six months shows that the therapy is effective in producing good, discipline and hard working workers. Malaysian government and the private sectors must make it compulsory for all workers to take therapy Pekerja Bestari for six months continuously. There will be one moderator, for every twenty participants and the moderator will monitor the treatment every month. The moderator will ensures all those under him or her are taking the treatment correctly and will conduct examination every month. Everyone must pass the examination on the entire six tracks, before the workers are certified. Workers who have taken the treatment are regarded as good, quality workers and can be used as a merit for promotion. When all government and private workers taken this treatment, I am sure the qualities of Malaysian government and private workers particularly the Malays workers will be improved. Once Malaysia has good qualities worker, Malaysia is ready to become an advanced and progressive nation.

Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
March 2012
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre