Endless possibilities with Malaysia’s new slogan

Even before its official launch, the new slogan of the Malaysian government is being pilloried and parodied. I can’t remember any slogan which has attracted this much attention even before its official launch.

The slogan is “Endless Possibilities” and already Malaysians are having endless fun with it.

So much so, that the Prime Minister’s Office, feeling that some were taking the possibilities too far, had to issue a statement on Aug 23 to end some accusations.

Most Malaysians were unaware of such a slogan until a news portal carried a story about it.

The report said the new slogan is scheduled to be officially launched on Sept 17, a day after Malaysia Day, and that it will replace the current “1Malaysia” slogan. It said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been seen wearing a badge with the “Endless Possibilities” design, and that Tourism Malaysia has been using the slogan in several of its overseas promotions.

Malaysians, of course, learned just over two elections ago to look into the endless possibilities in everything the government does – why it does something, is it fair, is it politically motivated etc. Those who heard of this slogan checked it out, and soon some claimed that the Malaysian government was copying the Israeli government. Israel has a tourism campaign that goes like this: “Israel: One Place. Endless Possibilities.”

Malaysians would remember that it wasn’t too long ago that Najib had to fend off allegations that his “1Malaysia” slogan was similar to Israel’s “1Israel” slogan.

Of course, anything Israel is anathema to most Malaysians and the government was forced to issue a statement post-haste.

“Malaysia’s ‘Endless Possibilities’ nation branding concept was publicly launched in January 2013 at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

“The Tourism Ministry of Israel started using ‘Endless Possibilities’ to promote their conference and incentive market four months later, in May 2013,” said the statement.

Najib was reported as saying, on Aug 23, that the “Endless Possibilities” slogan would be used to brand Malaysia globally and that it would complement the “1Malaysia” slogan.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz also came to the defence of the new slogan, insisting the government was not a copycat. He said Malaysia’s “Endless Possibilities” was, in fact, an extension of the “Malaysia Boleh” slogan.

The “Malaysia Boleh” slogan was coined in 1992 by the people at Milo and the Olympic Council of Malaysia.

Nazri explained that “1 Malaysia” was to unite the people while ‘Endless possibilities’ was to market Malaysia globally as a good place to do business.

No sooner had the government answered the latest charge about imitating Israel when other enterprising Malaysians, again demonstrating the endless possibilities of this theme, dug up a video clip where the slogan “Endless Possibilities” is used to promote Mongolia.

And, Mongolia, of course, is on everyone’s mind right now as the Court of Appeal, on Aug 23, freed two of Najib’s former bodyguards of the charge of murdering Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.

In fact, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang took the opportunity to dig at Najib by saying that the freeing of the duo by the court was another instance of “Endless Possibilities” in Malaysia.

But I don’t see anything wrong in using the same or a similar slogan to promote Malaysia. If the slogan is punchy enough, and meaningful enough, to achieve its aim, why not use it? Of course, an original slogan would be best.

But, isn’t it strange that we have not heard anything of the “1Malaysia” slogan since the May 5 general election? Even the “People First. Performance Now” slogan or tagline seems to have disappeared.

That reminds me: whatever happened to all those slogans that the government has been throwing at us over the years?

What, for instance, has happened to “Cemerlang, Gemilang, Terbilang” (Excellence, Glory and Distinction) introduced by former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi? And what about his “Tak Nak” (Don’t Want) anti-smoking campaign? Where did the “Towering Malay” go?

I haven’t heard these in a while: “Negara bersih, rakyat sihat” (Clean nation, healthy people), Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa (Language our soul), “Budi bahasa budaya kita” (Courtesy our culture), “Pandu cermat, jiwa selamat (Drive Safely) and “Cintai Sungai” (Love our Rivers)?

We all know that the police’s “Bersih, Cekap, Amanah” (Clean, Efficient, Trustworthy) gave way to “Mesra, Cepat, Betul” (Friendly, Fast and Correct).

I think only “Malaysia Boleh” has managed to hold its head high over the years by motivating Malaysians to think big. It still has currency, although it is often used today in a sarcastic manner.

Slogans have a place in society. Used effectively, they can galvanise people. But most of the time they serve merely as sound bites, without having any bite.

I may be wrong but I think most, but not all, government-driven slogans and campaigns serve only two purposes: to make those behind it feel a sense of achievement and to make rich those who are given the contract to organise the campaign.

The problem, I think, is that our leaders often mistake the slogan for a solution to a given problem. If only they would think a little deeper, they would see the endless possibilities.