Unity and stability are priceless commodities and essential ingredients for the future of any country what more in the case of Malaysia – a country of multi ethnicity, religions and so on and so forth. Without the correct handling of sensitive issues, it could lead the country to an abyss and anarchy. We should never allow our beloved nation to go down that road, no matter what the personal or community agenda that one is championing for.
Malaysia was borne out of determination through compromises, accommodation and sacrifices between our great leaders. Let us not to shatter the dreams of seeing Malaysia becoming a great nation: a nation that stand tall among the international community. But the news coming out of the formal or informal media in Malaysia is too distressing to us, Malaysians residing abroad.
Malaysia was borne out of determination through compromises, accommodation and sacrifices between our great leaders. Let us not to shatter the dreams of seeing Malaysia becoming a great nation: a nation that stand tall among the international community. But the news coming out of the formal or informal media in Malaysia is too distressing to us, Malaysians residing abroad.
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Are we losing grasp of the true values and meaning of understanding, tolerance, etc.? Is this the Malaysia that we want or hopes for? What are we turning Malaysia to? Why are all this only happening now? Does it mean that the values practiced by the older generations of Malaysia that have managed to live side and side, peacefully with respect and tolerance are of no relevance in this era of so-called globalized development.
Perhaps we should look at how our education system in the past had managed to bring about a peaceful and tolerance society as compared to the current system. Education is an important element in shaping society. Subjects such as Civic or appreciation of society should be exposed to the children at the young age. Program such as the National Service, though very well intended, was formulated with the vision to strengthen the spirit of patriotism and unity in the hearts and minds of Malaysian youth. But the program is only meant for those above 17 or 18 years old and above, an age which is considered already too late to mould them into responsible citizens. Looking at the number of cases (based on newspaper reports), there is already an increasing trend of disciplinary problems involving secondary school children such truancy, drugs, and the list goes on. Hence, the success rate at turning this irresponsible behavior would not be as high as that we hope for.
In this respect, we should have some other programs that could instill this spirit of team player, patriotism at a much younger age such as having summer camps, etc. They will then learn those values in a fun manner and not kind of regimented. Universities should also look at encouraging their students’ associations/clubs to have more community oriented programs during semester breaks. All these programs will go a long way in teaching them how to assimilate and integrate in a multi-racial society.
May Malaysia continue to develop and prosper!
