COMMENT | Youth party: Only young people can live up to the ideals of Merdeka
COMMENT | Merdeka is a concept. It is not the fireworks, the holiday or the mini-flag at the car top - Merdeka is a concept. On the last day as a British colony, we have taken this scary ride together. We have agreed to build this country with the strength of its people, with a heart full of idealism.
A more perfect unity, a democratic way of life, a just society fair and equitable, an open heart to all cultures, a progressive society that moves with science and modern technology. In the seven loud chants of “Merdeka”, we have made a vow to the world that we will achieve this together.
Though the idealism was heavy, we were ready...
COMMENT | Merdeka is a concept. It is not the fireworks, the holiday or the mini-flag at the car top - Merdeka is a concept. On the last day as a British colony, we have taken this scary ride together. We have agreed to build this country with the strength of its people, with a heart full of idealism.
A more perfect unity, a democratic way of life, a just society fair and equitable, an open heart to all cultures, a progressive society that moves with science and modern technology. In the seven loud chants of “Merdeka”, we have made a vow to the world that we will achieve this together.
Though the idealism was heavy, we were ready.
Full of smiles, Tunku Abdul Rahman’s first years as prime minister of Malaysia were happy. He enjoyed a society that is built on its rich traditions; prosperous, open-minded and happy. Then it started crumbling.
From the world’s happiest prime minister, he became the world’s unhappiest. Race riots shattered what we have painstakingly sown for decades, corruption reared its ugly head, our institutions’ integrity suffered until today.
We have tried for 63 years
For 63 years we have tried to reclaim those ideals and for the most part, we have failed. We have forgotten the days where politics is pursued in the interest of the Malaysian people. Politics today is synonymous to the selfish pursuit of individual power and ego. The same personalities have dominated the top rung of our political shelves for over 40 years.
Corruption is everywhere. Politicians have become more selfish than ever before. Almost no decisions are made without first considering their political and private interest. Greed is permissible. The largest white-collar crime is found in Malaysia’s 1MDB, the most dramatic party-hopping exercise is found in Malaysia, the oldest world leader who refuses to leave the scene is also here.
We have come close to Merdeka’s ideals again in 2018 when we have changed the government for the first time, where Malaysians around the country renewed their faith on what is possible. We found that democracy, justice, and progress have meaning again. But this was swiftly reversed.
We returned to the roulette of prime minister candidates, where old people above 70 tussled with their egos for individual glory.
What we have found from that chapter was that we could no longer rely on the older generation to bring us to the idealism of our founding heroes. Time is running out.
The ideals of unity, progress, and integrity
The offer on Malaysia’s table is a dramatic influx of young people: Youth leadership, youth participation, youth platforms. The recent attempts at new parties and coalitions - Bersatu, Pejuang, Perikatan Nasional, Muafakat Nasional etc - were simply a reinvention of the same thing. They were still stuck on race and religion; their lack of imagination coming from a claimed victimhood of circumstance.
Our country needs young people, not as a by-the-way project - we need them as the only way to live up to the ideals of our Merdeka.
Unity. The future is multiracial. Growing up cosmopolitan and urban, most young people do not know of a reality where people have to live in their respective racial silos and assume stereotypes of each other. As one generation carries on to the next, we are already observing a newfound openness in voting patterns where young people are more likely to vote across racial lines.
The irrationality and extremism of racism are slowly exposed. Lies and untruths told by politicians to drive fear and hatred into our hearts will no longer work. Our nature is kind, generous, and compassionate - the foundation that is true in our people’s history.
More important, unity is inevitable. The young people in this generation is the first generation that is worse off than their parents. They are poorer, unhappier, and lonelier. The building blocks of our economy, politics, and society requires the help of each other. Communities in Subang, Wangsa Maju, Johor Baru, Kuantan or Kapar could not be built by one race, religion, or creed alone. They must be built together.
Progress. The challenges of our time are unique. Technology and the internet have fundamentally altered how our days are organised. How we communicate, how we make friends, how we work, how we eat, how we travel, how we sleep. If we want to embrace the idealism of progress in staying ahead of the technological curve, then we must give room to young people.
Policy fundamentals must be reexamined. Flexible working hours, remote working, productivity and wages, employment protection for gig workers, incentives for entrepreneurs, privacy and security, academic curriculum, and others.
Older people typically find the dramatic transitions of technology unnerving and difficult. This is normal. Whereas for young people, technology is the only thing they know. It is only through this technological revolution that young people are taking up jobs that have not previously existed: Digital content marketers, mobile app developers, AI engineer, data scientist, startup managers, podcast producer, search engine optimisation (SEO) specialist, cloud architect, cybersecurity specialist, Grab driver, and others.
Only young people could understand these problems enough to know what the ideal path forward is for the country. The world of rapid change and uncertainty is the only life they know.
Integrity. The rare commodity young people have come to appreciate is integrity. As they take over a country that is rotten mainly from a lack of integrity in our institutions and its actors, young people will understand that building anything sustainable requires a stern observation of these principles.
Not burdened by the past, a young person is able to imagine an idealistic future when an old person sees challenges and limitations. Being exposed to worldwide movements of justice and integrity through the internet also meant that young people today are more informed about what is right and wrong. The protests in the United States, Hong Kong, Brazil, Chile, Egypt are not far away.
Of course, this is not to imply that young people are incorruptible. It is simply that corruption would be more readily caught out as young people now have a higher regard for integrity as the primary ingredient for our success.
Whether it is in the form of a new youth party, a newfound youth movement, a new uprising of youth candidates or a dramatic strengthening of the youth wings in existing political parties, there shall be a clarion call for youth involvement in politics.
Our country does not simply require an alternative. We require an alternative that is promising, refreshing, and liberating. So that we are no longer shackled by the past - rather, we are carried by our earliest memories of this country. Let our youths walk in the shoes of our forefathers, drumming the tone of our first Merdeka.
JAMES CHAI is a legal consultant and researcher working for Invoke, among others. He also blogs at jameschai.com.my. You may reach him at jameschai.mpuk@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
