Over the past 60 years, Malaysians of different ethnic groups and faiths have tolerated, if not necessarily accepted each other, said Umno Youth exco member Shahril Hamdan.

This model, he said, was unsustainable, and a solution that will bring different groups closer together must be found soon.

"In the grand narrative, the Malays still do the Malay thing, while the Chinese and Indians do their own things. It's the same with Kadazans and Ibans," he told a forum on public policy and youths at Parliament today.

At present, the divisiveness of race and religion is less apparent only within certain elite circles.

"We hardly meet (each other), we don't have much space to meet and put aside ethnic and religious (differences). Maybe this exists in certain bubbles, circles and enclaves.

"I think if you go Bangsar, you have that. Maybe you are upper- and middle-class and you hang out with (the) rich and famous, it almost doesn't matter what your race is.

"But if you go out of KL, that doesn't seem to be the case. So what are the youth's aspiration to change this?" he asked.

Towards a Malaysian identity

In view of this, Shahril urged Malaysian youths find solutions to forge a "Malaysian civic identity" with common values and aspirations.

"If you cannot solve the Malaysian civic identity or national identity, I think this will come to bite you (in) the back," he warned.

Shahril was speaking at the Centre for Public Policy Studies' (CPPS) Youth in Public Policy Roundtable today.

Speaking to reporters later, Shahril said long-term solutions to these divisions must be found.

When asked if Malaysia's various ethnic groups would have to make certain compromises in order to achieve a common identity, Shahril said: "I'm not prepared to talk about that."

Previously, Shahril had advocated for single-stream schools, as opposed to vernacular schools running in parallel with national schools. 

He argued that this would allow children to socialise with other ethnic groups from an early age.