THE young generation nowadays needs to fully understand the meaning of independence to inculcate a spirit of patriotism.
Batu Uban assemblyman A. Kumaresan said although the young generation has the patriotic spirit, it is not really noticeable.
This, he said, is due to the lack of understanding of the true meaning of independence.
“Therefore, the responsible authority needs to organise many awareness programmes to inculcate the spirit of patriotism among the youth.
“As an example, we can also fully utilise the use of social media to spread the beneficial contents related to the country’s independence.
”This in return can make the young people to have a better understanding of the sacrifices of their forefathers or our leaders who had battled and sacrificed to gain independence for the country.
“After all, they must understand that we all belong to Malaysia and no other country. So, a love for the country must be inborn,” Kumaresan said in his speech during an online forum session, titled ‘Patriotism among the youth’, today.
The forum session was organised and moderated by the Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC).
It was also broadcast live on the PYDC Facebook page.
The two-hour online forum session also featured a political analyst and social science lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, as one of the panelists.
On Aug 31 this year, Malaysia will celebrate the 64th anniversary of its independence.
Kumaresan said schools also play an important part to instil the patriotic spirit among the students, such as by conducting special programmes to raise awareness among them.
“In return, such activities can help to foster unity and understanding among them from multiracial backgrounds.
“Thus, this can strengthen the fundamental foundation that will spur the younger generation to love their country,” he said.
Kumaresan said buying local products, such as batik, could also evoke a sense of national identity and pride.
According to Dr Sivamurugan, patriotism generally means the will to defend the sovereignty of the country, upholding the Constitution, proud to be a Malaysian citizen and dare to defend the dignity and willingness to sacrifice for this country.
“However, for the post-independence generation, they probably have a different meaning of independence.
“For them, independence means to how far the education system has changed, better job opportunities, affordable living cost and others.
“So, what I am trying to say here is that youth nowadays have different meaning of independence but that does not mean that they are lacking patriotic spirit.
“I believe they have their own way to express their patriotism, such as by using a social media platform and others.
“So, we cannot compare those who live during the colonial era with the generation that we have now. It’s totally different,” he added.
Story and pix by Riadz Akmal