Failure
of National Education

Looking
back the reformation of education, the government done a lot in the name of enhancing
the quality of education, however, in terms of building a Malaysian, it did
nothing.

Malaysia education system never promote political awareness among students, and this is
true from primary till higher education level, where the focus of the study is
to prepare the students for the capitalize business market. We were train as a
product and studies for market needs. The children and youth never been taught
about their national identity, meaning of democracy or even the concept of
human right and this is the result of alienation of education system from the
political reality!

During
the primary and secondary education level, we were inoculating with the concept
that politic it is sensitive and we are not mature enough to discuss about it.
However, when the luckier enter university, they were tight by University and
University Colleges Act 1971 where the intellectual were told to stay focus
only on studies but not questioning their rights or public issue.

Missing
Identity Generation

After
49 years of independence, we have failed to build a common identity for us as
Malaysian, racial suspicious, ethnocentrism is the never ending story among the
society. National interest issue had become racial base issue under the mouth
of country leaders. While ethnic dignity is still the main concern of Malaysia main
political party, it is impossible that national unity will exist. The
conservative political environments cause the confusion of identity among the
youth, as a Chinese, am I a Malaysian Chinese or Chinese Malaysian? We are the
generation without identity.

The
lack of interaction among different ethnic groups is not only caused by the
difference of cultural or language, but the most important is the lack of
common identity. Under the Ketuanan
Melayu concept of ruling party – UMNO, Malays and bumiputra are the land owners and others ethnics are only passenger
in the land, it prefer ethnic domination rather then share responsibility for
all. Therefore, the social class for the ethnic groups creates dissatisfaction
and suspicious among Malaysian. In case, the domination doesn’t limits to the
political status however it extends its effect to the social and even economic
sector. Malay cultural based National Cultural Policy and abnormal 20 years and
still ongoing affirmative policy – New Economic Policy, are the two typical
examples of the domination and exclusionist policy practice by the government.

Far
before Malaya gain independent from British
colonial, Dato’ Onn Jaafar, one of the
founder of United Malay National Organization (UMNO), already suggested to open up
the membership of UMNO to non-Malay ethnic, this is due to his believe that
“Malay” should means common nationality but not ethnic identity.

Political
Party is the Solution?

So,
what are we after almost a half century of independent? The failure of the
government to build a common national identity doesn’t stop here, but when it
swing in with the deformity of education system, it result in the youth will never
have a chance to thinks, to debates and say nothing of proposing constructive
solution. However, one would consider youth engaging in political party is the
solution.

But
looking at Malaysia political system, we can see another form of domination - elite domination. The
fact that only those who have a family or close relation, high education
qualification or rich person can their voices been heard in Malaysia political and public institution. In the other hand, normal civilian voices
will never get the equal chance as the elite does.

Solution
Live with the People

Meanwhile,
politic is not all about political party. The unique of politic is more to
peoples’ awareness, equal participatory chance and people empowerment. It is
not elitist style, and it is not participating without understanding. It means
opening up space to collect people comments without promoting the value of
human rights, democratic and others important universal concept among people is
just a politician game to fulfill their responsibility superficially. Therefore
the youth should be reeducate, not their career profession, but their
understanding of those important concept.

However,
that is only equipping them with a common understanding concept to combat with
the ethnic polarization and suspicious. A series of intellect debate should
launch with openness for drawing the picture of national identity among the
youth. It is important that the debate should including the whole civilian but
not rely on few political elite. This would give a chance of participating and
also stimuli idea from civil society and avoid the elite domination.

The
long-term oppression create strong dissatisfaction among the people, is not the
matter of unconcern, but the main problem is the free and safe channel to
express their opinion. The white terror created by draconian law such as
Internal Security Act (ISA), Official Security Act (OSA), UUCA and others is
psychologically preventing the youth to voice their critical opinion. Therefore,
there is no one single solution to solve the problem and it would be a long process
to go before we can found our identity and claim ourself as first class nation.
However, a mile distance begin with a small step, the youth shouldn’t repeat
the history failure, but start to create our story. Its time to restart our
activism – the youth activism.