Rekindling The Merdeka Spirit Among The Younger Generation

By Kurniawati Kamarudin This is the first of the two series on Merdeka focusing on the Gen Y's attitude in celebrating Merdeka KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- Come Friday, August 31, the nation will be celebrating its 55th independence anniversary, less than two weeks after Muslims celebrated Aidilfitri. And in commemorating the historical day, a host of events has been lined up from parades to activities that are literally a show of patriotism. However, with the passage of time, independence day or Merdeka Day celebration has lost its luster especially among the younger generation of today. The younger generation between the ages of 13 and 33 is the Generation Y (Gen Y) and their unenthusiastic reception of the Merdeka festivities is often misconstrued as being unpatriotic. WHY UNPATRIOTIC? Apart from commemorating Aug 31 as the day that the nation gained independence, the national day celebration also helps to reflect on the people's affection and deeds for the country. Nevertheless the Gen Y, made up of secondary school students, school leavers, undergraduates, those who have just embarked on their careers or in the middle of their career, could not truly appreciate the significance of the celebration. According to National Defence University of Malaysia's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Associate Prof Dr Mohamed Fadzil Che Din; "It is natural for the Gen Y to shun history or matters that are nostalgic in nature and therefore they loathe at matters that reflect the past including the Independence and the related events. "They dislike things that are static like history, that is constant and does not change in character," he told Bernama recently. The change in the mindset and the way that they view the world has been influenced by the education, environment and globalisation that had in fact moulded a new generation that is creative, innovative and dynamic, and dislikes the idea of being static or looking back. This is why they view the way independence is celebrated as something outdated or historic in nature. While they may sound unpatriotic, in the real sense they express their patriotism in their very own way and through their own mould. "They are the information technology generation. If in those days we carried flags through villages and towns in big groups, now it is a different matter altogether. "'I like, I follow' this is what they feel in their hearts. "They express their affection for the country individually through the virtual world, social media and so on, a stark contrast with the previous generation that held to face to face interaction, and believed in collective effort. EVALUATING THE DEGREE OF PATRIOTISM In debunking the general perception that the Gen Y is unpatriotic, Dr Mohamed Fadzil who is also the head of the Malaysian Social Insitute pointed out that the degree of patriotism could not be evaluated based on how they celebrated the independence anniversary. And the patriotic values of the youngsters should not be questioned as they have picked up the virtue through the education system and were well aware why the Merdeka anniversary is celebrated annually. However, their reluctance to partake in Merdeka celebration activities is very much due to the fact that going ahead with the same thing year after year out is not in their psyche. "One should also be mindful that they are a creative generation. They are used to thinking out of the box. Therefore enticing their participation calls for greater creativity as they will shy away from orthodox ways. "Come Merdeka anniversary, they are served with the same thing year after year highlighting the past struggles and figures again and again, but this generation that was born much later has difficulty in identifying themselves with the struggles and the figures," he pointd out. The different mindset isolated them and thus they have not been appreciative of the Merdeka festivities. It is not because they disliked them but for them it is beyond the ordinary, he said. "Year after year, the Jalur Gemilang (Malaysian flag) is given to Malaysians. There has to be a more creative approach, something that the younger generation will like to be associated with. "Maybe we can relate to them by adding pictures or logs like the F1 and Petronas, Felda, AirAsia or something similar. They symbolise iconic achievements of the country and its people and can easily relate with the youngsters. "The patriotism of the younger generation today in sports is high. So maybe the photograph of Lee Chong Wei who won the silver medal in the recent Olympics could be attached under the Malaysian flag, or the Harimau Malaya (national football team) team's stripes," he said adding that such creative approach will help the younger generation appreciate better the national flag and the nation. He stressed that patriotism not only for the country and government but also for all aspects that could bring greater glory to Malaysia. LOOKING FOR A NEW APPROACH In five years time, two thirds of Malaysians would be represented by the younger generation and now is the best time to rejuvenate and enhance the Merdeka spirit in them, he said. A new approach should be formulated in line with the aspirations of the younger generation today so that they will participate in their own will and in return enjoy a sense of fulfillment in celebrating Merdeka. As for example activities like flying the flag may not be favoured by the younger generation, yet if there are blogs or websites that calls for their dedication in conjunction with Merdeka, definitely more will be ready to express their patriotic fervour. On the same token the Merdeka Run will please the athletic types while those who love music will enjoy the battle of the band in conjunction with Merdeka, he said. "Therefore the period that they live in and their ways should be taken into account. All these are probably due to the their way of life, where they live in comfort, mollycoddled and etc", he said. The present generation may live within a location but their outreach is far and beyond, thanks to the social media - facebook and twitter. Moreover, the Merdeka celebration should be innovative as well and not just philosophical especially in terms of the celebration logo and slogan. "Like this year, the slogan "Promises Fulfilled", is brief and comprehensive, and easily understood and remembered by the public. HIGHLIGHT THE YOUNGSTERS' PERSONALITY Other than this the personality element too has to be emphasized by highlighting certain individuals who have contributed immensely in nation building instead or relating Merdeka with warriors, freedom fighters and so on. He pointed out that while everyone should know of history, role models from the post Merdeka generation and their deeds have to be exemplified for the benefit of the present generation. Dr Mohamed Fadzil pointed out that many of the youngsters not only have excelled in their academic and leadership realm, but also in sports, volunteer movement and etc. He noted that the younger generation want their efforts to be recognised, not only during Youth Day celebration, but also during Merdeka anniversary and to inspire and engage the Gen Y in nation building. In a nutshell the voices of the leaders from the younger generation should be heard and paid attention to. -- BERNAMA