Power lies in the hands of youths to shape the country’s future

KUALA LUMPUR: The saying that the future of a country lies in the hands of the younger generation clearly ref lects how important the younger generation or youths are to a country.

It also stresses the importance of handling important assets properly such as looking into the welfare of young people in a country as they will define the fall and rise as well as the status of development of a country.

However, are they, the precious assets of the country, ready to take on the challenges they have been entrusted with, considering the present generation’s leaning towards lighter stuff in life and having a good time rather than tackling the issues of national interest and that of the country?

The role and responsibility of educating or guiding the younger generation should of course not rest solely on the government, but instead, various parties should play their part in ensuring that youths become precious assets of the country and not “glass splinters”, said the president of the Malaysian Youth Council ( MYC), Mohamed Maliki Mohamed Rapiee.

Associations or organisations that support youths and youth activities should be strengthened to help the government in the development of a new generation of leaders for the future, he told Bernama.

The MYC, which was officially set up in 1950, is the leading body in Malaysia that is responsible for coordinating youths and student organisations in the country and has been tasked with making the younger generation more creative and proactive as well as responsible citizens of this country.

The role it plays is also constantly reviewed and expanded according to the needs of prevailing situations to ensure that the young people of the country are capable of leadership and have the ability to expand their potential to the highest level, said Mohamed Maliki.

In order to support the development of the younger generation, he said various youth programmes have been organised to cover various areas from sports, culture and economy to social and political knowledge.

One area of focus for the MYC is the involvement of youths in voluntary services, which are known to develop positive values in young people such as compassion, cooperation, care, patriotism and humanitarian values.

“We know that charity work comes with no pay and needs the energy of the volunteer, but the practice of such good deeds needs to be instilled in the makeup of the younger generation as it will teach them to become more responsible,” he said.

Those who become volunteers can also be considered the country’s assets as they greatly help reduce the burden and expenditure incurred by the country in the areas they are involved in.

For example, the 1Malaysia For Youth (IM4U), a youth programme which was inspired and launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last year, is one good initiative that encourages the involvement of the young generation in voluntary activities on a large scale.

“The youth group has fresh and high ideals, as well as a fighting spirit that will not be easily defeated and a powerful sense of activism and growing intellectualism.

“The IM4U, therefore, is an ideal platform offered by the government in its efforts to optimise the advantages that the youths have while they are still at a young age, by encouraging them to serve and bring good to the society,” Mohamed Maliki said.