Khairy: Heighten racial unity despite the obstacles

PUTRAJAYA: Racial unity among Malaysian youths is not at a desirable level but it can be improved, said Khairy Jamaluddin.

The Youth and Sports Minister said racial polarisation is quite apparent among youngsters, especially in schools and other activities.

“I can see that young Malaysians do not have enough meeting points to enable them to have more shared experiences,” he told a press conference after the launch of a new patriotic song titled Bumi Tercinta yesterday.

Khairy was asked to comment on the current state of racial unity among Malaysian youths, and the minister said the Malaysian school system is “partly” a factor why young Malaysians are still polarised.

“The fact that they go to different schools is one of the reasons. But there is nothing much you can do about this now, it is the education system that we have.

“With all these constraints that we face, we have to think of ways to increase the meeting points. And we have been heavily discussing this in the TN50 (National Transformation 2050) dialogues, to find ways to increase unity. But admittedly, it is not easy.

“Many think the country’s political system is contributing towards this (racial polarisation). However, the political system is only a reflection of society. Our society is one that still views the world through racial lenses,” he said.

Launched in conjunction with the Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day celebrations, as well as the Negaraku campaign to boost patriotism, Bumi Tercinta was composed by Aubrey Suwito and its lyrics were penned by Ad Samad.

The song was produced by non-profit organisation Aman Malaysia, of which Khairy is patron.

Khairy added that more organisations like Aman Malaysia should come up with patriotic songs that can help spur Malaysians to love their country even more.