Racial polarisation among youths glaring: Khairy

PUTRAJAYA: Racial polarisation among Malaysian youths is still noticeable, and the multi-stream education system in the country is part of the reason.

Stating this, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said improving racial unity among Malaysians must be made by taking into account existing “constraints”.

He noted that from his observation, the younger generation does not have enough “meeting points” for exchanging experiences and fostering national unity.

“It can be improved. The racial polarisation is still too significant. We need to find more meeting points for Malaysians to share their experiences.

“I see that the youngsters do not have enough meeting points … (They go to) different schools, different entertainment and others … The fact that we go to different schools is part of the reason,” he said at a press conference after launching Aman Malaysia’s patriotic song Bumi Tercinta.

Khairy said efforts must be made to find out how the number of meeting points can be increased, adding that the subject of fostering racial unity has been well discussed under the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) programme.

“We have been discussing it in the context of TN50. Many discussions have been done for us to see how we can improve unity. But we know it is not easy,” he said.

Khairy also said the current political system should not be blamed for causing disunity among Malaysians.

“Many had thought that our political system has contributed to the situation, but the political system is a reflection of the society. Society still views the world through a racial lens,” he added.