27/08/2025

WEDNESDAY | AUG 27, 2025

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COMMENT by Dr Nur Najah Radhiah Zainal Abidin

Not every issue is about race E VERY year, Malaysians celebrate Independence Day on Aug 31. Not long after, Malaysia Day is carelessness in nation? Maybe part of the answer lies in looking at the everyday things that already bring us together.

from powerless. Around the world, youth-led initiatives are showing how awareness can be transformed into meaningful action. In some communities, young people are establishing school and community gardens to improve food security. Others are using social media to raise awareness and mobilise support for displaced families. Research has shown that when youths are engaged in humanitarian response, such as during the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone, they can play critical roles in education, advocacy and community mobilisation. Education is central to enabling such actions. Schools and universities can provide platforms for young people to engage with global issues, learn about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and develop projects that address local needs. Embedding the SDG into school and university curricula as well as offering SDG-related training programmes, workshops and experiential projects can help young people gain a deeper understanding of sustainability challenges while equipping them with practical tools to design handling something as important as the national flag. But others were quick to turn it into a racial issue, flooding social media with claims about how a particular community was allegedly showing disrespect. What could have been explained as a mistake or perhaps incompetence was instead racialised and blown out of proportion. Which brings to mind the old saying: “Don’t attribute to malice what can be attributed to incompetence.” Not every error is born out of hatred and not every oversight is fuelled by ill intentions. Yet, in a society where sensitivities run deep, people often leap to the harshest possible interpretation. Part of this tendency stems from our history and politics. For decades, Malaysia’s social fabric has been filtered through the lens of race, from policies to political campaigns. Politicians often play up these divides because it benefits them to do so. But here is the truth: we, the people, are bigger than our politicians. Ordinary Malaysians have proven time and again that we can live, work and laugh together in ways that defy the narrow categories our leaders try to confine us in. So, how do we do better as a

If there is one thing Malaysians can agree on, it is food. Think about how we all get excited over new food trends. Just recently, Inside Scoop rolled out Merdeka Day ice cream flavours in collaboration with nostalgic brands that many Malaysians grew up with. Or think about the long conversations people have while sipping on Zus coffee, debating whether the Spanish Latte is better than the CEO Coconut Latte. And of course, the ultimate Malaysian question: Whose nasi lemak is better? Some swear by Bungkus Kaw Kaw, others cannot live without Burung Hantu or Wanjo. At the end of the day, these little debates are not about division; they are about joy. Remember how the whole nation stood still to cheer on Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei during his matches or how Datuk Nicol David became a symbol of pride for every Malaysian, regardless of race? Even today, whether it is Harimau Malaya on the football field or our athletes on the international stage, Malaysians come together to celebrate their victories and lament their defeats as one. Then there are the shared solutions in their communities. Platforms like Unicef’s “Voices of Youth” demonstrate how empowering young voices can transform awareness into advocacy and collective responsibility. The message of this year’s International Youth Day was clear: young people must be supported not only to understand the challenges of war and hunger but also to take action in their communities. By turning awareness into action, youths can contribute to ending hunger, advancing peace and ensuring that the SDG are not just distant goals but also living commitments shaping a more just and sustainable future. Sustaining progress on the SDG depends on empowering youths as present changemakers and future leaders, ensuring that their actions today will carry forward into lasting global impact. If we invest in youth awareness and action today, we are ultimately investing in the future of humanity. Assoc Prof Dr Majid Ghasemy is deputy dean of School of Education at Sunway University. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

TODAY’S young people are living through a time of profound global challenges. Conflicts continue to uproot families, hunger remains widespread and millions of children face uncertain futures. This year’s International Youth Day theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond”, calls attention to the vital role that young people can play in turning global ambitions into realities. The link between war and hunger is undeniable. Unicef reports that nearly one in six children worldwide lives in conflict zones, with their education, health and nutrition deeply disrupted. The World Food Programme warns that hunger is rising sharply in war-affected regions such as Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, where access to food has become a daily struggle. According to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 report, 673 million people were hungry in 2024, a figure that remains alarmingly higher than pre pandemic levels. These statistics remind us that hunger is not only a distant issue but one that urgently demands awareness and action. However, young people are far commemorated on Sept 16. While the former marks the birth of a sovereign nation free from colonial rule, the latter celebrates the formation of the broader Malaysian Federation in 1963, when Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak came together. Since achieving independence in 1957, incidents of racial tension have, unfortunately, never been unfamiliar to Malaysians. Almost every week, there seems to be a new headline or commentary highlighting how certain issues are framed through the lens of race. What is striking, however, is how something so seemingly simple – a mistake in advertising, a slip of the tongue or even a policy with no direct link to ethnicity – quickly gets attributed to race or hatred. A disagreement in public discourse can suddenly be reframed as an attack on one community. A business decision can be interpreted as discrimination. Even light-hearted or trivial matters are sometimes given racial undertones. Take, for instance, the recent case of a clinic that was ordered to close for 30 days after displaying the Malaysian flag upside down. Some criticised the clinic’s

Ordinary Malaysians have proven time and again that we can live, work and laugh together in ways that defy the narrow categories our leaders try to confine us in. – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN

pause before reacting, to ask ourselves: Is this really about race or are we letting old wounds and political rhetoric cloud our judgement? If we can resist that instinct and give one another the benefit of the doubt, we will see that we are already united in more ways than we think. Happy Merdeka and Happy Malaysia Day soon. Tanah tumpah darahku . Dr Nur Najah Radhiah Zainal Abidin is a senior lecturer at the Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

struggles that remind us how much we are alike. Whether it is enduring the legendary traffic jams, dealing with flash floods or even laughing at ourselves when we queue for hours for bubble tea or the latest sales, these experiences cut across ethnic lines. They remind us that we are all facing the same daily realities and toils together. At the end of the day, unity is not always found in the big speeches or official slogans but in the food we share, the holidays we enjoy and the everyday ways we live together. That is the Malaysia worth celebrating. So maybe the real challenge is to

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

COMMENT by Assoc Prof Dr Majid Ghasemy

From hunger to hope: Empowering youths as changemakers

It takes all to eradicate bullying THE recent tragedies at educational institutions where allegedly bullying sometimes escalated into brutal deaths have shaken Malaysians to the core.

shape good character. Schools, colleges and universities must become sanctuaries of safety and growth. Students should be taught to collaborate, live as a community and uplift one another. Dormitories must be governed by clear rules and compassionate oversight. It is necessary to appoint responsible and vigilant wardens. We should recognise the irreplaceable role of parents in shaping the moral compass of their children. Mothers in particular carry a profound responsibility of cultivating a nurturing home environment that fosters empathy, discipline and respect. Overindulgence and unchecked pampering can breed selfishness, eroding the value that holds society together. Parents must always give listening ears to their children and take immediate action on their complaints. Supportive parenting has been identified as one of the protective factors that will help to reduce bullying. Educators and staff must be equipped to combat bullying by fostering inclusivity, respect and a culture where such behaviour is unacceptable. Students should be taught that bullying is harmful and against core values, while specific anti bullying laws must also be enacted. Mohamed Mokhtar Ahmad Bajunid Cyberjaya

These horrifying incidents are not isolated acts of violence; they are a mirror reflecting our collective failure to nurture responsible, compassionate and morally grounded youths. We are seeing a worrying trend of bullying, including cyberbullying. There is an urgent need for targeted interventions and policies. Normally, there is a complex interaction between individuals, families, peers and the environment that influences the involvement of adolescents in bullying behaviours. For too long we have comforted ourselves with the belief that we are raising future leaders, children who will carry the torch of progress with dignity and wisdom. Instead, we are now confronting a painful truth. In some cases, we have raised youths devoid of empathy, accountability and fear of consequences. Studies have shown bullies often masking their deep insecurities behind domineering behaviours. Beneath their aggression lies social frustration, jealousy and emotional instability. But what is most alarming is the institutional failure to instil positive values and foster a culture of respect. Educational institutions must do more than deliver academic content. The educational institutions must