- 2 months ago
Unity was everywhere in 2025, in speeches, policies and headlines. But did it show up in daily life for young Malaysians? We look back, reflect, and ask what unity should feel like in 2026.
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00:00Hello, I'm Amirul Ayman and welcome to It's About Youth.
00:11As 2025 comes to an end, one word kept appearing again and again throughout the year, unity.
00:18But beyond the slogans and campaigns, young Malaysians had their own lived experience of what unity actually felt like.
00:26So tonight, we ask a simple question with a complicated answer.
00:31Did 2025 bring us closer or further apart?
00:35Now, to help us unpack this, we are joined by two youth leaders, Arif, President of the UKMDB Club,
00:43and as the award leader with the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.
00:48Thank you so much, guys, for joining us tonight for tonight's discussion.
00:51So let's start with something that shapes almost every young Malaysian, our education system.
00:58So because for many of us, school and universities are actually the first places where we learn to mix,
01:06to collaborate and also sometimes to navigate our differences.
01:09So Arif, let's start with you first.
01:11Looking at 2025, how do you feel our education system has influenced unity among youth from different backgrounds?
01:19And has it brought people closer or actually pushed them apart or a bit of both?
01:25What do you think?
01:26Okay, thank you so much for the question.
01:28I personally think that it's actually a mix of both.
01:31It did make all of us become closer, but also at the same time, there is some kind of disparity to begin with.
01:38For example, like if we see on our daily life application, schools and universities are the main platform that create some kind of shared medium and also experiences for the students.
01:50We have like Kelab Persatuan, Sukkan, or even any kind of organizations for the students.
01:55And I think that situation simply is a good incentive that we have to maintain.
01:58But understand that unity is not automatic, which means that a lot of us still have to take the incentive on our own to become like much more collaborating between one and another.
02:10Or else it's going to be like parallel experience where less incentive to mingle around from different people from different backgrounds, for example.
02:19So like, I feel like nowadays, youth are willing to mix with different races, with our friends and all.
02:25But there is still like the, I would say the system in current status quo itself is not designed for meaningful interactions.
02:34Therefore, there should be more efforts on fixing that part of the status quo in general.
02:40So yeah, if you were to ask me, I feel like there is a lot of good friendships in education system itself.
02:47I myself have a lot of friends from different backgrounds, for example.
02:51But in order to maintain that kind of like stability, we have to keep on trying new things and also talking to new people, doing more like exciting things in our university years and eventually get more meaningful experiences.
03:06Esther, how do you see it from your experience?
03:08So from my experience, because currently I'm working among secondary school students essentially.
03:13So one thing that I can observe among them is that when we speak about unity, we often quote unity with the concept of, you know, races.
03:20But unity is not only confined to that alone.
03:23Unity also refers to the word inclusivity, where it also refers to differently abled people.
03:27So one thing that we can see like among the initiatives that the ministry has announced is integrating sign language as a part of a subject upcoming the year 2027, which is somewhat a good initiative because it allows these young people to realize that unity does not only evolve around one particular area, but also it refers to inclusivity with differently abled people.
03:49So if we look at the current status among youth and also among teenagers itself, it's a mix of both.
03:54I do agree with what our friend mentioned here.
03:57So the government should encourage and also should initiate more initiatives in order to encourage these people towards unity and also inclusivity at the same time.
04:07I want to toss you guys this question because referring to recent cases when we've heard in the news where this is one cases where one STPM leavers, a Chinese student, he couldn't make it to any public universities.
04:21There was a lot of like hurrah between the media and all that.
04:25Do you think this kind of case actually shows there's a gap between the education system and also it kind of create a conflict between race as well?
04:35You can see in the media.
04:36Do you think it's an isolated case or do you think it is something beyond systemic problem in our education system?
04:41Maybe you can start with Ari first in that.
04:42I think to answer that question or the incident itself that falls back to the awareness of yourself towards the current system that we have in our nation.
04:51So the moment that you're trying to criticize your own fate, which is, I would say, the UPU system itself is fairly justified and also like fairly coordinated by the authorities.
05:01So the moment that you want to criticize that and make it like a big hurrah out of it, that simply just shows you that you are some kind of lacking in terms of information and also knowledge about what is truly happening.
05:12So to avoid that thing from being worse or to avoid that thing from happening again in the future, I would say that the young Malaysians out there should really educate themselves, really become like literate about all the news, how the education system works in general.
05:27So you can simply get more aware about what is happening all around you and therefore creates, like avoiding creating more conflicts or drama that is unnecessary and also some kind of like affecting the nation, nation space in general.
05:43So yeah, just like try to educate more and really investigate why is it happening so and what can you do about it?
05:50So my take on this, I wouldn't really blame on that individual or the system itself because one problem we have is in terms of the norms.
05:57Because we, growing up as young people, we have been taught that if you get good grades, especially if you get like excellent result like a four flight or something, you will be prioritized in like UPU selections and everything.
06:08So these students, again, what our friend mentioned in terms of they are not aware of the system itself.
06:13But one thing that we have to emphasize here is that not all races get opportunities equally in our education system.
06:19And that's something that we have to be really aware of because when we look at the amount of, you know, applicants that are accepted into matriculation programs or ASASI programs, we can see the differences among there itself.
06:29So we can't just put blame on the system entirely or on the individual entirely.
06:33But it is a, and has to quote, it exists between everything, meaning there should be a balanced system where every, if everyone is entitled equal opportunity, then we can put the matter of literacy there, of being aware of it.
06:46But again, we have to acknowledge that not everyone get equal opportunity in terms of accessing into higher education.
06:53So yes.
06:54Okay, let's bring this conversation forward into 2026 and talk about what could actually change.
07:00Esther, maybe we can begin with you on this one.
07:02Moving forward, what changes in our education system would generally help young Malaysians understand, respect and work better with those who are different from them?
07:11Okay.
07:12So I think the first thing, the changes that we need is in terms of, because when we take the Ministry of Education, right, we have a lot of theoretical learning compared to experiential learning.
07:21Because we learn more on like, you know, Nilay Murni, good values.
07:24Like they are being taught in school, but they are not being practiced as much as we learn.
07:28So the first thing that the Ministry has to do is to increase programs that nurtures, in a way, gives room for exposure for these young people.
07:36Because the more they are exposed with a multiracial environment, with an inclusive society, the more they learn.
07:42That's the first thing.
07:43Number two is in terms of building trust itself.
07:45Because when we come, speak in terms of unity, unity comes in the, also in trust itself.
07:51So the Ministry itself, and also us as an individual, we have to take initiative in order to build trust with one another.
07:58And also to make school a safer place.
08:00Because if we look back at 2025, the cases that are happening in higher secondary schools, it is quite sad to see how our society has become, in a way.
08:09So that's the thing that, in my opinion, that we should do in terms of changes in the Ministry.
08:13Arif, what would you like to add to that?
08:15I think like to ensure a better engagement between people that are different from you, we have to prioritize a meaningful connection.
08:23For example, maybe like the Education Ministry itself can implement a lot of project-based programs, for example, that involve different kind of groups to come together and solve that particular problem.
08:34That, in itself, I think is very crucial, so that you can get continuous exposure for different people from different backgrounds, working together to solve the problem that you were given into.
08:44Other than that, I think that media literacy, as well as communication skills are also very important.
08:49Because the moment that you are aware about what is happening in the media, and the moment that you know how to communicate with people that are different from your own self,
08:57I think that is simply teaching you to become a better person, especially in this multi-diverse community itself.
09:04Okay, now, we know that education builds mindset, but policies shape the environment that we live in.
09:10Let's shift this composition to laws and also the economy as well.
09:14Arif, when you look at our current laws and economic policy, in what ways do they encourage a sense of shared destiny among youth?
09:22And also, in what ways might they also weaken that feeling?
09:26I think that, in general, the current policies and also economic of the nation itself is simply stable.
09:33But, of course, there are rooms for improvement, right?
09:36So, some of the policies, like economic policies to begin with, are very much good.
09:41They are somehow bringing people together.
09:43But, most of the times, there is also, like, disparity.
09:47Because, for example, we can see, like, this year, the government has implemented, like, PTPTN re-establishment, for example, restructuring in general.
09:55And also, we can see a lot of TVET scholarships.
09:58All that kind of incentives are given by the government towards the youngsters.
10:01But, at the same time, I kind of agree with what Esther said just now.
10:05So, the excess of information is not equal towards all people on the ground.
10:09There are still, like, regions where people do not even get information about those incentives,
10:14thus, making them to not be economically stable and, therefore, being able to improve their life itself.
10:21So, there is unequal access to quality of life, as well as access towards information and education in general.
10:28And I think that is something that we should really prioritize on.
10:31So, like, it's very hard to talk about unity when people in the system itself are still surviving.
10:36We have to cater towards more people on the ground, therefore, making their life much more comfortable and improved every single year.
10:43Esther, what do you think?
10:45Yeah, so, my take on this in terms of unity, if we look at the current laws,
10:48if I were to focus on our country in this particular year, 2025,
10:51there were 14 new bills that were passed in the parliament.
10:54And one of the crucial ones that I think many people would somewhat agree with it is the Anti-Bullying Act,
11:00which was targeted to protecting young children,
11:02where they have established an Anti-Bullying Tribunal, as well, for children below the age of 18.
11:08So, I think that is one of the key initiatives that the government has done in a way that
11:12emphasizes and also encourages youth to practice inclusivity and also to take accountability of the actions.
11:18Because one thing that we have to address is that when we talk about bullying,
11:21bullying is not just a problem of an individual, it also correlates with the society itself.
11:25Because people say that it takes a village to raise a child.
11:28Everyone is responsible, the parents, the children, like every individual that plays a role in that child
11:34is crucial in building good values among them.
11:37So, when this Anti-Bullying Act is passed, the one unity that we can take is that each and every one of us
11:42have accountability towards that particular issue.
11:44So, that is how, in my opinion, unity is formed.
11:47And also, if we were to target youth itself, I think I agree with what our friend mentioned here,
11:51regards to reaching the unreached as well, getting ideas from them as well,
11:56when it comes to formulating policies and laws.
11:58So, yes.
11:59And that also leads us to perfectly to the question of reform.
12:03Master, do you think we need policy reforms to strengthen the unity among young Malaysians?
12:09And if yes, what kind of reforms comes to your mind first and why?
12:14Okay.
12:14So, if you ask me, in terms of the laws, yes, I do agree there are gaps in certain areas.
12:19Like, if we look at education in terms of, like, the acceptance rates among, like, if we
12:23are to do a difference between each intake, like, STPM or matriculation, we can see the
12:27number of intakes that are different to each other.
12:29So, there are gaps that should be addressed.
12:31But at the same time, for me, I believe that it is not just about policies, but it is more
12:35towards an individual mindset.
12:37Because unity can only be encouraged in a society if we, as an individual, we believe and we want
12:43to practice it as a person.
12:44Because although we have good policies, like, we do have stable policies in our country,
12:48but most importantly, change begins with one individual.
12:52And the most important aspect is our mindset regarding that issue.
12:55What reforms do you think matters the most?
12:57I think we do actually need reforms, but not the drastic kind of reforms.
13:02Just the one that are more targeted, the one that are more niche to tackle and also
13:07cater to those that are really in need.
13:08For example, maybe, like, government can give more scholarships for those that really
13:12deserve to get one or even get more TVET opportunities.
13:15And most importantly is, like, providing more equitable access to information.
13:20That's what I've said before, which is, like, the knowledge is simply a power.
13:24So, you have to really know what is happening or, like, some kind of benefits to yourself.
13:28Most of the times, like, rural areas, those that are living there do not have equitable
13:33access to access the information itself.
13:36So, therefore, I think government should really do something to reach that level of knowledge
13:40to the people, therefore they can know what is the benefits that are available for them.
13:44And it simply increases the freedom of choice that they have to begin with.
13:47I'd like to ask you if I can follow up with that, Arif, because Esther mentions that,
13:53you know, a change needs to happen.
13:55The individual needs to change first.
13:56I think that's what you mentioned, right, Esther?
13:58So, did you agree with that statement?
14:00Or do you think it's more like a top-to-bottom approach or is it the other way around?
14:04I think it's actually 50-50.
14:06The top people or authorities or even governments should play equal role with the individual
14:11level itself.
14:12Because if you are the person of this nation, right, you have to really know what is actually
14:17given to you, what is the policies that government really care and they want to protect you in
14:21some kind of way.
14:22At the same time, governments should also, like, really listen to the people on the ground
14:26to listen to the, probably, like, problems or sufferings.
14:30And in that way, it helps with the policymaking that the government have to do to begin with.
14:35So, I feel like both parties should give, like, better and also equal chance of, like, play,
14:41for example.
14:42In that way, we can ensure more efficient communication and better policymaking eventually.
14:48Okay, now policy set the rules, but politics sets the mood, you know, especially for youth.
14:53So, let's go there first.
14:54Arif, thinking about the major political events this year, we have a lot.
14:57How have they shaped the way young people see each other?
15:02And did these events open up more understandings or perhaps more divisions?
15:06And why?
15:07I think it kind of sets both situation.
15:11True, politics nowadays polarizes people to certain point.
15:15But at the same time, due to, like, non-stop public discourse, for example, due to non-stop
15:20conversation between people about this party or that party, in that way, it creates a more,
15:25like, space for people to share their opinions and also eventually improves their literacy
15:30about the politics in general.
15:32So, if you see, like, online spaces, for example, they do amplify the conflict.
15:37People really talk whatever they want there.
15:39But also, at the same time, it gives more literacy towards other people that are seeing
15:44that particular article, for example.
15:46At least they know, oh, there is something happening within my nation.
15:48I think I should do about it or at least get to know what is happening all around the world.
15:53So, like, even though public discourse can be a little, like, extreme, for example, but
15:59if you see real life, I don't think, like, more youth are simply hating on another.
16:03We're just, like, trying to make the sense out of it.
16:06So, it's not really that extreme to begin with.
16:08But it's just the point of discussing among your friends, discussing about what is happening
16:13all around the world.
16:15And that being said, you can get to know a lot more information about your nation.
16:19Astin?
16:20Yeah, for me, because this past year, we had a lot of political issues, right?
16:24But I just want to mention on two key areas that I think most of us have seen in the past
16:28few months.
16:29Number one is in terms of the ASEAN chairmanship, Malaysia.
16:32We are the ASEAN chairman.
16:33And we also hosted the main events in regards to ASEAN and stuff.
16:37But for me, I believe that this was a good platform for the young people to get to do
16:40more about ASEAN.
16:42Because the awareness regarding the role of ASEAN and also the role of Malaysia in, you
16:46know, regulating all the policies and also regulating the events itself, in a way, it
16:50created a good bond among the ASEAN countries.
16:52Because during the ASEAN summit, it was not only targeted for the leaders itself, but also
16:56the young people, they were able to engage in exchange programs and everything.
17:00So, in a way, it encourages these young people to engage with an audience that they are not
17:05familiar with.
17:05So, that's the first thing that I can see.
17:07Another thing, if we see recently regarding the recent election in Sabah, we can see that
17:12many young people are coming forward in terms of voicing out their own opinion in social
17:17media and also in any platforms, regardless of where they are.
17:20So, this is a good growth.
17:21But at the same time, I also acknowledge that some young people are also not very literate
17:27in terms of politics, you know, in terms of the policies that are being emphasized and
17:31shared across.
17:32So, they should take up initiatives to learn better regarding it.
17:36I would like to bring you guys to this kind of statements.
17:39You know, we have a lot of political figures, especially from the right wing and all that,
17:45making such statements that could consider as racist.
17:48And if you look at online, those kind of statements gain traction, especially among youth.
17:54I don't know, maybe on TikToks and all that.
17:56Do you think those kind of statements, I don't want to name names, but do you think those kind
18:01of statements, actually, the youth truly believe in that it will create some kind of discourse
18:07between race?
18:08Or do you think youth nowadays will feel like, no, I don't buy in this idea.
18:13You know, we believe in more united Malaysians.
18:14So, what do you think?
18:15Yeah.
18:16Can start with Esther first, perhaps.
18:17For me, I believe there is a possibility for there to be a discourse.
18:21Because we can see that young people are vulnerable to be influenced easily.
18:26Not many people have their own individual stand regarding an issue.
18:29Like, many young people that I have worked with, especially in the age of like 15 to 19 years
18:33old, they are like prone to being influenced regarding like the ideas that they hear online.
18:38So, when they hear an issue, especially in a right-wing leader mentioning regarding race
18:44and, you know, talking topics that are not very good for our society, that in a way can influence
18:50these young people and they themselves can develop similar ideas to it.
18:54So, there is a possibility, but at the same time, if they have their own individual stand
18:58and opinion, that would in a way help them navigate it.
19:01Do you think our youth are well opinionated?
19:03Yeah.
19:04Okay, it's actually a 50-50 thing.
19:06Because if we can see that there are people who are very well opinionated, they have their
19:11own stand regarding an issue, but at the same time, there are youth that are easy to be
19:15influenced in a way.
19:16So, the reason why they are easily influenced is because they lack exposure.
19:20And if they have exposure, if they have proper guidance regarding these issues, they will
19:25be able to navigate and also develop their own opinion regarding an issue.
19:29Arif, yeah, what's your take on that?
19:30I think whenever there is like a controversy that is happening all around social media,
19:35there is a chance for public discourse to happen.
19:37And again, public discourse is generally good.
19:39People at least can know what is happening.
19:42But I feel like every one of us should actually have the self-incentive to investigate what is
19:48the truth or the wrong motion that is being presented through this public discourse itself.
19:54So, like, it's good for you to participate in public discourse, voicing out your opinions,
19:58voicing out what kind of stance that you are choosing from.
20:00But you also have to acknowledge the fact that it's going to have some kind of implication
20:05if you really voice out too much.
20:06And also, if you don't voice out, you should also investigate and analyze all the truth
20:12levels that are being presented online.
20:14That in itself is simply a good thing for us to begin with because it conveys a lot of
20:19important message, especially to the young Malaysians.
20:23Okay, so beyond watching politics, let's talk about youth in politics itself.
20:27Esther, based on what you've seen in 2025, how would you describe the role of youth
20:31that they have played in politics and what more do you think young Malaysians could help
20:37or to shape a healthier, more united political environment?
20:41So, for me, I would say that if we look at the past few months in terms of youth participation
20:45in a political environment, since the passing of the bill of reducing the voting age, we can
20:51see that many young people have come forward in terms of, like, learning about politics itself,
20:55getting to know about the system.
20:56Like, right now, if we look at the numbers of young voters, it's like, it's approximately
21:01around 5 million more than that.
21:03So, we have a lot of young people who have actually taken up initiatives to learn about
21:06politics itself, to get to know about their leaders, to get to know about the people who
21:10are competing in their own area.
21:11And also, we can see that a group of people are also involved in activism, where they come
21:16forward, if there are something that they don't agree with the government, they do show
21:19their opinions regarding it.
21:21So, we can see.
21:21But, again, everything must come in a balanced area, meaning young people should know their limit
21:28when it comes to voicing out their opinion.
21:29At the same time, they should know the ways that they should address their opinions and
21:35everything, yeah.
21:36Okay, so, Arif, what's your view on that?
21:38So, I think that the more we progress across the year, the more we can see more youngsters
21:42are really invested and interested towards political landscape.
21:46Even though that is true, there are still some kind of holding back power that is maintaining
21:51this youth at the current level, which means they cannot go further.
21:54But that simply happens because for a fact that the access is limited.
21:59I feel like even though nowadays the youngster voices are very loud, right, through student
22:04like raps, activism, we can see a lot of organizations that involve students to begin with, there is
22:09still unequal access for them to go further beyond that.
22:13For example, I feel like government should give them more access to join through local elections,
22:18for example, local council to decide and help with the policymaking and also like some kind
22:23of like involvement that is heavily prioritizing these youth opinions to begin with.
22:28So, nowadays I feel like many reactions are most of the times reactive rather than proactive.
22:34So, in that way to tackle and improve the problem, I feel that more youth should actually involve
22:39themselves, probably things like in NGOs, for example, local councils or even like student
22:44unions to begin with.
22:45So, in general, youngsters are very loud online.
22:49They know what to voice, when to voice on, but there should be more access for them to
22:53begin with when we can involve a lot of people to also join the discourse.
22:58I think we don't have enough time, so I'll skip to the last question I'll ask for the both
23:02of you.
23:03Let's hope to end with what you hope to see next year.
23:07So, Esther, looking ahead to 2026, what concrete steps would you like to see the government take
23:12to strengthen unity, especially if they are serious about listening to youth feedback
23:18from this year?
23:19So, for me, in terms of like the next year, the hopes that I have, I think firstly in
23:23terms of university level, because especially during festive seasons, every time you have
23:27to like apply to the university in terms of getting leave, especially during festival seasons
23:32or it clashes with our main public exam.
23:35So, I really hope that the government take initiative in order to centralize the holidays
23:39for the students, especially during festival seasons.
23:42That's the one thing that I hope for, the upcoming leadership.
23:46And also, the second thing that I hope for is for the government to engage with the youth,
23:50not just in like in urban areas, but also in rural areas and getting their opinions regarding
23:55the policies that are out to be made.
23:56Because we can see that many of the policies that are being held, they're more focused
24:00towards the urban ideas in an area where they can approach the youth.
24:04But there are also youths where they're in rural areas as well.
24:07So, I really hope that the government get opinions and also get suggestions for them
24:10in order to apply policies and also laws in the upcoming days.
24:14Arif?
24:15I think that in order for us to make a better Malaysia in 2026, the government really have
24:21to involve the youngsters with like real interaction, real opportunities to begin with.
24:26So, like even though now it's already good, of course, there is a lot of things that we
24:29can do in order to make everything better.
24:31So, like probably government can involve youth consistently, not only when crisis happen
24:36or even PR situation happens.
24:39For example, I think government can give fairer like scholarships, for example, or even fairer
24:44and better opportunities to everyone, especially like what Esther said, the one that are living
24:48in rural areas itself.
24:50They are the one that are vulnerable and need urgent like action by the authorities in general.
24:55So, if government wants unity, I think it's time for them to really take into consideration
25:00the voices of our youngsters to make it long-term and sustainable action and also goals.
25:06Thank you, Arif and Esther.
25:08So, as we head to 2026, the challenge is simple to make unity something young Malaysians actually
25:14feel, not something they usually hear online.
25:17So, well, I guess that's all the time that we have for today's show of It's About Youth.
25:21I'm Raiman, thank you for watching and good night.
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