THE Malay literary work Sulalatus Salatin by Tun Sri Lanang featured a character named Hang Nadim which aptly describes the role of the young in society.
At the the age of 7, he saved Temasik (now known as Singapore) from a swordfish attack. However, the story ended with Hang Nadim being killed, sentenced to death by Sri Maharaja due to jealousy and insecurity.
The moral of the story is that by being young, vocal and brilliant, the young stand on a thin line preventing them from being an asset or a threat to the elders.
It has often been said that the future belongs to the young and with education and international exposure, mainly through the information highway, this is indeed true.
In Malaysia and elsewhere, the young are at the forefront in accepting changes, a necessity given the enormous economic and societal transformation occurring around us.
The latter tend to be much more present among the younger population than older groups, whose minds are quite set and entrenched.
In Malaysia, we can identify three generations. The first is the pre-independence generation; some 10 per cent of Malaysians belong to this group.
The second is what is identified as the post-independence generation from 1957 to 1999. This group makes up some 59 per cent of the population.
The millennials generation form some 31 per cent of the population. Statistically, more than 50 per cent of the population is below the age of 34. To put it simply, the young forms the majority of the population and as the years go by this group will grow larger and its voice will also be louder. What are the aspirations of this group and how can the expectations be met?
To begin with, the younger generation is the product of an independent and prosperous Malaysia. The notion that they should be grateful does not seem to resonate among them. They see development as their right and not as a privilege.
They argue that it is the job of the government to bring prosperity, as this is what they have been promised in the first place. To the young, this is expected and, after all, it is the people that voted them in. Today, in the Malaysia Baru era, the mindset needs to be changed in order for us to progress as a nation.
Several research studies have shown that it is the socialisation process that helps to mould the character and attitude of a person. In the world of technological explosion, no wonder that the young are different as they are being shaped by the world they live in. After all, the media has influenced all of us one way or another.
The young today look at the government with a much more critical eye. Not only do they scrutinise state affairs and policies, they also question them. As someone in his twenties said to me the other day, what do you expect when the government is encouraging us to be much more creative and innovative?
Therefore, the young are more critical and sometimes radical. Again, this is nothing new. The older generation should not be too upset or too worried by this trend. The old today were also radicals then. As the saying goes, “Radicals of today are the conservatives of tomorrow”.
The stark reality is that the young will inherit the future and are already shaping perceptions of the population. They are becoming more empowered and will play a far more determinant role in the near future. They will form a substantial portion of the electorate and will voice their opinion, either directly or through the ballot box. All the political parties know and recognise this and are wooing them. In this Malaysia Baru era, we have the likes of P. Prabakaran, youngest member of parliment who is only 23, and we have the youngest minister, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is only 26.
In this respect, the government has proven that it’s accommodating the aspirations of the young and not the other way around. The notion that the state knows it all is no longer applicable. The state cannot even pretend to know all.
There is no option left but to listen to the young and not merely pay lip service, or indulge in mere rhetoric. Policy formulation, especially involving the future, must bring the young generation into the process. The stakes for the young must be increased so that they genuinely feel that they are part of the process. We cannot afford to ignore the young for they can soon afford to ignore the old.
Dr Afif Bahardin is Penang state executive councillor