In a recent interview with Astro Awani, Johari Abdul, the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat expressed his desire to bring back the youth training program.
Johari pointed out that such a program does not exist in schools and universities to prep and train the youth and the discussion to bring back PLKN is ongoing, and it’s not just about instilling patriotism in the youth but also about nation-building.
He also mentioned that the Parliamentary Committee on Security intends to revive the National Civics Bureau (BTN).
This proposal may be benign at first glance, yet its effects may be sinister unless executed carefully.
Patriotism is widely understood as devotion to one’s country, yet the ways in which this devotion manifests can vary.
Yes, luckily such a program does not exist in schools and universities as a state-dictated curriculum on patriotism and pro-nation narratives have no place in public schools.
An objective and unbiased patriotic curriculum does not exist as it would be shaped by forces interested in promoting a specific narrative to students much like what BTN in its later years was doing.
Schools should focus on creating educated and responsible citizens by teaching their students history, civic responsibility, financial literacy, and the rights of the ordinary rakyat.
A patriotic person shouldn’t be one whose loyalty to this country is defined by devotion to a specific political party or agenda.
It is the commitment to understanding the process of policy-making and making an informed vote at each election.
It is the exercise of the peaceful right to protest if a government and its policies do not serve the best interest of the ordinary rakyat.
Genuine patriotism is a commitment to becoming a good and responsible citizen and holding those in power accountable.
And this form of patriotism doesn’t come from an education that touts past nationalistic achievements, it stems from a commitment to educate and create responsible citizens, capable of critical thought and interested in bettering their communities.
The desire of the Parliamentary Committee on Security to revive the National Civics Bureau (BTN) is misguided at best and dangerous at worst.
They probably argue that it will help schoolchildren better understand the notions of patriotism when in the first place, it is highly likely that those in the parliamentary committee have little or limited understanding of the complexity of patriotism and overlooked some of the potential consequences.
Again probably their idea of patriotism is the simple definition of loving your country, with all its people, features, and culture.
Being critical of the government especially if it's very corrupt as its purpose is to serve the people of the country and willing to recognize problems in the country and improve the conditions of the country is also patriotism.
Do not worship those in charge as impeccable patriots when highly likely they are not.
Appealing for patriotism from the ordinary rakyat is political fast food for politicians – it usually is the result of a lack of real ideas - it tastes great, but it is not nutritious at all.
This country has a lot of politicians who want to manipulate the ordinary rakyat, who want the ordinary rakyat to live in fear, or who want to remove attention from their manipulations.
That’s why they always preached that the problems we are facing have nothing to do with me, it’s all due to our neighbors, or particular groups within our society.
Beneath these politicians are the ordinary rakyat where a majority of them had no idea that these politicians are out to get them.
These politicians talk as if they practice what they preach, which they don’t.
Maybe the speaker and the parliamentary should first start by publicly condemning and condoning all politicians who play identity politics ingeniously designed to split the people instead of uniting them.
We don't need patriotism.
We just need to keep our own house in order.
For a family to do well, each member must play their part, all working towards meeting both long and short term goals, without having to depend on outsiders.
For a community to do well, again each member must play their part, all working towards meeting both long and short term goals, without having to depend on outsiders.
For a country to do well, again each member must play their part, all working towards meeting both long and short term goals, without having to depend on outsiders.
Strictly do what we need to do within our own country.
Nobody will begrudge our approach to self-sufficiency.
Patriotism for the ordinary rakyat should just be productive, pay their taxes, be law-abiding citizen, and be critical towards the government.
In this country, the spirit of patriotism among citizens is rather seasonal in nature.
It shoots up high and evident mainly during Merdeka and Malaysia Day celebrations, international sporting events where an individual Malaysian or a Malaysian team is involved.
Rather than recycling PLKN, politicians and the parliamentary committees should be asking how they can promote positive identification between all the races in malaysia without extending that form of identity politics to a xenophobic rejection of other Malaysians of different races.
The proposal by Johari and the parliamentary committee can be easily used as a double-edged sword.
It can cut one way by bring people together but it can also be used to justify treating Malaysians who are not of one’s own race as less than human.
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