Sitti Hasnah binti Bandu1, Abdul Razaq Bin Ahmad 2, Mohd Mahzan Bin Awang3
1, 2, 3The National University of Malaysia
1 [email protected], 2[email protected], 3 [email protected] Abstract
This article discusses the concepts, issues and challenges of patriotism in Malaysia. Patriotism plays a very significant role in the establishment of a society in a country. Discussion will include the application of patriotism among multiracial community comprising various ethnic groups in Malaysia. The article also looks at previous studies related to the practice of patriotism among the people within and outside the country, focusing the discussion on issues and challenges faced by the people in an effort to improve the practice of patriotism.
Lastly, this article also discusses proposals to improve the practice of patriotism among the people of various ethnic groups in Malaysia.
Keywords: patriotism; multiracial community; various ethnic groups
1. Introduction
Patriotism is important in shaping the society in a country. An advanced society is closely related to the practice of patriotism. History of Malaysia proves that the struggle to liberate their homeland from occupation is due to the strong practice of patriotism in themselves such as the struggle faced by Tok Janggut and his peers of the 19th century until the time of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj when the country achieved its independence in the 20th century. The history of the rise of the nation from colonialism in order to build a free and independent country shows the struggle of a nation filled with the spirit of patriotism [13].
Colonization policy implemented by the British in Malaya led to the existence of different races and ethnic communities. Therefore, the spirit of patriotism must be adopted by all communities so that the country continues to advance in various aspects. However, a major challenge faced by the community in Malaysia is the existence of individuals among the generation after independence who lack the spirit of patriotism, while racial and ethnic diversity complicate the efforts to improve the spirit of patriotism. The practice of patriotism should be continued by the next generation in order to continue the advancement of the country and nation. The progress of a country depends on the society which comprises of all races, ethnicities, religions and so on in a country.
The practice of patriotism often differs according to the social, economic, political and cultural environment in an era based on the experiences of people in a society. For example, patriotism among the people in Malaya at the time before independence focused on the struggle for independence. Malays dominated the struggle for independence, as well as willing to share a common power with the people of China and India in order to achieve independence. Despite the arrival of the
Chinese and Indians to Malaya at first then was to make a living, they were accepted by Malays as citizens of Malaya, and were involved in power- sharing deal to achieve independence. It was a considerable challenge to unite the multiracial society. However, for the sake of liberating their homeland, national interest was regarded as more important than self-interest. Their determination to demand independence for the enjoyment of freedom was realized by the practice of patriotism which was given a high priority at the time.
After independence, there have been various efforts to add values to the achieved independence in order to develop Malaysia economically, politically and socially. The Malays are still hoping that all other communities in Malaysia would continue jointly to enliven the spirit of patriotism for the sake of national prosperity after independence. The spirit of patriotism needs to be cultivated in the younger generation so that they are proud of being of Malaysians, have a spirit of loyalty and a sense of belonging to the country, besides being disciplined and continue to strive for the development of the country.
The formation of Malaysia in 1963 with the participation of Sabah and Sarawak has featured Malaysia as having different races and ethnic groups. According to the Department of Statistics, in 2010 Sabah population stood at 3,117,405.
Official composition is divided into 32 ethnic groups, including Dusun, Bajau, Melayu Brunei, Murut and others. Similarly, there are multi-ethnic in Sarawak such as Melayu, Melanau, Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah, Kelabit, Penan, Murut and others.
Therefore, it is the responsibility of all racial and ethnic groups in Malaysia to acquire the spirit of patriotism for the sake of harmony and progress of the country. It is inevitably a huge challenge in giving appreciation to all the people in a country which has different races and ethnicities.
2. The Concept of Patriotism
Patriotism comes from two Greek words
“pater”, which means father, and “Patris” means land. The combination of the two words brings about the word patriotism which means the love of a fatherland [11]. Thus patriotism means love and affection to the homeland or place of birth of a person. However, the actual demands of patriotism are more than the given meaning. According to [1], patriotism is the struggle that inspires interests of the nation. It highlights the high morale and fighting spirit to uphold the position, status and the influence of the state and nation. According to [12]
patriotism means to foster and develop self-esteem in order to serve the homeland and the nation, being ready to sacrifice and have a highly fighting spirit for truth and justice. Patriotism is not just a feeling of love and affection towards the country but it should also be evident through actions. As noted by [5] patriotism means feelings of pride and love towards one’s country and having the willingness to sacrifice anything for the sake of national interests.
Thus, in Malaysian context, the willingness of a person, irrespective of race, to do anything to defend the homeland in the spirit of patriotism is highly required. [18] states that patriotism refers to a person’s readiness and ability to commit to the nation as well as one’s awareness and knowledge of certain government institutions as well as knowledge of national symbols.
Patriotism is also mentioned in Ibnu Khaldun’s social theory, assabiyah or the feeling of love towards race, clan, ethnic or tribe. Assabiyah means camaraderie. The meaning of assabiyah can be generally understood and loosely described to mean nationalism. As defined in political science, nationalism means love towards one’s own nation and country, namely devotion and passion which refers to love towards progress and prosperity.
Loving one’s own country is a part of faith and the basis of the spirit of patriotism and nationalism, such as in Malaysia. In Islam, love and devotion towards the country is because of Allah as one’s Creator and not the country, because the country is where they live to carry out activities that brings goodness in this world and the hereafter [17].
[7] classify patriotism into five aspects: first, Iconoclastic Patriotism, are reflected by individuals who interpret affection and love of country through actions that have positive impacts on the country.
These individuals have a persistent attitude, courage, discipline, knowledge and vision for the development of the country, for example, the activists in the country; second, Symbolic Patriotism, which refers to the level of patriotism denoted by respect for symbols of a country. The use of symbols such as flag, language and so on arouses their spirit of patriotism.
Thirdly, Capitalistic Patriotism refers to individuals whose actions demonstrate and express
patriotism by focusing and targeting towards the development of the national economy. The individuals’ involvement and contribution towards the development of the national economy is regarded as realizing the spirit of patriotism towards the country; fourth, Instinctive Environmental Patriotism, are shown by individuals love the environment of the country. They will try to keep the environment of flora and fauna found in the country; fifth, Nationalistic Symbolic Patriotism refers to individuals who tend to express high faithfulness towards the country and are obsessed with their homeland to exceed or compete with other nations.
However, in Malaysian context, Iconoclastic Patriotism and Symbolic Patriotism are more dominantly used to describe a person who is considered patriotic. People who are willing to defend the country from their enemy, and respect national symbols such as the Jalur Gemilang flag is a community which has a high sense of patriotism.
[16] divide patriotism into two types: first, indiscriminately and blindly supporting and loving the country, without any doubt, objections or questions. Total support is given regardless of whether the government has given the best to them.
The second type is constructive patriotism, i.e.
critical awareness of citizens against whatever actions taken in the country. The citizens will love and obey the leaders and national policy whenever they are perceived as being provided the social, economic and political necessities.
In Malaysian context, according to [3], people who have a high level of patriotic spirit are those who have:
Love and compassion towards their homeland
Proud of their homeland
Willingness to defend their homeland against enemies’ threats and attack both internally or externally
Willingness to defend the national interests when ridiculed and humiliated
The predominant strength that should be available in order to adopt the spirit of patriotism is the power associated with their Creator as described in the first tenets of the country. As Indonesia has five precepts, Malaysia too has tenets of the country to be observed. Compliance with tenets of the country is the practice of patriotism. Thus the characteristics of patriotism will exist in conducting the tenets of the country such as follows:
Faith in God
Loyalty to King and Country
Supremacy of the Constitution
Supremacy of the Law
Courtesy and chastity
In conclusion, patriotism is affection, love and compassion towards the homeland, the native land where he was born, which is created by their
Creator for His servants to do good. People with patriotism are determined to protect their beloved country against any threat from the enemy.
Patriotism is born in the people’s feelings, and expressed through acts and behaviors as the citizens who have the characteristics of patriotism.
However, patriotism is not only confined in the country. Whenever the people are abroad, they must respect the laws of other countries so that they will not negatively affect the image of their country. Imagine if a person fails to comply with the laws of a foreign country which he is visiting, his acts may give a negative impression on his own country that could affect the country's image and could damage the reputation of the country.
Therefore, the ability to respect the law of the foreign country being visited, as well as uphold a good name of the country at the international level is also the practice of patriotism.
3. Issues and Problems
A low patriotic spirit among the younger generation has taken place both in Malaysia and in other countries, which makes patriotism issue as a global issue. For example, in Canada, a study by [4]
shows the spirit of patriotism among the younger generation is low when only 40% percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 years agreed that they should have the spirit of patriotism and should demonstrate openly about a sense of pride towards the country. Supposedly, at a young age, citizens should be more patriotic as they are the inheritors of the future leader. This issue also occurs in Italy where there are among the younger generation who did not recognize the color combination of their country’s flag because they were misled by the Mexican flag which has the same color. This shows that Italian people, especially young people are facing the problem of the crisis in the basic level of patriotism. The study by [20] shows that Italian citizens are less patriotic.
In Malaysia, a similar phenomenon occurs, and the lacking in practice of patriotic values becomes an issue as it is still at a moderate level, especially among the younger generation.
Unfortunately still, there is a group of anti- patriotism among the generation who were born after independence as stated by [3] that most of those who are anti-patriotism are the ones who were born after independence. Due to the fact that the spirit of patriotism is influenced by the environment, the practice of patriotism carried out by each of the generations after independence is not equal to the one practiced by the generation who lived during the colonial period. This phenomenon is also a major issue in Malaysia as young people have a lack of sense of patriotism.
Furthermore, as different races and ethnicities exist in Malaysia, more effort to implement the patriotism is required. The issue of racial and ethnic
relations within various communities poses a challenge to implement the values of patriotism in Malaysia. The level of multi-ethnic solidarity in the country's education system is still low even though students showed a positive attitude in multi-ethnic relations. The study conducted by [15] found that ethnic relations in higher education institutions are still weak. Students do not feel comfortable when occupying the same area, even if they know each other. Students also find it difficult to interact and share essential items among themselves. This may be due to the taboos and their religious practices which differ which make them unwilling to do so.
This study was supported by [6] who found that the level of social relations among first year students at UTM is also at a moderate level.
Language plays an important role in forming solidarity. However, a research conducted by [19]
shows that the frequency of Malay language use among non-Malay respondents is rather low: 29.2%
for Chinese students and 37.5% for Indian students.
The research hypothesizes that the use of a single language in a country will form a solidarity and harmony when people are using a similar language for interaction among the various races. However, these findings illustrate that solidarity is not easily developed if the use of English as the language of solidarity is difficult to be implemented.
Unity and ethnic relations is a major challenge that lies in the process of improving the spirit of patriotism in Malaysia. A research conducted by [9]
found that the spirit of patriotism among the younger generation of non-Malays, especially the Chinese and the Indians are moderate compared to the Malays. Therefore, further investigations needs to be conducted on the level of patriotism of the younger generation, especially the non-Malay minorities such as natives of Sabah and Sarawak and the Orang Asli or aborigines in Malaysia.
4. Challenges and Suggestions
There are many challenges in order to implement values of patriotism among younger generation. The first is the negative attitudes among young generations, i.e. young people who are very individualistic and preferred self-interest more than national interest. There are also those who are more concerned about their own race or ethnic group over other races. They are willing to do anything to ensure that the people of the same race get what they want socially, economically and politically. As a result, people will feel unhappy about other races. A bloody racial riot in Malaysia occurred on 13 May 1969 because there was a sense of not being satisfied with other races. This incident serves as a lesson to all races in Malaysia so as not to be too selfish or too concerned with their own kind, but instead to be concerned with national aspirations.
Prejudice in a multiracial society is inevitable.
In Malaysian situation, there is still prejudice among the non-Malays against the Malay, and vice versa on the issue of identity, namely: language, religion and culture. For example, fostering racial unity in Malaysia might be mistaken by some as an attempt to expand the hegemony of Malay nationalism [10]. Similarly, the issue of Chinese schools denying the teachings of Science and Mathematics in English language, where they were concerned that the acceptance of such policies would weaken their arguments to defend their native language in schools. The existence of such an attitude would further complicate the application of patriotism among the people in Malaysia.
Statements made by [14 is true that in Malaysia, non-Malays are only ready to be Malaysian politically but not in terms of culture.
A lack of appreciation among young people of all races towards the services performed by the freedom fighters is seen as a very negative attitude because it manifests the lack of the patriotic spirit.
The younger generation does not recognize the former fighters let alone give praise for what they have fought for. [21] commented on this point as follows:
“One thing that was disturbing is that prosperity and security which have been enjoyed since independence seems to cause some of us feel that we are in comfort zone and to forget easily.
This attitude includes the fact that people no longer cherish veterans where collection appeals for the heroes were unwelcomed. Perhaps only when the emergency period occurs again or communist confrontation happens again as before, then presumably the members of the armed forces would be much more appreciated. Most of the people are not happy anymore to cherish the police who are working to keep a peaceful atmosphere, but they consider instead other people as heroes, as an example, the protesters who break the law. In the meantime, the issue of race and national integration continues to be a thorn in the flesh to the country while nationalism increasingly falters.”
The second challenge is the lack of appreciation among the people of various races in Malaysia of the history of the country, especially the non-Malay communities living in Malaysia who are less emphatic about the history and Malaysian background. Similarly, young people of all races who were born after Malaysia's independence. They do not know the history of the country let alone to sacrifice for the country. Consequently, there will be people who lack compassion and love for their own country.
The third challenge to practice the value of patriotism among Malaysians is the lack of confidence among the people of various races in Malaysia in terms of honesty and loyalty towards the country. Some people are still hesitant to accept
the concept of racial diversity. Therefore, it is difficult to form a society that truly has the spirit of patriotism.
The fourth challenge is globalization.
Borderless world may result in a foreign culture getting into the country easily. The negative influence of foreign culture may easily get into a country and influence people, the younger generation in particular, can cause difficulties to inculcate the spirit of patriotism among them. The younger generation now is complacent with the progress of ICT technology, the development of which is supposed to be beneficial in order to improve the application of the values of patriotism among the younger generation.
Various efforts have been undertaken to improve the proposals for improving the implementation of patriotism among the people of various races in Malaysia. The first effort is carried out through the [8] Education System. Recently, the Ministry of Education (MOE) through the Education Development Plan (MECC) 2015-2025 has listed six attributes that are to be produced and one of them is national identity. A pass in History subject has been made compulsory in Malaysia beginning from 2013 in order to sensitize students about the history of Malaysia. Therefore the education system plays an important role in shaping the society to unite and have a passion for the country. To achieve unity, only one type of school should be established in Malaysia, which should be done by improving the performance of the schools to conform to all the races. [2] state the factors behind Japan’s success in instilling patriotism is because they practice and embrace patriotism which is taught in the education system of their country.
The second effort is that programs that call for the involvement of youth need to be empowered, especially the National Service Training Program, which is need to be held again by improving its execution so that the desired goal is achieved.
Similarly, the Rakan Muda (Youth Partnership) programs need to involve young people of all races.
By adding programs, the identity of the younger generation can be established.
The third is to strengthen the role of the printed or electronics mass media. The contents of the mass media should be friendlier to users as well as publishing program that can generate the spirit of patriotism in a multi-ethnic society like Malaysia.
The fourth one is through legislation. A stricter punishment should be given to those who insult the country and the nation itself, or to those who attempt to influence others not to love the country as well as other offenses that may lead to negative actions which might threaten the national security.