Majlis Profesor Negara (MPN) organised a live forum titled Bangsa Malaysia dari Perspektif Generasi Baharu on 30 September 2022 via Facebook Live. The live forum was moderated by Syed Munawar Syed Mustar.

The forum panellists were Chairperson of Tun Tan Cheng Lock Centre for Social and Policy Studies Assoc Prof Dr Chin Yee Mun; Faculty of Creative Industries academic Dr Charanjit Kaur Darshan Singh; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia academic Prof Dr Mansor Mohd Noor and MPN Fellow Dr Md Khaldun Munip Abd Malek.

Dr Chin focused on Civic Nationalism. He said, “Since the establishment of Malaysia, the discourse on the meaning of Bangsa Malaysia has always been viewed from the ethnic and regional lenses. These lenses, however, are dividing Malaysians; not uniting them. Hence, Malaysians should refocus and adopt civic consciousness. It is not something new but something that has been disregarded. In fact, Tun Tan Cheng Lock had brought it up as early as 1946. He wanted Malaysians to develop a Malayan Consciousness - the thought that Malaysia is our nation although we come from different ethnic and religious backgrounds.”

Dr Charanjit, on the other hand, explained how the Malaysian Nation was underlined differently by Tun Haji Abdul Razak bin Dato’ Hussein, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi and Dato’ Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak. Despite the difference, she mentioned that the core message was the same: recognising diversity and pledging justice.

“Instead of focusing on ethnicity, which is connected to biological ancestry, we should concentrate on the aspect of citizenship. As Malaysian citizens, we must uphold the constitutional sublimity concept to be ‘inclusive’ in a multicultural society. The tagline ‘Malaysian Family’ by our current Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri, is based on inclusivity, common ground, and contentment with the values of a culture of trust and principles of justice in accordance with the Malaysian Constitution. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia describes the identity of the Malaysian nation. For example, it says that every member of the nation, which is made up of many different ethnic groups, religions, and lineages, must support the monarchy, religious freedom for non-Muslims, the National Language, the rights and interests of citizens, and other things. In addition, the ideals of this citizenship include being proud to be Malaysian, being passionate about loyalty to the nation, being enthusiastic about belonging, being disciplined, attempting, and being productive,” added Dr Charanjit.

Accentuating the importance of this live forum to the participants, Dr Chin said, “This forum will expose participants to a critical review of the meaning of Malaysian nation, as well as the issues and challenges in constructing the Malaysian nation. I hope there will be more sessions held in the future. At the end of the day, I believe all Malaysians would like to build a nation-state that they feel comfortable living in; have a sense of belonging and be proud of. We need more discussion how to construct such a nation-state to prove that we are all the same when we talk about Bangsa Malaysia,” he added.

Dr Charanjit said, “This forum will expose viewers to the viewpoints of young researchers who may have a limited voice in policymaking but are enthusiastic about making Malaysia a better place for everyone by discussing genuine concerns openly and exploring effective solutions to eliminate disparities. There should be a greater willingness to talk about this topic; it is something that should be expanded upon.”

The live forum aimed to provide a platform to voice out a new perspective on the meaning of the Malaysian Nation for the younger generation. In addition, the forum strived to offer a fresh viewpoint on the idea and comprehension of the Malaysian Nation.