MAY 2 ― Last Sunday was a very eventful day for me. I was among the lucky hundreds who were selected to attend an hour session with the President of the United States of America Barack Hussein Obama.

Being in the same room with him was overwhelming, listening to him speak “live” was a privilege, getting inspired directly by the first African-American president himself was an unforgettable experience.

Although many of us were disappointed with the questions directed to the president at the question and answer session, one must consider the positive outcomes of the event and I thank the US Embassy and Young South-east Asia Leaders Initiative for organising such a rare event in Malaysia.

President Obama took the trouble ― or as he put it, chose “to have fun… to hear directly from young people” ― to spend his precious one hour with young leaders from all over South-east Asia. Now, how many of our national leaders would do the same to engage with young people, encourage them to be a part of nation building efforts, have the ability to take fluffy questions from the crowd and respond with personal and yet brilliant answers?

I am glad the president feels that young people’s opinions must be taken seriously. Judging from the young faces who participated in the event, most of them are undergraduates who, according to our laws not long ago were not even allowed to take part in national partisan politics.

President Obama’s effort in engaging the young is praiseworthy. They are making an effort to go around South-east Asia, finding ways to listen to young people about their ideas and building partnerships to empower young people’s efforts, develop new exchanges and connect young leaders.

He recognises the impact young people have on the world, he appreciates the involvement of civil societies in our community. President Obama allocated another hour to address civil society leaders from Suhakam, BERSIH, Bar Council, and Islamic Renaissance Front, to name a few. These civil societies rarely get even a second glance from our own powers that be.

Malaysia is a young nation

Almost two-thirds of the population in South-east Asia is under 35. Malaysia itself is a young nation. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, 64 per cent of the population is below 35.

The percentage of voters under 40 during the last GE was 42 per cent. Quite a large per centum and we, the young people, have a fairly loud and strong voice, if we choose to speak up. We can determine who and who is in power. We have the ability to change the course of this nation. That includes which policies should be enforced and which laws to be implemented.

Young people must be passionate to be involved, eager to learn and acquire more knowledge before going too strong with what they believe in in order to be taken seriously and bring a meaningful impact. If not, time and attention given to them would be regarded as wasteful. It is good to be outspoken and speak up, but one must remember it is doubly shameful to be ignorant and arrogant.

Seeking opportunities and the right platform are another careful strategy one must plan. Go to where you can contribute, be appreciated and heard, instead of being just another young face to take selfies with.

Young people have the power to uphold democracy by taking part, joining the movement and be decision makers. We must be aware of our capabilities, the impact we can have on the world. Together, we can become a force to be reckoned with.

The Opposition sees the importance in this, as was evident at the Townhall event, as young MPs and ADUNs from the Opposition were invited because they are actually young enough to participate in the under-35 event.

Nonetheless, I did not see wakil rakyat from the ruling coalition, except of course, the Minister of Youth & Sports at the event. That speaks volumes of the trust and faith put in young people by the Opposition.

Shared basic principles create unity

The President also reminded us that we have to make sure we are speaking out in our daily lives, and as we emerge as leaders we should be on the side of politics that brings people together rather than drives them apart. We must respect the shared basic principles we have across religions. If we cannot even respect the basic principles, e.g love thy neighbour, speak the truth, do no harm, do unto others what you would have them do unto you, we are going backwards instead of forwards.

The basic principles shared by all religions approve that our differences are superficial and our similarities are deep. These principles create unity across faiths and skin colours where differences dissolve and we wonder why do we always have interreligious, inter-ethnic conflicts?

We should look back at the basic principles in order to move forward towards a better, unified Malaysia. We must also nurture our love for our home country and do whatever we can to make her great.

Patriotism is cool. Racism is not.

I quote Obama, “We must recognize that democracies don’t stop just with elections; they also depend on strong institutions and a vibrant civil society, and open political space, and tolerance of people who are different than you. We have to create an environment where the rights of every citizen, regardless of race or gender, or religion or sexual orientation are not only protected, but respected.”

I agree with the President. So, are you with me?

Last Sunday was a very eventful day for me. Not just because I got to attend the historic Townhall event, I watched the rare tarian dabus performance from Perak organised by Pusaka, took a photo with the beautiful Tun Teja aka Sofia Jane at the Boh Cameronian Awards, I also get to fist-bump the leader of the free world, Obama himself!

*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.