Sarawak the benchmark for tolerance, next challenge is education, GPS tells Kit Siang

Bernama pic.

KUCHING: A politician from Sarawak’s ruling coalition today welcomed Lim Kit Siang’s call for youths there to play a greater role in nation-building, but reminded the DAP veteran that the east Malaysian state has been far ahead of the peninsula when it comes to practising the ideals of the “New Malaysia”.

Petra Jaya MP Fadillah Yusof was responding to Lim’s statement urging Sarawak youths to spearhead efforts to fight racism and extremism, corruption and build a country that will be a showcase of coexistence between different communities.

Fadillah, the senior vice-president of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu which is part of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition, said Sarawak had always been a model of a tolerant society, something he said Lim should be promoting as a model by Putrajaya.

“Rest assured that if the country could achieve this, a lot of people born anywhere in the world would want to be a Malaysian,” said the former works minister.

Lim’s “special message” was addressed to youths who will be taking part for the first time in the Sarawak elections, following amendments to the minimum voting age earlier this year.

“Malaysia cannot be saved merely by the efforts of a 94-year-old, a 78-year-old and a 72-year-old. If Malaysia is to be saved, we need the energy and idealism of the youths of Malaysia, with the youths in Sarawak playing a pioneering role, to be the driving and sustaining force to realise great dreams for Malaysia,” he said.

Fadillah Yusof. (Bernama pic)

But Fadillah said beyond slogans of inclusivity and democratic rights, youth engagement is also about practical politics.

“Younger cohorts have grown up in different cultural, social, economic, political and, crucially, technological contexts to older generations and have different experiences, ideas and solutions to bring to the table,” he said.

He said GPS had long realised that empowering youths can only be realised through education, adding that steps had been taken to prepare Sarawak for future expectations.

“Already, Sarawak is the first state to introduce the teaching of maths and science in English starting next year.”

Fadillah said problems such as dropouts and employment mismatch showed the failure of the current education system.

He said the existing education system is “ineffective as it fails to prepare youth for life and unlock growth in the economy by preparing young people for the job market”.

Fadillah called for what he described as a “collaborative culture” to help people in Sarawak find support in helping build the state.

“As education is the best tool for success for the future of Sarawak and the country, it is within our plans to engage and build the capacity of student leadership in Sarawak and empower them to be a significant part of the education policy formation relevant for the future,” he added. - FMT