National ethos formation of Malaysian youth: Medium for building a nation state

• Main Authors: Ismail, Mohd Mahadee, Hassan, Nor Azlili, Abdullah, Azlina, Othman, Zaini, Yunus, Marzudi Md, Din, Hairol Anuar Mak
• Format: Article
• Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2021
• Subjects: H Social Sciences (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/35081/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

The issue of national ethos as a medium for building a nation state is less debated among the scholars. Hence, this article will examine the perspective of building a nation-state from the national ethos point of view as a dimension that needs to be carefully studied in shaping the formation of a nation. National ethos refers to the character, attitude, ethics, personality and confidence in the matters that can describe the characteristics of the spirit which shared by members of society. With the existence of a national ethos in the individuals, it can reflect the sentiments of nationhood that centered on the national platform. Accordingly, this paper is specifically applies the definition of national ethos as a unique characteristics of the local community that binds one individual with another individual, and that binds the individuals to the state. These unique characteristics encompass four main dimensions namely values, feelings and spirits, beliefs and identities. The unique characteristics of the national ethos become the main medium in the building process of a multi-ethnic Malaysian nation. The community who often get the attention when debating on the process of nation-building are the youth groups. This is because they are the backbone of the nation in the future. The successful of developing the youth groups is the main benchmark for the success of a nation-state development in the future. This study found that the four main dimensions, namely values, feelings and spirits, beliefs and identities have formed a strong bond between individuals and other individuals, and between individuals and the country, especially among the youths being studied. Therefore, in realizing the building of the Malaysian nation-state, the national ethos has become a medium that needs to be nurtured in every individuals, especially the youth groups who are still searching for their identity.