PETALING JAYA: Having been served with the smallest slice of the pie from Budget 2023, groups working with the National Unity Ministry say more funds are needed to implement effective programmes.
The latest amount of funding means that they will have to rethink their proposed plans.
More allocations should be provided to carry out meaningful and sustainable programmes aimed at promoting unity, said Malaysian Unity Foundation trustee Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
“Unity has become a very significant subject which has to be addressed with a sense of urgency.
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“There is nothing more important than this to ensure people will not fall towards any form of hate-laced propaganda.
“The current allocations, however, can only do so much due to emoluments and a small budget for activities,” he said.
Urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to relook the allocations, he said: “The ministry’s efforts should be continued with greater vigour, which can only be done with a bigger allocation.”
Additional allocations would also empower non-governmental organisations to promote unity, he said.
“With a better budget, more focus can be given for programmes that bring together the diverse makeup of the Malaysian people.
“Forums or conferences could be organised where experts, academicians and NGOs come together and share views on ways to promote national unity.
“Input from discussions can be taken back to the ministry for consideration,” he said.
Lee said the government should also consider legislations on preventing hate speech to show its commitment in working towards and preserving harmony.
“There has to be some sort of regulation here, such as a National Harmony and Reconciliation Act, to ensure things do not go out of hand.
“By and large, Malaysians can live very harmoniously, but when certain race-minded individuals play such emotions on the people, it can potentially divide us.”
Malaysians, he said, should rise above race and religious lines to ensure the country can move together towards achieving national unity.
Malaysian Youth Council (MYC) president Mohd Izzat Afifi Abd Hamid said the budget would affect the programmes planned by the council.
“There are plans to propose national, state and district level youth engagements related towards unity and they all require a substantial cost.
“The financial support from the ministry plays a critical role in enabling us to carry out these programmes but given the (budget) restrictions, these initiatives will most probably not be realised,” he said.
The MYC is a parent body of all youth organisations under the Youth Societies and Youth Development Act.
He also noted previous programmes organised by the MYC, such as Kopitiam Belia, among others, would now have to be continued in a more cost-effective manner.
Under the flagship Kembara Perpaduan Malaysia Madani campaign programmes, Mohd Izzat said the MYC had to adapt towards integrating itself into the programme’s existing framework instead of initiating something new.
“We need to adjust and determine the type of involvement and contributions that can be made.
“This includes exploring how we can complement the ministry in promoting education and awareness on nationhood, and providing expertise, connections and resources to support the ministry at various levels, among others.
“There is no shortage of support and possibilities potentially offered by the council to complement existing ministry initiatives despite limitations,” he said.
An alternative being considered by the MYC was to collaborate with civil society organisations or academic institutions to pool resources in order to implement unity-based programmes, he said.
“This allows a combination of strength from participating organisations where each can commit resources optimally towards the agenda of national unity.
“For example, the MYC can co-organise forums or dialogues on countering extremism with organisations contributing panellists and perspectives alongside receiving venue sponsors,” he said.
On the National Museum, National Archives and National Library being transferred to the National Unity Ministry, academician Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican said investments must be made to promote, market or rebrand these institutions.
“These are fundamental national institutions reflecting and resonating with civilisation and society. These are repositories of the nation’s cultural and intellectual history, without which we lose our compass in the modern world.
“They are focal points of culture, or benchmarks to move forward,” he said.
The professor of social and intellectual history at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization at the International Islamic University Malaysia said the development of museums and archives should also be regarded as strategic in terms of its operations and services.
“The training and re-education of librarians, curators and archivists are critical. They should be intellectuals who are responsible for extending what they have for public education and enlightenment.
“With challenges to the nation on the historical and intellectual front, budget allocations for these agencies must place it as the superstructure of the education system,” he said.
He proposed for a separate ministry encompassing culture, school and integration to work on promoting unity efforts.
“Schools and education do not exist in vacuums, and if we want archives, museums and libraries to be consumed and popularised, they cannot be under the ‘unity’ label.
“The three agencies must be envisioned to carry out their tasks in a strategic manner, as they are not administratively routine agencies,” he said.
Apart from the National Museum, National Archives, and National Library being transferred to the National Unity Ministry, all agencies under the Youth and Sport Ministry have also been asked to coordinate and hand over youth unity programmes to the National Unity Ministry and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).
In a government circular dated March 15, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said the directive was to ensure no overlapping of programmes and functions between ministries.
The circular was in response to whether the “Jom Ziarah” programmes, which involved visits by youths to houses of worship, were cancelled.
This comes after a group of youths was supposed to visit a church in Klang, Selangor, under the Article 11 programme.
However, it received flak from critics who raised concerns over possible propagation of other religions to Muslims, which is not allowed by law.
