Blog

Civic engagement is vital in the continuation of civil society, and as Malaysian students abroad, at times we may neglect or forget the fact that we can still play a role in the Malaysian public consciousness. Especially in the internet age, where the distance from home may feel like we are out of the sphere of influence, we are really anything but.

When it comes to engagement with the higher ups of the Malaysia’s ruling class, much is lost by a lack of awareness of how we can stay in touch, along with something ranging between laziness and apathy towards home affairs, particularly when we move abroad, and a strange construct where our heads of states and other leaders; our Sultans, governors, cabinet ministers and MPs are seen to be out of reach.

In the minds of many, a prestige is attached with the role of MP, cabinet minister or Royal. Many automatically accept the two live in separate worlds, and this is a misleading precedent to accept. As far as civic engagement goes it is very much complimentary. For any progress to be made, it must be done through a dialogue where all are able to participate. 

Our unique system of monarchy frequently piques much interest, where our nine state rulers share the role of King or Yang di-Pertuan Agong through a rotation done every five years. One of the oldest unbroken dynasties in the world, interestingly, is the Sultanate of Kedah which was established in 1136. Malaysian royalty heavily predates Malaysia itself. 

From all this history, members of the Royal families have ventured into many diverse areas. Our current Yang di-Pertuan Agong is known for his love of sports; he was a council member of FIFA and is the former president of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin of Negeri Sembilan is the founding president of a public policy think-tank. Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan advocates for people struggling with mental health issues, alongside Malaysia’s Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association (Miasa), recently becoming their Royal Patron. 

Opportunities to engage leaders in person are not as scarce either. In the UK, Malaysian cabinet ministers frequently visit for town hall sessions and informal discussions. In these cases the onus falls both ways, public figures will commit to attend such events, but students also need to turn up to them. 

But we don’t need to wait for a Minister to visit us, this kind of interaction can be done at some scale from anyone too. On the official Parliament website; members of parliament have emails, phone numbers and mailing addresses on their profiles for us as constituents to get in contact. This avenue is critical for the airing of grievances, raising of issues and concerns. Without any sort of communication or ability to bring things to light, things go unsolved, breeding a resentment that no one desires.

We should keep in touch with our leaders back home because their decisions have a profound effect on us and the home we love. While in the moment the experience of going abroad carries a sense of detachment, one comes to realise that this, for the most part, is a transient part of life where at its end the majority of us return. The effects of things happening while we are away will also be felt by us in the future, thus we should never stop being a stakeholder. As Malaysians, we share the collective responsibility to remain proactive and rooted in the affairs of home, and engaged with those who command influence there.

Malaysian Parliament Website: https://www.parlimen.gov.my/