Pengukuhan Bahasa Melayu Sebagai Bahasa Perpaduan di Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Swasta

Perlembagaan Malaysia telah menetapkan Bahasa Melayu (BM) sebagai bahasa rasmi negara dan bahasa pengantar pendidikan (Noraien Mansor & Noor Rohana Mansor, 2013). Penggunaan Bahasa Melayu sepatutnya tidak boleh diganggu lantas menjadi medium penting dalam mewujudkan keharmonian dan mengukuhkan perpaduan masyarakat di Malaysia. Namun, hari ini didapati pengukuhan BM terus dicabar dan melemahkannya sebagai bahasa kebangsaan dan perpaduan akibat daripada pengaruh dan perkembangan orde baru dunia yang menunjukkan bahawa penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris (BI) dalam bidang pendidikan, pekerjaan dan perhubungan lebih diberikan keutamaan berbanding bahasa Melayu (Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin, 2010). Penekanan ke atas kepentingan bidang sains dan teknologi serta BI telah menyebabkan ada segelintir individu mula hilang keyakinan pada BM termasuklah dalam kalangan pelajar di universiti swasta yang terdiri daripada majoriti etnik bukan Melayu dan lebih menggunakan BI sebagai medium pembelajaran. Tambahan pula, wujud kelompok pelajar yang lebih selesa menggunakan bahasa ibunda mereka berbanding BM. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk membincangkan isu penggunaan BM di institusi pengajian tinggi swasta serta menganalisis faktor kelemahan penggunaan BM dalam kalangan pelajar universiti swasta. Justeru, satu kajian telah dijalankan ke atas 100 orang pelajar di universiti swasta dengan menggunakan kaedah pensampelan secara rawak. Hasil kajian mendapati bahawa tahap pengukuhan pelajar universiti swasta terhadap BM adalah sederhana. Ini adalah kerana keutamaan pelajar terhadap BI, kurang kefasihan dalam BM, kurang kerjasama dan usaha dalam kalangan pensyarah dan pihak pengurusan universiti, kurang menitikberatkan maksud perlembagaan dan kurang keyakinan terhadap status BM adalah antara isu-isu penggunaan BM di institusi pengajian tinggi swasta. Justeru, senario pengukuhan bahasa Melayu dalam kalangan pelajar universiti swasta ini tidak boleh dipandang ringan dan perlu diperkukuhkan sebelum mengalami ancaman kepupusan kerana Bahasa Melayu berpotensi besar dalam pelbagai bidang dan generasi ini mampu mencorakkan kestabilan hubungan sosial dan kelangsungan pemartabatan bahasa Melayu dalam ketamadunan Malaysia

The Cross Ethnic Relationships in Strengthening Social Cohesion in Malaysia

The foundation of developing a nation in Malaysia is based on the integration by which each ethnic identity is maintained and preserved within the Malaysian Federal Constitution. However, there is always a negative perception of the "outsider" on the harmonious condition in Malaysia. This is because they are only influenced by the "talk conflicts" that spreading in the social media as if tomorrow will recur the bloody tragedy of May 13, 1969. Yet, the Institute of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia has clarified that Malaysia is now in the era of social cohesion. In this era, the behavior of Malaysians is at the 'everyday-defined' level, where 'they talk conflict, they walk cohesion' and this is a healthy psychosocial behaviour. Hence, in exploring the strengthening level of social cohesion, a survey was conducted on 554 business community from various ethnic groups who had a direct connection to cross ethnic relationships. The objective of this study is to explore the dimensions of cross ethnic relationships experienced by the business community from various ethnic groups; and to study the impacts of cross ethnic relationships towards social cohesion in Malaysia. This article is a sub topic from a study on social mobility among Malaysian business community by specifying on cross ethnic relationships. There are three levels of ethnic relationships, namely; at the individual level, community level and institutional level. The findings found that the cross ethnic relationships among the business community in Malaysia is positive and significant in strengthening the social cohesion in Malaysia

Intimacy in marital relationship: effect of internet usage

The internet and its usage into the everyday lives of a significantly large population has tremendously changed the way people communicate and interact. Since the advent of the internet, couples, families, and individuals of all ages are being impacted by the internet in many ways. This article takes a closer look at how the internet can affect the marital intimacy on married men and women. The purpose of this study is to examine any possible impact internet use may have on an intimate marital relationship. The present study sought to examine the time spent on the internet, as it relates to intimacy and relationships satisfaction experienced in marital relationships. This study analyzed data from a survey of 300 Malaysian married men and women in Selangor, Malaysia. Data was presented on the level of their awareness and knowledge concerning to the relationship between their marital intimacy and internet usage. The findings indicated that married men and women understand that controlling of internet usage is vital because this may affect the relationship in a marriage. This study showed that the majority married men and women remain faithful and trust each other. The results also found that they still can regulate their internet usage and time spent online. Hence, this shows that they give priority to their marriage. The result from this study may offer valuable information about the level of internet usage among married couples in Malaysia that also can be used as a baseline to guide treatment programme and assessment

NATION-BUILDING AMONG YOUTHS IN MALAYSIA: THE CIVIC EDUCATION APPROACH

This article focuses on the nation-building among youths in Malaysia through civic education. Today's youths are exposed to various social challenges, including domestic and global intimidations, and they are easily involved in social problems and immoral activities. Moreover, some of the youths are seen as close-minded, lack respect for the elders and intolerant in their daily life which may affect inter-ethnic relations in a multiethnic society. It is crucial to foster the youths to ensure a better development of the country. The government has implemented civic education approach in educating the youths to foster a strong patriotism and nationalism, and strengthen their loyalty towards the country. The purpose of this study is to provide insights into the implementation of civic education approach cultivating civic consciousness among the Malaysian youth groups. This study employed quantitative approach through a survey technique by using questionnaires distributed to 431 Malaysian youths from Universiti Putra Malaysia (i.e 241 Malay and 190 Chinese students). Descriptive analysis was implemented to compare and contrast the intensity of civic education based on three dimensions, namely civic knowledge, civic skills and civic disposition. The findings show that the Malay and Chinese respondents have high levels of civic education and high civic consciousness as to understand the importance of living in a multiethnic society. The positive integration among the Malays and Chinese will strengthen a sense of belonging among the Malaysian youths. This study concludes that civic education in this country is important as the foundation for unity and the construction of a dreamed nation-state.   Keywords: Civic education, civic education approach, nation-building, youths, youth groups in Malaysia   Cite as: Ismail, M. M., Othman, Z., Hassan, N. A., Abdullah, N. H., Abdullah, A., & Mohamad Zan, U. M. S. (2019). Nation-building among youths in Malaysia: The civic education approach. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 390-409. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp390-40

Societal perception on the government role in governing development and ethnic relations in Malaysia

This article discusses the perception of the society on the role played by the government in implementing the governance responsibilities of the country's development, particularly in the context of managing and organizing social differences in the Malaysian society. The diversity in Malaysia is not only generates a dynamic social composition, but has brought significant challenges to the government in managing the country's governance more effectively. In addition, the civic consciousness among the current Malaysian society has claimed various demands such as for a fair, transparent and equitable government, society’s interests, as well as generating good economic development and sustaining social well-being in society. This study explores the perceptions of the community towards the role of the government in the context of economic governance, holistic development, community management, establishment of government services, program implementation, political, media, criminal governance and social problems. This study indicates each ethnic group presented different feedbacks in every aspect. However, there is no negative dimension that shows the failure of the government in implementing a good governance, but still need some improvement based on the perception of the respondents. Implementation of development, governance is important in the context of promoting good ethnic relations between the diversity of societies in Malaysia. Thus, good ethnic relations are the substance for the formation of social cohesion and the continued assurance of national stability in Malaysia

The influence of political socialization among educated youth at Universiti Putra Malaysia

This article discusses the influence of political socialization among educated youths in Malaysia, with special focus given to Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) students. The political learning process of youth groups is essential to be refined from time to time, especially in political socialization everyday defined until they reach a stage of maturity in their life. Many factors and agents are involved in the process of political socialization of an individual. Therefore, this article focuses on the factors and agents of political socialization that influence the learning process of political affairs among UPM students. This study used a quantitative approach with survey techniques using a self-administered questionnaire involving 431 educated Malay and Chinese youth for comparison in studying the influence of political socialization. This study showed that there are different variations on the influence of political socialization among Malay and Chinese youth. Each agent has its role in influencing the political socialization of the youth groups being studied. Ironically, the learning process about the political affairs of these educated youths is significantly influenced by educational and government factors and the family and peer group factors that have a strong influence, particularly in their literacy formation and political awareness

Public perceptions towards belt and road initiative (BRI) in Malaysia

News media plays an important role in strengthening a diplomacy relations or friendship between countries. As such, Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a symbol of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. Hence, when dealing with diplomatic relations, a question of how the media portrays the messages of their countries’ communities is the major concerns of this study. This paper attempts to explain the public perception in the Malay newspapers towards BRI in Malaysia. The news coverage of Malaysia-China relationships on BRI is examined comparatively across the two Malay prominent newspapers, namely Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia, in different perceptions, namely positive, moderate or mix and negative perceptions. By employing framing of the content analysis as the research method, this study obtained 95 news items from Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian between 1 April 2018 and 31 December 2018. The results revealed that, the Malaysia-China relationships was characterized by a positive perception towards Malaysia and China that described bilateral relations. The economic consequences and responsibility frame were most highlighted by the Malay newspapers. Notably, this study found that these two newspapers were mostly positive and moderate to portray their respective governments. Therefore, the main perceptions and trend of the Malay newspapers is positive and moderate thus the Malaysian communities have a relatively good perception on BRI

Relationship between value-based behaviors among university students in Malaysia

The value-based behavior about the topic of this study has a relationship with values because the values are acting according to the choices based on the core values of a society. The government’s efforts in achieving the idea of social cohesion and unity in Malaysian society are not confined to the policies and rules of authority alone, but also include the responsibility of the society at the grassroots level to engage in various daily activities across the ethnic and religious boundaries. Thus, this paper measures value-based behavior among university students through a value-based approach. This quantitative study targets university students from 10 public universities and two private universities in Malaysia. A total of 514 respondents consisting of university students of various ethnicities and religions. The findings are based on the value determination scale which is divided into two dimensions, namely positive value and negative value. There are three indicators for the positive values, namely; 1. The dimension of Doing Good Deeds (Al-Bir), 2) Dimension of Improvement (Al-Islah) and 3) Dimension of Justice (Al-Qist). While the indicators for negative values can be divided into two namely; 1) Dimensions of Damage (Al-Fasad) and 2) Dimensions of Tyranny or Oppression (Al-Zulm). The results found that each item in each positive value and the value-based behavior is significantly shared among the university students regardless of their ethnicity. The students can effortlessly develop the good human behavior that leads to the production of intellectual individuals with decently standing and spiritually comprehensive in the society

Analisis tahap penerimaan isu Melayu-Islam dalam kempen pilihan raya di kawasan Melayu pinggir bandar

Pilihan raya adalah medan penyampaian maklumat atau membangkitkan isu yang boleh digunakan oleh parti politik yang bertanding dalam pilihan raya. Dalam proses menyakinkan pengundi, parti politk dan calon akan menggunakan pelbagai strategi yang boleh menarik minat pengundi supaya mengundi mereka. Isu yang dekat dihati dan diterima oleh pengundi akan mendorong mereka memilih atau menolak calon yang bertanding. Isu-isu dalam suatu pilihan raya sangat penting untuk diurus dan dimanipulasi oleh parti politik. Penerimaan pengundi terhadap suatu isu akan membuka peluang kepada calon yang bertanding untuk menang. Kajian ini menganlisis isu-isu yang digunakan oleh parti politik bagi meraih sokongan pengundi Melayu di pinggir bandar. Isu Melayu-Islam, ekonomi, 1MDB, dan kedaulatan raja-raja antara isu yang penting bagi pengundi Melayu. Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti tahap kedudukan penerimaan isu Melayu-Islam dalam kalangan pengundi Melayu. Seterusnya kajian ini menganalisis penerimaan isu berasaskan umur, taraf pendidikan dan perolehan pendapatan dengan menggunakan kaedah kuantitatif. Responden kajian ini terdiri daripada pengundi Melayu di Dewan Undangan Negeri Semenyih yang dipilih secara rawak mudah. Dapatan yang diperolehi melalui kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa isu-isu Melayu-Islam secara dasarnya menarik minat pengundi Melayu dalam sesuatu kempen pilihan raya. Bagaimanapun tahap penerimaan tersebut adalah berasaskan kepada pemboleh ubah seperti umur, tahap pendidikan dan juga ekonomi seseorang. Sudut pandang berbeza berasaskan latar belakang individu akan mengubah kedudukan tahap penerimaan suatu isu dalam kempen pilihan raya

Dimensions of national ethos among educated youths in Malaysia

This article focuses on dimensions of national ethos among educated youths in Malaysia by developing a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model. The main objective is to evaluate national ethos dimensions and develop a CFA model of the national ethos formation. These objectives are achieved by applying four main dimensions to confirm the formation of national ethos: values, feelings and spirit, beliefs and identity dimensions. The study was conducted using a quantitative approach through survey techniques involving 431 students of Universiti Putra Malaysia, comprising 241 Malay and 190 Chinese youth groups. The data analysis used the SEM-AMOS approach to develop a CFA model of the national ethos. The results confirm national ethos of educated youth is formed through the four main dimensions measured. The CFA model has achieved a good level of compatibility based on the set indicators (CMIN = 600.947, DF = 115, CMIN / DF = 5.226, p = 0.000, SRMR = 0.0937, RMSEA = 0.099, CFI = 0.927 and PNFI = 0.771). This study implies a CFA model as a new approach in national ethos formation among educated youths in Malaysia. A future evaluation of a non-educated youth group should also be implemented to assure that this model becomes a holistic model