PUTRAJAYA needs to conduct more youth engagement programmes to raise awareness of the importance to protect their neighbourhood, said Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA).
“Youths need to understand that community building is our responsibility. Instilling social responsibility in them is also key to ensuring that they would contribute back to the society.
“Our youth must be made to understand that the community system will be able to work better if they can be part of it,” its central committee member Ainie Haziqah told FocusM.
Yesterday, Deputy National Unity Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal said that poor participation of young people has been identified as the reason why a total of 974 Neighbourhood Watch Areas nationwide had become inactive.
As such, he added that neighbourhood watches have become synonymous with pensioners while young people were seen to be “avoiding” the system.
“I believe we need to look into why neighbourhood watches are dying and it could be because the youngsters are shying away from the programme.
“And now, National Unity Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique has decided that neighbourhood watches that are no longer active and have not submitted their reports will no longer receive the annual grant of RM6,000,” Bernama reported him as saying.
Our neighbourhood, our responsibility
Sharing her own experience while serving as the Petaling Jaya City Council councillor, Ainie said she saw the trend of the elderly joining the neighbourhood watches instead of youngsters.
The situation, she opined, could be due to lack of awareness of the existence of neighbourhood watch in their vicinity as most of them work during the day.
“Hence, they rarely know and be active in the neighbourhood. Thus, youth are seen not developing better sense of responsibility to care for the safety of families and society around,” Ainie quipped.
Offering solutions, the MUDA leader urged the rightful ministry to instil the importance of youth involvement in community building to ensure social justice and protect the safety of their community.
“This is one way they can contribute back to the society. Our youth must be made to understand that the community system will function better if they can be part of it as community building is also our responsibility,” Ainie remarked. – May 16, 2022
