KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia gears up for the National Day celebration on Thursday, a study by Kajidata Research shows its citizens have great patriotism and place high hopes on the Madani concept to build a glorious Malaysia.
The study, conducted in July 2023 using 1,082 respondents from all major ethnicities and age groups in Malaysia, found a high level of patriotism (99 per cent) and 80 per cent acceptance of the Malaysia Madani concept, ranging from very high to little.
Extreme patriotism has always been the sentiment among Malaysians, as seen in Kajidata’s findings since 2013, said Professor Datuk Seri Syed Arabi Idid of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in his analysis of the data.
He said this level of pride is not seen in many nations, even in the United States where a Gallup poll in June 2023 showed only 67 per cent of the Americans were either extremely or very proud to be an American.
The political divide in the country has very little bearing on Malaysians’ loyalty to their motherland, unlike in the US at present where the Gallup poll indicated Republican supporters showed greater pride in their country than the rest, he said.
On the Madani concept, the majority especially the non-Malays accepted the idea. The concept envisions a civilised, skilled and inclusive society based on six core values, namely Sustainability, Prosperity, Innovation, Respect, Trust and Compassion.
He said the acceptance of the Madani concept is also because Malaysians believed the framework could deliver the much-awaited changes they wanted to see in the country.
Syed Arabi noted that the study also found that three years ago only 35 per cent of the respondents were optimistic about the future but now under the Madani spirit it is 48 per cent. They are also now more optimistic about their family’s future, the country’s economy, employment opportunities and their financial state.
Slightly more than half of the respondents in the 21-23 years age group were the ones more confident of their future and the status of their families (41 per cent).
Meanwhile, Kajidata’s adviser Datuk Haris Ismail noted that while the high level of acceptance of the Madani concept is good, more needs to be done by civil servants in delivering the pledges made under the framework.
