SAHIH.CO, Jakarta – Abdul Razak Ahmad, Chairman of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), is concerned about the deafening silence of the ASEAN young generation on global issues. In his speech at the ASEAN University Network-Student Affairs Network (AUN-SAN) 5th Annual Meeting 2024 in University Utara Malaysia (UUM), Malaysia, he stated that the Millennials and Generation Z around the world are shaping the world as we speak, but we face a paradox in ASEAN.
“But here in ASEAN, we face a paradox. We pride ourselves on being an interconnected, globalized community, yet went it comes to the most pressing issues of our time our campuses fell silent,” said Abdul Razak on Friday, July 12, 2024.
Abdul Razak questioned the role of ASEAN campuses and students on some crucial issues globally. He addressed the fact that ASEAN students are less heard compared to their peers around the world.
“Where are the impassioned voices speaking out against democratic backsliding? Where is the outcry against the genocide in Palestine? Or the counter-narrative against the rise of dangerous radical movements. Where are the technological solutions that we could offer to reduce poverty, to educate millions who has no access to good schools and teachers in our remote areas, or to give an opportunity for girls in Afghanistan an opportunity to learn?” he added.
Speaking on behalf of Malaysia’s Ministry of Higher Education, he explained that the lecture hall should not only resonate with theory and technique, but also with debates on ethics, discussions on social responsibility, and dialogue on the human condition. He emphasized campuses should be the arena for change, not just places of academic pursuit.
He reminded the audience of historical change that was driven largely by students and campuses, such as the civil rights campaign for equality in the United States of America, the end of communism in Eastern Europe, the actions against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and the Indonesian democratic transition in 1998.
Young Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Activists Visit to Israel as Genocide Still Happening
Meanwhile, amid the tragedy in Gaza, five young intellectuals from Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization, secretly paid a visit to the occupied country of Israel. In a photo that went viral on the internet and social media, they met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
This visit triggered reactions from the Muslim societies and the general public around Indonesia. The Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU) strongly condemns this action. Reported by NU Online, NU official media, PBNU held a press conference at their office, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (16/7/2024) regarding the visit of five NU activists to Israel. General Chairman of the PBNU, Yahya Cholil Staquf (Gus Yahya), emphasizes the importance of sensitivity to international politics, especially regarding the issue of Palestine and Israel.
“This is a problem of ignorance about constellations, maps (political), and so on. Maybe because they are not old enough so the results are not as expected. This is the result of the parties not being sensitive enough to make an approach,” he said at the PBNU Building, Kramat Raya Street 164, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (16/7/2024).
In 2018, it is known that Gus Yahya himself who served as Katib Aam (General Secretary of the Supreme Council) PBNU at that time attended the American Jewish Committee (AJC) conference in Israel and met Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu. That visit also caused controversy among Indonesian people.
Reporter: Teuku Zulman Sangga Buana
