KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said urged the public and leaders to look beyond stereotypes portraying young people as entitled or spoiled and recognise the vastly different socioeconomic realities they face.
The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said young people today faced unique challenges, including technology-driven environments and changing economic realities, which shape how they perceive their worth and lead them to expect greater clarity and fairness in their careers.
"The generation today, it's not that they are entitled or they are spoiled, but they are born with a different perspective. Their experiences in life are not like how we went through.
"I bet you, all of us, when we were in university, we took the bus, we used a phone to call (not text message)... When we're overseas, you don't come back every year; you come back after you finish or you graduate. The challenges are different," she said at the 2026 International Young Future Leaders Summit (iFuture) Ministerial Forum Monday (Oct 12).
Azalina said this while serving as a panelist at the "Voices of Tomorrow: A Conversation on Leadership and Nation Building" forum organised by the Higher Education Ministry which also featured Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir as a fellow panelist.
She noted that unlike past generations, young people today understand their value and expect respect and accountability from employers.
Addressing the issue of leadership and integrity during the session, Azalina recalled a defining episode from her university years, when her advocacy over examination scheduling for fellow Malay students led her to temporarily disrupt her plans to pursue postgraduate studies at Cambridge University.
She cited that experience as the catalyst for entering politics and formulating her core leadership principles.
"When you're in a position of power, it is only temporary. You cannot abuse your power, because what goes around, comes around. We are all given a trust by God to do what we can do the best," she said.
Meanwhile, Azalina urged university students and young leaders to speak up on current issues affecting the country and public well-being, stressing their social responsibility to ensure critical matters, including environmental pollution, are not taken lightly.
She cited the issue of transboundary haze as an example, which has severely affected public health and led to school closures when the Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeded 200.
"If I were a student, there are many things I would do when the haze issue isn't being addressed properly. I am not asking you to take to the streets, but use the digital platforms you have to raise these concerning issues. If you stay silent, people will assume we are condoning it," she said. - Bernama
