One of the more interesting aspects of this work, which will unfold itself over the next few months, is the implication that the Malaysian youth can be neatly cleaved into two different groups.

The first is the white collar, university educated, affluent urban youth. These are the young people who fill the junior ranks of GLCs and private sector companies in KL, JB and Penang, or the government offices in Putrajaya. They are relatively well-to-do, idealistic, opinionated.

And then there is the other side of the coin; the blue collar, SPM- or diploma-qualified youth, filling out the ranks of the working class in urban as well as rural areas. For these young men and women, the issues tend to revolve around the procurement of basic needs such as jobs, housing, a good decent salary.

Are they all too different? One can imagine that all young people have a set of similar concerns: getting a good job, getting along with friends, getting hitched, and the rest. But being located in different socio-economic strata does lead to palpable diversions in interest and inclination.

An important challenge for youth development would therefore proceed from the need to cater to two segments of Malaysian youth that often speak different languages, and have different motivations and desires.

As we celebrate Merdeka this coming Tuesday, we would be well served to remember that this Malaysia of ours is a rich mosaic of different races and different social strata, and that the challenge of nation-building in a diverse country such as ours must remain a continuing endeavour, ever striving against the forces of inequality, bigotry and narrow-minded zealotry.