In conjunction with the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, Malaysian Today revisits the tagline which has seen reactions both good and bad: 1Malaysia; People First, Performance Now. The young speak up on this and they're saying: They want the pure unity and acceptance among races that they remember as children. 

Have you ever heard your parents reminisce about the days when they would go home-hopping during the festivities? From a Malay neighbour celebrating Hari Raya to an Indian friend throwing his doors open for Deepavali, as soon as the festivals rolled along, food and fun was aplenty - regardless of race or religion. Everyone was happy to just receive the red packets, even though the packets came from hands that were not the same colour.
This is what our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak envisioned when he launched the 1Malaysia campaign in September 2008: He urged (and continues to urge) Malaysians from every social and economical level to accept, unite and forge closer ties despite differences.
Because recent troubles have had everyone on edge, callous remarks are made with minimal consequences, and issues with trust and understanding have marred what unity we have. Sadly, prejudices and stereotypes are being fostered by inconsiderate parties and festered through malevolent intent - all in contrary to the vision in mind and to the memories of 1Malaysia past.
It was not always this way, recalls Victoria Lee, 22. "I grew up sharing food with my Malay friends even before I could completely grasp what halal was. The food really was halal, of course, but I just didn't know it nor did it make any difference to our friendships. The biggest thing stopping us now from sharing those times again is years of misguided injustice, bitter prejudices and stereotypes which are definitely untrue and unfounded."
"I believe 1Malaysia has always existed, though more so in past times than at present. But 1Malaysia has become less and less significant as the years go by," says Lee. "I feel terribly sad that I now sometimes view my neighbours as someone of another race to stay away from, instead of as a friend."
In one of the eight pillars of 1Malaysia as envisioned by our PM, acceptance is what he deems as most crucial, and as very different indeed from the old idea of tolerance. And acceptance is also what the young understand from 1Malaysia.
"I know I am not as politically savvy as I hope to be, but 1Malaysia to me is both a good idea and a superfluous tagline that reminds us of what we've lost, and what we can gain back if we all ignored the attempts at separation and accepted one another," expresses Lee.
Dannie Than, 24, echoes this belief.
He believes that 1Malaysia is when a nation ignores their differences and work towards a better future without any discriminations or unfair treatment based on race, and most of all, without the instigations by certain quarters.
"A nation is her people, and not her politicians! If we want this 1Malaysia we need to work towards it together, and all of us have a part to play."
In this note, Than also parallels what Lee has said: That his 1Malaysia experience dates back into the school days, when everyone had fun together before and after (and sometimes during!) classes.
"There were no Malays, Chinese, Indians, and lain-lain - there were only Samadians (what his old school students used to call themselves)."
And making it three in a row, Jeremy K.I, 23, can recall his 1Malaysia moment only from secondary school.
"Regardless of race or religion, we bonded as friends. It was simply unheard of that Malays cannot mix with Chinese or vice versa."
"But now, there is a strain among us, and I feel that 1Malaysia no longer holds true. However, it is will not be solved by government talk, talk, talk."
K.I knows that to truly achieve the goal of 1Malaysia, the people who propound it must walk the talk.
"I think politicians have to show more proof and belief in what they are trying to get the people to follow. Instead of just talking about it and not truly putting it to practice."
"And as for the people, most of us have completely accepted each other but there are still some who truly need to be educated in understanding the true meaning of 1Malaysia," says K.I.
His opinion is reflected by Emilia Nina, 23, who, first of all, stresses on a sense of belonging as the core of 1Malaysia.
"I've heard people taking sides on controversial cultural and racial issues and it makes me angry and sad at the same time. Shouldn't we, as a people, living and breathing the same space, condemn in unison anything at all that threatens the peace within our country? Shouldn't everyone agree to disagree with racist remarks, regardless of who it is directed at?"
This, she says, is proof that we have a long way to go even as a nation and that yes, we must be guided properly to truly understand 1Malaysia.
In this vein, Alyaa Alhadjri, 23, reiterates that 1 Malaysia simply means embracing all things Malaysian: good, bad and the ugly.
"Accept everyone for who they are, and if you can't, please keep it to yourself," she stresses. "And sticking the 1Malaysia tag to anything and everything (Kempen Membaca 1 Malaysia? 1Malaysia toilets?) undermines its idea and its vision."
Much like what has already been pointed out by many of the young; secondary school was the pinnacle of how they remember 1Malaysia to be.
"High school in Subang, with 10 or so of us in a group of all races and we are best friends until now. And mamak lepak (hanging out in a local eatery) sessions of course," recalls Alyaa.
A pet peeve of hers is how an attitude of racial disagreement has crept into even the language we speak to one another.
"Some girls back in college gave me strange looks when I address them in Bahasa Malaysia on purpose. I write good English, but I prefer speaking in Malay - a language which all Malaysians understand because it's our national language."
To have something in common, is what K.Vinuraj Naidu, 23, thinks of as 1Malaysia.
"It means unity and equal rights among citizens of Malaysia in common ground."
"But above all, we need to have a proper mutual understanding of ourselves as Malaysians by not throwing hurtful words against each other. There is still room for improvement for 1Malaysia to be established not only as words but as seeds in everyone's hearts and souls."
And in many ways, this is also what Buveneswary Gunasekaran, 24, believes in.
"1Malaysia means one country, one race, one religion, one language... and that is Malaysian."
Buveneswary, however has both encouraging and discouraging tales to tell.
"I had a group of my friends of all races come to my home during festive season to celebrate with me. In complete contrast, however, nobody came to my family's aid when my nephew and niece were abducted. 1Malaysia is beyond just acceptance - it also means extending your hands to someone else who needs them."
Carmen Yap Xuan Guan, 23, however, has had the great fortune of experiencing help extended to her.
"I remember when I was younger, I stayed in a small town which was flood-prone. There were a good mix of races but the majority of the residents are Malays. And every time a flood happened, they will be the ones who came to my house and alerted us about it, no matter how late it was. They will shout till every one of us woke up so that we can have enough time to move all our things to a higher place and also make sure we were all safe after the floods."
So, she says, 1Malaysia has come to mean more than national unity and ethnic harmony for her.
"It also includes acceptance of all despite religion, race and status. It also means humility (Malaysian ought to be more humble / modest in the sense of putting ourselves in other people's shoes before judging any circumstances or coming up with any decision) and integrity (integrity here means, in my point of view, is having the sense of honesty and truthfulness in treating people) and yes, the all-important willingness to help one another."
She remains hopeful despite having experienced racism through her mom - some of her mother's wealthy Malay customers have deliberately been rude to her just because she was making clothes for them and was Chinese.
"All I can say is: Always think twice before doing something. Always put ourselves in other people's shoes before we actually do it. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Would you like to be discriminated against just because of your race? No? Then don't do it to other people."
The absence of discrimination is also what Bernard Yee, 25, sees as 1Malaysia. 
"Thankfully, 1Malaysia has taken hold among Malaysians who have learned that colour-blindness is a virtue."
He has had plenty of friends who are from various backgrounds and the one thing they hold dear is that friendship crosses borders.
"We don't care who you are, what you are or who on earth you are; we're still your pals - that is what they often say. That is how I view 1Malaysia; not through some power-mongering politician's plan. Looking through the other person's soul is what we need most."
Yee has a light-hearted view of things, however.
"You know what? Let Malaysia be a country where freedom of speech is expressed without fear. Don't worry too much about it. And you know what they say; laughter is the best medicine. So, why not laugh out all the silly antics accumulated over the years of politics?"
Jim Tan, 23, finds no laughing matter in the way the 1Malaysia slogan has been slapped on everything - he finds that it turns into overkill and that will completely bury what the entire tagline is about.
"Everywhere I look, it's 1Malaysia this, 1Malaysia that. It has become a very unfunny joke, when it really is something important and crucial for us as a nation."
"High school, unlike most of my other friends, was possibly where I witnessed most racial setbacks. I was called 'babi' (pig) on a regular and insulting basis. The time has come for us to move past all of this and work towards a complete revamping of mentalities.
"1Malaysia might just be utopian, but they say that the true effort in achieving it is the one that makes the change - and this change is something we must take seriously."
So, have the young got it down to a pat? Is 1Malaysia about unity, an understanding of differences and growing stronger for it?
To answer that, let's look into the words of our PM himself in the eight pillars of 1Malaysia.
"If you embrace things willingly, then I think your capacity to look at things in a more positive manner is much better than mere tolerance. This is what we require for Malaysia. We have to get the best of the Malays, the best of the Chinese, the best of the Indians, the best of everyone and meld them together so that collectively, we'll be much bigger than the sum of the individuals."