A DELEGATE from Kedah said at the Umno General Assembly that looking at recent incidents, it would be good to revive the spirit of Rukun Negara. Many others have made the suggestion but to no avail. Instead the country has been introduced to one slogan after another with each change of leadership, forgetting the great efforts that were made in the aftermath of the May 1969 riots to create a national ideology that would rally all the races.
The Rukun Negara was proclaimed on Aug 31, 1970, and was adopted as the document guiding the implementation of the new strategy in national development planning – the New Economic Policy as stated in para 7 Chapter 1 of the Second Malaysia Plan (1971- 1975), the first five-year plan to implement the NEP.
"The Rukun Negara, which declares the national objectives and values and the fundamental principles to guide the citizens and the nation, has evolved from close consultation and deliberation in the National Consultative Council and represents a national consensus and commitment to the task of creating a united, socially just, economically equitable and progressive Malaysian nation."
The Plan quoted the Rukun Negara to say "… from these diverse elements of our population, we are dedicated to the achievement of a united nation in which loyalty and dedication to the nation shall over-ride all other loyalties."
The Rukun Negara has been described as the national ideology which emphasises belief in God, loyalty to king and country and respect for the cultures and traditions of the multiracial society.
The architects of the ideology realised that these values could best be realised within the context of a rapidly expanding economy. They placed the highest emphasis in the development programme to achieving high rates of economic growth to create the opportunities for all races to benefit from progress.
Although Malaysia has done well under the NEP to create a stronger economy with commendable results in abolishing extreme poverty, reducing unemployment and restructuring the society to redress racial economic imbalances, the objective of achieving national unity remains a major challenge. In recent years, there have been several incidents which are a threat to national unity.
While these incidents tend to be isolated and are related more to political posturing than to any deep-seated social discontent among the people. There are concerns that without a reference point to remind Malaysians of the good values that we should all live up to, the ugly incidents may recur to create fear and instability. The incidents are not frightening but the perception that they are politically motivated and tolerated by law enforcement agencies is damaging to the country's reputation for social and political stability. It's a black mark which can be a drag on the economy.
I believe the Rukun Negara can be a powerful instrument for instilling in Malaysians that loyalty to king and country means upholding the constitution and rule of law and that those who ignore the law must be held accountable.
Young Malaysians must be brought up to honour the principles of the Rukun Negara so that they can understand that loyalty to the country is the most noble of values.
Guided by these values, they will know how to differentiate between healthy criticism and malicious statements and to appreciate that every citizen is entitled to voice his or her opinion provided the opinion is sincere and is made without bad intention. Our democracy will become stronger when there is tolerance for dissent.
The spirit of the Rukun Negara is about respect for each other so that we can settle our differences through dialogue, not confrontation and hostility. It should be officially proclaimed as the national ideology and used as a daily diet in strengthening unity.
Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim
Kuala Lumpur
The Rukun Negara was proclaimed on Aug 31, 1970, and was adopted as the document guiding the implementation of the new strategy in national development planning – the New Economic Policy as stated in para 7 Chapter 1 of the Second Malaysia Plan (1971- 1975), the first five-year plan to implement the NEP.
"The Rukun Negara, which declares the national objectives and values and the fundamental principles to guide the citizens and the nation, has evolved from close consultation and deliberation in the National Consultative Council and represents a national consensus and commitment to the task of creating a united, socially just, economically equitable and progressive Malaysian nation."
The Plan quoted the Rukun Negara to say "… from these diverse elements of our population, we are dedicated to the achievement of a united nation in which loyalty and dedication to the nation shall over-ride all other loyalties."
The Rukun Negara has been described as the national ideology which emphasises belief in God, loyalty to king and country and respect for the cultures and traditions of the multiracial society.
The architects of the ideology realised that these values could best be realised within the context of a rapidly expanding economy. They placed the highest emphasis in the development programme to achieving high rates of economic growth to create the opportunities for all races to benefit from progress.
Although Malaysia has done well under the NEP to create a stronger economy with commendable results in abolishing extreme poverty, reducing unemployment and restructuring the society to redress racial economic imbalances, the objective of achieving national unity remains a major challenge. In recent years, there have been several incidents which are a threat to national unity.
While these incidents tend to be isolated and are related more to political posturing than to any deep-seated social discontent among the people. There are concerns that without a reference point to remind Malaysians of the good values that we should all live up to, the ugly incidents may recur to create fear and instability. The incidents are not frightening but the perception that they are politically motivated and tolerated by law enforcement agencies is damaging to the country's reputation for social and political stability. It's a black mark which can be a drag on the economy.
I believe the Rukun Negara can be a powerful instrument for instilling in Malaysians that loyalty to king and country means upholding the constitution and rule of law and that those who ignore the law must be held accountable.
Young Malaysians must be brought up to honour the principles of the Rukun Negara so that they can understand that loyalty to the country is the most noble of values.
Guided by these values, they will know how to differentiate between healthy criticism and malicious statements and to appreciate that every citizen is entitled to voice his or her opinion provided the opinion is sincere and is made without bad intention. Our democracy will become stronger when there is tolerance for dissent.
The spirit of the Rukun Negara is about respect for each other so that we can settle our differences through dialogue, not confrontation and hostility. It should be officially proclaimed as the national ideology and used as a daily diet in strengthening unity.
Tan Sri Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim
Kuala Lumpur