As the 50th anniversary of the Rukun Negara is celebrated tomorrow, two academicians say the government must ensure the next generation of Malaysians fully understands and appreciates the principles.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Assoc Prof Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said Malaysians have over the years been only taught to memorise the Rukun Negara and not understand what it means.
“The five principles of the Rukun Negara are printed on the back of school exercise books, but students don’t know its objectives,” said Azeem who is USM’s Centre for Policy Research and International Studies director.
Azeem said while it may be too late to teach the present crop of Malaysians to appreciate the Rukun Negara, we should not miss out on the next generation of Malaysians.
“Students in lower secondary must be educated on the objectives of the Rukun Negara – but not as a subject that will burden them,” he said.
The Rukun Negara was declared on Aug 31, 1970 to commemorate the country’s independence. It was introduced after the May 13, 1969 riots which weakened race relations among Malaysians.
The five principles of the Rukun Negara are:-
• Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan (Belief in God)
• Kesetiaan Kepada Raja dan Negara (Loyalty to the King and Country)
• Keluhuran Perlembagaan (Supremacy of the Constitution)
• Kedaulatan Undang-undang (Rule of Law)
• Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan (Courtesy and Morality)
Separately, the government had last month announced the creation of a special task force on a long-term Rukun Negara Education programme.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Prof Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong said it was vital to determine how the principles of Rukun Negara are to be promoted.
“We must know what we want to teach our young. We must also set the tone on how society is supposed to view and form opinions on the principles,” said Teo, who is a principal research fellow at UKM’s Institute of Ethnic Studies and Institute of Malay World and Civilisation.
“We can’t just stick to the textbook description of the Rukun Negara. There should be a national ideology.
“There should also be a curriculum that evolves every five years to ensure the Rukun Negara remains relevant.”
Teo added any task force should comprise members of the academia, community leaders and religious leaders to ensure the Rukun Negara is not viewed as mere rhetoric.
Here’s a round-up of The News Normal today.
NO MERDEKA PARADE – FOR NOW
Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Yaakob announced this year’s National Day parade is off “for now” due to Covid-19, adding social distancing will be difficult to adhere to.
Other programmes related to the Aug 31 celebration, however, may be held but with strict SOPs in place.
COVID-19 CASES HIT 3 MILLION IN U.S.
The U.S. has recorded three million cases with the worldwide tally now close to 12 million. Meanwhile, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly played down risks and opposed lockdowns, tested positive for Covid-19.
In Malaysia, three cases were recorded today – all imported – bringing the overall number of cases to 8.677. No deaths were recorded.
While the numbers in the country remain relatively low compared to other nations, Sultan of Selangor Sharafuddin Idris Shah expressed concern over the lack of SOP compliance among the people.
The Sultan urged the public to wear face masks, clean their hands with sanitiser or soap and observe social distancing of at least 1m.
NFDP MUST ADDRESS UNDER-REPRESENTATION IN FOOTBALL
Twentytwo13 contributor Muhammad Yunus Zakariah writes that social stigma and anxiety are the biggest contributing factors to the serious lack of female participation in football. Yunus said it’s the same story with racial under-representation.
Yunus believes the taxpayer-funded National Football Development Programme must address these concerns.
