Selangor DAP rep chastised for condoning recital of Tamil version of Rukun Negara by kids

 

RIGHTISTS have apparently found yet another bullet to attack DAP.

This time Subang Jaya state assemblywoman Michelle Ng Mei Sze found herself in line of fire for having expressed appreciation for the recital of the Rukun Negara (National Principles) in Tamil.

This follows a social media posting by the two-term DAP state rep of her gracing the Kuil Sri Subramaniar Education Centre Sports Day/Carnival in her constituency on the Aug 16 weekend.

“I’m very touched that just now, they (the children) took the effort to love the country by singing the national anthem, Negaraku,” praised Ng who is also the political secretary to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, alluding to the Merdeka month which is the right time of the year to inculcate patriotism in the minds of the young.

 

“Moreover, I think the kindergarten has done well to inculcate patriotism for this is the first time that I heard the recital of Rukun Negara in Tamil.”

But who could have wondered that such a mild gathering of parents and children be hijacked by the rightist fraternity so much so that Ng who is also a lawyer by training have to add a comment to her social media post: “Actually, the pupils recited the Rukun Negara in the national language (first) and then in Tamil ”.

‘Unacceptable and disrespectful’

Leading the rightists’ charge is Threader Amri (@yolamri._) who ticked off DAP/PH (Pakatan Harapan) for their amazing feat of “singing NEGARKU and reciting RUKUN NEGARA in Tamil”.

“What else needs to be changed tomorrow or the day after?” he fumed while furnishing a slew of written rules by the authorities that both Negaraku and Rukun Negara must strictly be sang or recited in none other than the national language.

“FYI, this video has been deleted (Editor’s Note: It has not) and I think it’s time to start raising this issue. Both Negaraku and Rukun Negara are the core identities of our country”.

To counter “possibility of retaliation from the Chinese and Indians”, the rightist further posed a 2012 Q&A by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia which touted the recitation of Rukun Negara in other languages apart from Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia as both “unacceptable and disrespectful”.

True enough, a verification with Meta.AI  by another Threader “if it’s wrong if SJKT (Tamil government-aided national school) pupils to recite Rukun Negara in Tamil” confirmed that the act of the lafaz (recital) is wrong.

“Under Article 152 and the National Language Act 1963/67, the official recitation of Rukun Negara and Negaraku must be in Bahasa Melayu which is why the 2012 DBP reply stated that lafaz in other languages is SALAH,” justified the virtual assistant and artificial intelligence platform developed by Meta Platforms.

“For SJKT, teachers can use Tamil translation to explain the meaning so the pupils understand the meaning but the formal weekly recitation in assembly still has to be in the Malay language.”

Elsewhere, furore has been directed at DAP “for always putting their brains in their knees”.

“Rukun Negara must (always) be in BM which is the national language!” berated one محمد خيرون (@khairun.mx).

“There will be no equal rights and compromise on the issue of Rukun Negara. Bahasa Melayu is the national language!” –  Focus Malaysia