Ignorance of Rukun Negara a great concern, says academic

 

The five tenets of the Rukun Negara according to a Year 6 ‘Pendidikan Moral’ textbook.

GEORGE TOWN: A professor today blamed the lack of patriotism among youths on the ignorance and understanding of the national pledge, the Rukun Negara.

Universiti Teknologi Mara professor Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz said the government’s repeated campaigns to instil patriotism had not worked simply because the spirit of the pledge had not been fully understood.

She said the ignorance in Rukun Negara principles began in the 1980s when teachers’ training institutes reduced focus on the subject, resulting in an overall lack of interest among students after that.

The Rukun Negara was formulated on Aug 31, 1970 to unite the various races.

Shamrahayu Abdul Aziz.

The five tenets of the Rukun Negara are Belief in God; Loyalty To King and Country; Upholding The Constitution; Rule of Law; Good Behaviour and Morality.

Shamrahayu said patriotism was not something you can just teach.

“It begins at home, where parents should teach their children to love their homeland.

“I have often asked my students when was the last time they had hoisted the Jalur Gemilang and recited the Rukun Negara.

“Almost all of them said ‘no’,” she said at a talk held by the Council of Federal Datuks Malaysia on “Understanding loyalty and patriotism to King and country” held via Zoom today.

Shamrahayu, who chairs the Malay Rulers’ chair at her university, also decried the continuous attacks on royalty and the symbols of the country.

She gave as examples the national anthem being sung with modified lyrics, the federal crest being changed and the national flag being flown upside down.

“Most can’t differentiate between government and country. No monarch can be compared to the government – they are separate. The Malay rulers are the pillars of strength of our country,” she said.

Shamrahayu said ceremonies involving royalty were part of the country’s unique identity and culture. All these would be lost if there was no continuity in these customs.

“Lest we forget, the Malay rulers are essentially the traditional source of justice (‘punca keadilan’) for all Malaysians,” she said. - FMT