KUALA LUMPUR – For nearly 40 years, young Malaysians have been seen raising their right hand shoulder-high and reciting the five tenets of the Rukunegara at National Day parades, school assemblies and youth gatherings.

The pledge to uphold this national philosophy normally follows the singing of the national anthem, Negaraku, which further emphasises the spirit of being loyal to the King, the nation and fellow countrymen.

So important is the Rukunegara, it is felt, that the proclamation has been printed behind the cover of exercise books used by all primary and secondary schools in Malaysia.

Yet, for all the oath-taking and pledges, how many Malaysians actually live up to its tenets: Belief in God; Loyalty to King and Country; Upholding the Constitution; Rule of Law and Good Behaviour and Morality?

The Government tried four or five years back, to make the reading of the Rukunegara a compulsory agenda at official functions, just like it wanted the singing of the national anthem to also be a must at these functions.

However, it found it tiring to encourage the adults to do this and the idea just fizzled out.

A reaction to racial riots

The Rukunegara was instituted by royal proclamation on National Day 1970, in reaction to serious race riots in the peninsula in May 1969.

Since then, a whole generation has grown up; many became national leaders, politicians, professionals and key corporate figures.

Despite this, there is no inkling that after four decades, the Rukunegara has helped the country to be a less lawless and more harmonious place to live in.

Crime is on the rise, racial and religious intolerance continue to fester and there is increasing resentment about wealth distribution.

So, whither the dedication to the nation to:

-           achieve a greater unity of all her peoples;

-           maintain a democratic way of life;

-           create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; and

-           ensure a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions?

Lack of awareness of basic rights

The Bar Council reckons that the decaying state of affairs in the country and the laid-back attitude about national aspirations boils down to the people being ignorant of their right.

It feels it can do something about it by getting Malaysians to focus on the third principle of the Rukunegara: upholding the Constitution.

The Council has formed a Constitutional Law committee (ConstiLC), headed by lawyer Edmund Bon Tai Soon (right), to study and promote the Constitution, as part of the Council’s already wide-ranging scope of activities and events.

The committee has already started its work and will launch the ‘MyConstitution’ campaign on Nov 13 as a first-ever campaign of its sort in Malaysia.

Council president Ragunath Kesavan said, even among the 13,000 lawyers in the country, only a handful actually know and understand the country’s Constitution. 

“Maybe, about 12,000 lawyers do not know their rights – what more the ordinary people?”

Ragunathan said all the laws, by-laws, regulations and enactments in the country come under the supreme law, which is the Federal Constitution.

“It sets down how our country is governed.

“It enshrines principles of the Rule of Law, democracy and democratic governance.

“If we can get people to understand it, they will understand their rights. And, everything else will fall in place,” he said.

The 'MyConstitution' campaign kicks off

The campaign, which will run for two years and targeting young Malaysians aged 15 to 35, hopes to reach at least six million people through the following initiatives:

-  Producing a series of community service advertisements on selected provisions of the Federal Constitution,

-   Publishing a pocket-sized, layperson’s guide of the Constitution,

-  Hosting a series of awareness-raising and interest-building programmes on the Constitution,

-   Publishing a series of articles on the Constitutiion in the media

-   Making copies of the Constitution available to and accessible by the rakyat, and, where necessary

-   Publishing a policy paper with recommendations for constitutional reforms.

Edmond Bon adds:  “We want to get Malaysians to start young about understanding the Constitution and their rights.

We want those kids who take their Rukunegara pledge to understand that the Constitution they uphold enshrines their basic rights.

“It is absurd when they pledge to uphold the Constitution they don’t know what it is all about. And the schools, or the education system, are not helping either. - Malaysian Mirror