The late Ghazali Shafie served first as home minister, and later as foreign minister during the 1970s and early 1980s.
In his 1985 book, Rukunegara, A Testament of Hope: Selected Speeches, he outlined in clear and specific terms how he saw the Rukun Negara, officially proclaimed in 1970, in the context of nation-building.
I am quoting him extensively to capture the spirit of those times.
Therefore, in speaking of the Rukunegara, we need to give equal emphasis to the commitment of the State as well as the correlative duties of the citizens. We need to emphasise the commitment to a society in which everyone irrespective of race belongs equally and has a place equally. Likewise, there is the commitment to a democratic way of life to the sovereignty of the people’s will.
The New Economic Policy (NEP) is a manifestation of this commitment. There is finally a commitment to modernization, to orientate our society to the modern age of science, technology and electronics, into which we must fit. These are the ends to which we are dedicated (if I may now employ the language of the Rukunegara itself) and it is for the attainment of the ends that we have articulated certain Principles which would serve as our guidelines.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara (ALIRAN), Maybank a/c 507246118995 or CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
Thus, the Rukenegara is not just the five principles. It is the totality of beliefs and rules, of commitment and principles. It is an integrative force which defines and at the same time confines the framework within which all citizens can have a dialogue – a dialogue which transcends race, class and generations to realise the Malaysia of our hopes and dreams.
A society which does not have shared beliefs, values and principles is a society which is in the process of breaking up, of being overtaken by events, by the development and dynamism of the rest of the world. The sharing of a common ideal, the sharing of a unifying faith is basic to the survival and success of our nation – indeed to any life or to any society.
The Rukunegara is the expression of our faith, of our convictions and of our will to act. I believe that our people are more than ready to respond to the call for action and to fulfill the promise of our unique nation which is articulated in the Rukunegara. I believe nothing can stand in the way of a people who are so dedicated and so disciplined.
From Rukunegara emerged the most dominating element namely the quest for equality which is passionately motivating the various races in the country. We have, therefore, to channel this motivation in a constructive way and bring it back into line with the definition of the Rukunegara.
In order to avoid a national catastrophe His Majesty in his wisdom and guided by the principles of the Rukunegara, has stated that a new economic policy has been formulated by this Government.
The main objectives of this policy are two pronged, firstly to eradicate poverty irrespective of racial origin, and secondly to obtain and strengthen national unity.
The preamble clearly outlines national objectives and guiding principles which hopefully would bind the nation together:
Our nation, Malaysia, being dedicated:
- to achieving a greater unity of all her peoples
- to maintaining a democratic way of life
- to creating a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared
- to ensuring a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions
- to building a progressive society which shall be orientated to modern science and technology
We her people pledge our united efforts to attain these ends guided by these principles:
- Belief in God
- Loyalty to King and Country
- Upholding the Constitution
- Rule of Law
- Good behavior and Morality
Thus, the principles which shall guide the development of the country were clearly spelt out.
In application, Ghazali highlights the case of building a road, which, according to the Public Works Department, would have to go through a temple in order to make a straight line and save costs.
The Rukun Negara suggests that the road should avoid the temple, even if it would cost a little more. This demonstrates that the shortest distance between the hearts of people is not necessarily a straight line.
This calls for a change in mindset among all of us, ensuring that the ultimate goal of national unity is preserved.
Today, five decades later, we witness a failure both of intent and practice at all levels of our society. The stress on dialogue has been forgotten. Instead of understanding, our politics of identity corrodes the vision envisaged by the Rukun Negara.
What should have been a 20-year experiment has been extended and exploited by the politics of identity and fear.
What is the result today? Many feel unjustly treated, others emigrate, corruption explodes, and the ethnic Malay polity is more fragmented than ever.
Today there is identification of ethnicity with the civil service, army and other services, including government-linked companies. It is also found in other areas of life.
Every negative cause based on identity or religion cannot produce positive outcomes. Exploitation begets reaction, and greed takes over.
It is important for communities to ask themselves a question. Despite all the religiosity evident, why is it that even certain religious institutions and causes have been undermined by corruption?
The fault lies with all of us. But we must also assign responsibility to the political leadership during the 1980s that undermined the focus the nation had on evaluating policies based on the principles of the Rukun Negara.
We were deflected by new ideas like Vision 2020 – good on paper, but not imbibed into the hearts of people.
Nation-building remains a work in progress, while the Rukun Negara provides the basis for our nation-building. All of us have to look at ourselves and ask serious questions about our mindset.
Why has every minister for national unity failed in his or her responsibilities?
Do our biases and prejudices blind us to the sense of justice that we should show to people of another ethnic and religious backgrounds? By becoming more compassionate, do we become less of a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Christian?
Can we accept that personal morality and beliefs have to be managed through the spirit of compassion, to preserve justice and fairness? The stresses in our society exist because politics seeks to preserve our ethnic and religious identities. It does not transcend these so that we become Malaysian. We do not treat unity and inclusiveness as the end goal.
Win-win possibilities can be created. We have the dynamism and intellectual maturity to do so. Prosper thy neighbour does not mean that the cake needs to get smaller. Should decrees displace dialogue?
The fragmentation of our politics is emblematic of the lack of focus we have given to the Rukun Negara. The country’s royal institutions can also help lead this effort, staying above the politics of identity or religion.
Let us together endeavour to ensure that the vision of the Rukun Negara continues to lead us in the years ahead. This is critical for our children and grandchildren.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
