Rukun Negara Must Be Lived, Not Just Recited - Academics

By Samantha Tan Chiew Tieng

PUTRAJAYA, June 5 (Bernama) -- The Rukun Negara must be embraced as a living guide rather than merely recited or memorised, particularly as Malaysia faces challenges such as social polarisation, digital culture and the rise of hate speech, academics say.

They believe the repeated reminders by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia on the importance of the Rukun Negara should serve as an impetus for Malaysians to reassess their commitment to the national philosophy and its role in daily life.

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) lecturer at the Department of Political Science and Madani Studies, Prof Dr Zainal Abidin Sanusi said repeated references to the Rukun Negara do not necessarily suggest that Malaysians have forgotten its principles, but may instead indicate a weakening commitment to its values.

He said for more than five decades, the Rukun Negara had largely been treated as a formal ritual, recited at assemblies, memorised for examinations and printed in educational materials without being genuinely translated into everyday conduct.

“When its principles are tested by real provocations such as insults against religious symbols, hate speech and uncivil behaviour in public spaces, they appear fragile. But what is fragile is not the principles themselves, but our commitment to them,” he told Bernama.

Zainal Abidin pointed to Indonesia's experience with Pancasila, saying national philosophies must be continuously debated and reinterpreted to remain relevant.

“The Rukun Negara, on the other hand, has been left without meaningful debate for too long. We mistakenly assumed that silence equated to consensus,” he said.

Meanwhile, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) senior lecturer at the Department of Nationhood and Civilisation, Faculty of Human Ecology, Assoc Prof Dr Ratna Roshida Ab Razak said the main challenge today is not a lack of knowledge about the Rukun Negara, but the failure to internalise its principles.

She described the situation as a “crisis of national belonging”, where people are familiar with the Rukun Negara but do not practise its values in their daily lives.

“The Rukun Negara cannot thrive through memorisation alone. It lives through a sense of belonging that comes from within. When that sense of nationhood exists in a person, respect for the Constitution, national institutions, diversity and civic responsibility will naturally follow,” she said.

Ratna Roshida said efforts to strengthen the Rukun Negara must also evolve in line with current realities, including by leveraging social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube as civic education spaces that are more accessible to younger generations.

She said the approach should no longer rely solely on lectures and memorisation, but instead be conveyed through storytelling, dialogue and meaningful experiences that build awareness and resonate emotionally.

Current issues such as cyberbullying, fake news, hate speech, respect for differing views and the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) should also be linked to the principles of the Rukun Negara to ensure its continued relevance, she added.

Both academics agreed that the Rukun Negara should be revitalised as a practical guide for everyday life rather than remaining a ceremonial recitation or a subject of memorisation in schools.

They said the true test of the Rukun Negara is not how well Malaysians can recite its principles, but how consistently they practise them in their daily lives to strengthen national unity.

-- BERNAMA