KUALA LUMPUR: Community activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye has urged the government to look into the possibility of creating a Rukun Negara Foundation.
He said the foundation could propropagate and promote the five principles of the Rukun Negara and help reinforce patriotism among Malaysians, especially the young who are the future leaders of the country.
"The idea is not new as it has been implemented in various forms in other countries such as Indonesia, which has established a Pancasila institute and university. "
A survey conducted by the Malaysian Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) president Tan Sri Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman on 1,400 multiracial respondents aged 19 to 29, found that their level of patrotism had diminished due to the influence of social media.
Lee said the foundation also needed to consider how the five basic principles of the Rukun Negara can be applied either through the school curriculum or other suitable ways.
" I believe that the adoption of the Rukun Negara principles and indepth understanding of the Federal Constitution should start from the pre-school level as it is the cornerstone for the formation of united Malaysians. The teaching of the positive values emphasised in the principles of the Rukun Negara and guaranteed by the Federal Constitution must continue to university level through more interactive methods."
He said exposure to the Rukun Negara at the early stage of schooling should be simple but creative to engage the attention of small children and make it easier for them to understand what is being taught to them.
With help from experts from the institutes of higher learning and the relevant agencies, he said interactive multimedia could be developed and utilised to achieve this objective.
Additionally, Lee said all parties should be exposed to the Rukun Negara as well as the country's history so that they understand and respect the rights, beliefs and practices of Malaysians from various religious and ethnic backgrounds.
" It should also be used as a guide in policy formulation and considered as one of the sources of reference for the drafting of laws."