Appreciating The Rukun Negara.

According to Bernama, there were claims made in the 1980s that the country's three major ethnic groups came from other parts of the world and no community had the right to insist that they are natives to this land may still be fresh in the mind of many Malaysians.

A question then arose. Was the country found to be inhabited by only the wild life in dense tropical forests prior to the arrival of the Chinese, Indians and colonialists?

The father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra during an interview with Bernama on Nov 6 1986: "The Malays are not only the natives but also the lords of this country and nobody can dispute this fact".

Tunku then also recollected his reaction to former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew when Singapore was still part of Malaysia: "[For Singapore] to remain in Malaysia, you will have to accept the rights of the Malays and their position as the primary race in this country." "If you refuse to accept this [fact], then we no longer want you to be in Malaysia," said the first

A look at the Constitution, particularly the sections on the Monarchy [Article 32], Islamic Religion [Article 3], Malay Language [Article 152] and Special Rights of the Malays [Article 153], clearly spell out the acknowledgement and recognition that the Malays are the indigenous "pribumi" of this land.

In fact the third principle of Rukun Negara -- Supremacy of the Constitution focused on the need of the people to accept, obey and protect the sanctity of the Malaysian Constitution that was drafted based on the consensus among people in the country.

Hence, it is a social contract that cannot be questioned or disputed by any individuals or groups as the Constitution decides on the political polarity and socio-economic standing of Malaysians.

To prevent such incidents from recurring, there are calls for Malaysians to return to appreciating the Rukun Negara [National Philosophy] in their daily life in efforts to enhance unity and nation-building.

The best way is to launch a nationwide campaign to regain unqualified Rukun Negara vigor and enthusiasm that had pushed the nation to understand the significance of achieving independence, apart from continuing the intense pursuit of unity and development as well as the prophetic phrase of "cemerlang, gemilang dan terbilang" [excellence, glory and distinction].

Towards this, the Rukun Negara Appreciation campaign will be launched by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Jan 27 at Putrajaya International Convention Centre [PICC].

Information Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said the objective of this campaign is to create a patriotic and united Malaysian society towards nation- and race-building via the appreciation and practice of the national philosophy.

It is also to boost the awareness and appreciation of the society on Rukun Negara principles as the core and foundation in creating the sense of belonging among Malaysians, particularly the younger generation, who are not aware of the significance of the Rukun Negara. They are the country's future leaders and will become the prime-movers in creating a competitive and developed nation.

After more than four decades of gaining independence, Malaysian needs to refresh itself.

The campaign should gain the all round support of Malaysians in the effort to build a united and harmonious society that respected each other apart from having a sense of belonging, regardless of their ethnic origin. It is in line with Vision 2020 which is the guideline for us to create our own mould towards achieving a developed nation status.