Courtesy and morality for social wellbeing

By Mohamad Harith Mohamad Nizar

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 -- Placing a high value on good, polite, and ethical behaviours has been the practice expected of every Malaysian citizen in accordance with the principles of the Rukun Negara.

When someone or some groups crossed the line and behaved in a rude, unkind, and discourteous manner, especially on sensitive issues, it will surely cause uneasiness and dissatisfaction among the people to the extent of wondering what had happened to public morality today.

Indeed, one could never call oneself a true Malaysian citizen without knowing, understanding, and observing Courtesy and Morality, the fifth principle of Rukun Negara, introduced with the aim to maintain and preserve unity and harmony in this multi-racial and multi-religious country.

Obviously, the fifth principle emphasises the humanities aspect so that every citizen can respect and accept their differences for the sake of social wellbeing, according to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA) Principal Fellow Prof Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong.

The efforts, he said were represented by the two concepts - courtesy which basically means having polite behaviour, and morality which is the quality of being right, honest and acceptable -  and both elements require detailed observation.

“For me, if we want to improve social wellbeing, courtesy must start at home with young children being taught about good and polite behaviours.

“In terms of morality, we must first and foremost emphasise on morals and morality. Of course, it is closely associated with having good moral quality and integrity,” he told Bernama ahead of the launch of the 50th Rukun Negara anniversary celebration scheduled for July 9 in conjunction with the Merdeka Month and National Day 2020.

Teo also stressed that leadership by example is important in the effort to instil good values among the people, while the educational curriculum plays an important role in promoting Courtesy and Morality.

“...the elders should show courtesy and good moral behaviour to be emulated by the younger generation.

“So, in a family, the parents must show their children how to behave in good and courteous manners, as well as having good morals in the context of morality,” he said, adding that teachers also have a big role to play in this aspect, that is by showing good examples to their students.

Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) School of Social Sciences lecturer, Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the principle of Courtesy and Morality could also help build one’s character with noble values.

“Noble values stemmed from being courteous, polite and with morals, where the formation of one's identity is based on how well can one reinforces his/her self-identity without compromising what one has learned and developed in oneself.

“This means courtesy and morality also shaped not only ourselves but also preserve our national identity,” he added.

He also concurred with Teo on that the agents responsible for instilling these values ​​in a person are family members and then, teachers in school.

“The most powerful influence is actually the peers, then the agencies responsible, the media and also leaders, as agents who should be the people’s role model,” he added.

Sivamurugan said the social media, which should be helping in the efforts to unite the people, is seen to be doing otherwise as it also facilitated the spread of ill-feelings in society.

“I think social media is one of the elements that should be used to maintain moral values, courtesy, but it should be done properly to make sure we do not create concern or anxiety.

“Some still hold on to the values ​​of courtesy and morality, but there are some who feel they want to give their own interpretation of that values without agreeing to the values of the majority of the society,” he said.

Apart from that, he said, if the fifth principle of Rukun Negara is not fully observed by the community, it would be like a body without soul and create a society that would be too individualistic.

“Courtesy and Morality actually require three main values, namely, understanding, respect and acceptance. If we can understand there are differences in the society, we will respect, and then accept the differences that exist and give priority to human values,” he added.

-- BERNAMA