Embrace Rukun Negara's first principle for a prosperous Malaysia - Uncle Kentang

SHAH ALAM, July 12 -- Every Rukun Negara's principle has its own literal and implicit meaning that must be understood and embraced to form a strong unity among Malaysians.

On that belief, social activist Kuan Chee Heng said if all Malaysians could embrace the philosophy behind the principles of the Rukun Negara, the country will remain peaceful, competitive, and successful.

He said by understanding, appreciating and practicing the even the first principle of the Rukun Negara, which is Belief in God (Kepercayaan kepada Tuhan), it would be more than enough to make Malaysia a prosperous nation. 

Kuan, 57, also known as 'Uncle Kentang' said if the people are confident with God's promises, they would not do anything bad because any bad action would result in negative consequences to one self and the society.

"Believers of all religions are taught to be good. If we are always practise the teachings of our respective religion, no one will do bad things, there will be no animosity or hatred, everybody tolerates one another. Malaysia will be a peaceful country.

"When we believe in God, we will be good because God does not ask us to do bad things. When we are good, we become a good society. A good society wants only good things, so from there, we can nurture positive values, like love and unity," he told Bernama recently. 

Kuan, who is a philanthropist, said Rukun Negara was formulated after the May 13 incident in 1969 and was declared on Aug 31, 1970.

It was formulated based on the Malaysian multi-racial society that still strongly practices the traditional Eastern values.

However, with the changes brought about by technological advancement and the social media, Uncle Kentang said issues that touched on racial and religious sensitivities do cropped up, creating tension in the society.

Kuan said he believed that with the people upholding the principles of Rukun Negara, the unity among Malaysians would remain strong.

"This can be seen during implementation of Movement Control Order (MCO), with the people of all races helping one another,” he added.

--  BERNAMA