COMMENT | Rukun Negara in need of a democratic makeover

COMMENT | This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Rukun Negara, the supposed "National Principles" which was declared on Merdeka Day in 1970, in response to the traumatic May 13th racial riots that had taken place just a year before.

Prior to looking at these national principles to see how appropriate and inclusive they are, we must first consider the democratic legitimacy of the Rukun Negara’s existence.

The formulation of the Rukun Negara was from the effort of the National Consultative Council (Majlis Perundingan Negara or MAPEN) which incorporated a few non-Malay academics. It is important to bear in mind that the country at the time was under the emergency rule of the National Operations Council (NOC), announced on 15 May 1969 and it was not until 1971 that the Malaysian Parliament was restored.

The attempt at fostering harmony and unity among the various communities in Malaysia in 1970 was...