Netizens pan ‘election campaign director' for claiming Rukun Negara altered

PETALING JAYA – A Facebook user claiming to have been a campaign director for two election candidates in the past has been on the receiving end of brickbats after raising an erroneous concern in a social media posting on Sunday night 

SK Ida MN posed the question “Even the Rukun Negara is altered?” on her account.

She shared two photos, one of the full Rukun Negara pledge while the other one was a shorter version of the five principles. 

She claimed that the longer version has been amended to include the word “liberal”. 

“Is this the unity government that the majority of Malaysians @ Tanah Melayu want?  

“The PMX (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) government wants ‘liberal’ to be used and there are still Malays, who are the majority race, who defend by saying no one is being threatened? 

“Even Umno, allegedly the defender of the Malays, is not saying anything? Why is Asyraf Wajdi not saying anything? Umno is so great at choosing a coalition partner?” she rambled, referring to Umno secretary-general Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. 

In the comments section, many pointed out to her that the full Rukun Negara pledge has been that way for years and that it is even printed on the back of school exercise books. 

She went on in the comment section saying “this can’t be kept quiet” despite many telling her she had made a mistake. 

With over 1,000 comments and close to 200 shares this morning, her post has yet to be deleted. 

However, SK Ida MN did make a new lengthy post in which she explained that it was not her intention to slander anyone.

She said that she did not mean that the five principles were the ones amended and it was not her intention to incite anything as she was just raising a question. 

While her earlier posting began with the question “Even the Rukun Negara is altered?”, she said what she meant was the inclusion of the full pledge to be recited, as reported by TV3 recently. 

She then apologised if her concern had angered many. 

It was recently reported that unity minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the recitation of the Rukun Negara will include the full pledge and not just the five principles, upon receiving cabinet approval.

In another post on August 13, SK Ida MN claimed she had been an “election campaign director” of two first-timer candidates of two start-up political parties’ during the 14th and 15th general elections. 

She also claimed to have been a campaign adviser for a “first-timer candidate of a giant coalition party in the 2023 state election”. 

SK Ida MN also said she co-owns a cafe with former Bersatu minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun called Riviera Kitchen Cafe. 

The full Rukun Negara pledge was drafted in 1970, a year after the 1969 race riots, by the National Operations Council. 

Part of the pledge is a line that says: “Guaranteeing a liberal approach towards its rich and varied cultural traditions.”

The pledge was officially proclaimed by the fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Sultan Zainal Abidin on August 31, 1970. 

There have been no attempts to alter the pledge since. – The Vibes, August 22, 2023