SHAH ALAM: Higher education institutions, especially private one, should foster the spirit of unity by setting up Rukun Negara Clubs, says Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang (pic).
The National Unity Minister said that currently a total of 189 Rukun Negara Clubs from higher education institutions have been registered nationwide, with 36 from the private sector.
He also announced that a monetary grant is given to the Rukun Negara Clubs to implement more activities.
“Starting this year, the ministry has allocated RM3,000 to all clubs to carry out Rukun Negara exploration programmes at the higher education level,” he said.
Aaron Ago said this in his speech while officiating at the inter-university and college Unity Debate held on Thursday (May 16).
The debate, he said, was one of the initiatives by the ministry to promote the Rukun Negara spirit among higher education students.
"I am informed that 200 debaters from 50 teams have taken part in the debate competition," he said.
The final showdown on Thursday saw Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia debating on the topic "Is racial politics a significant threat to unity in Malaysia?".
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia emerged as the winner, taking away a prize of RM20,000, reference books from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and the champion's trophy.