JOHOR BARU: The Federal Constitution and the Johor State Constitution should be made compulsory subjects in schools.
Kempas assemblyman Datuk Tengku Putra Haron Aminurrashid Jumat said every citizen should know the provisions in both the Federal and state constitutions as the knowledge would enlighten them on the laws of the land and the rights of every citizen.
“If we are ignorant, we will easily be influenced and take whatever is dished out to us as the gospel truth,” he said this during at a dialogue titled ‘Negara dan Kenegaraan’ (The Nation and Nationhood), which was jointly organised by the Patriot Foundation, Kempas state seat office and the Johor Barisan Nasional Youth Volunteers Group.
“The syllabus should be prepared by constitutional law experts and teachers need to be trained to teach the subject,” he said.
Johor speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Aziz launched the forum at Dewan Sultan Abu Bakar, Johor Heritage Foundation here today.
Copies of the Federal and state constitutions were distributed to participants of the forum as well as to schools and mosques in Kempas state constitution.
The forum was held in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s “Negaraku” initiative aimed at increasing the sense of patriotism to the Malaysians.
Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia (IKIM) Syariah Studies Centre fellow Assoc Prof Dr Shamrahayu Abd Aziz led the dialogue which was moderated by Barisan Nasional Youth Volunteers director Saufi Akmal Mohamed Khaled.