A VIRAL theatre production allegedly mocking the Rukun Negara, national institutions, and the Malay Rulers has sparked widespread condemnation, drawing calls for a public apology and swift law enforcement action.
A viral video of the performance shows actors exchanging racial “go back” taunts, mockingly reciting the Rukun Negara line-by-line, and features an actor clad only in red underwear painted with words.
Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (ABIM) president Ahmad Fahmi Samsudin stated that while artistic freedom is respected, the performance represented a total failure of moral judgement. He urged the organisers and actors to issue a public explanation and apology.
“There is a difference between criticising our failure to embody the Rukun Negara and making the Rukun Negara itself an object of insult.
“The organisers and those involved must step forward to provide an explanation, apologise publicly, and take responsibility for the play,” Bernama reported him as saying in a statement.
Fahmi said while ABIM respects artistic freedom, creative expression does not imply freedom from responsibility.
“The authorities must also investigate this firmly, fairly, and in accordance with the law,” he said.
Echoing these demands, National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang called on the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to investigate under the Penal Code, Sedition Act, and Communications and Multimedia Act.
Aaron emphasised that the Rukun Negara is Malaysia’s core national ideology, warning that freedom of expression must not be used to undermine social harmony or mock the Malay Rulers.
Religious Affairs Minister Dr Zulkifli Hasan similarly condemned the skit as a breach of conduct, urging authorities to take uncompromised legal action against those exploiting moral values for cheap popularity. — Sept 19, 2026
