(in SE Asia) the ordinary people, especially when considered in relation to the government.
Example sentencesExamples
Anwar may be the champion of the rakyat.
When UMNO's supreme council ruled recently that there should be no contest for top posts, the rakyat began to compare their avenues of expression with those of party members.
Aren't those people's representatives supposed to strive for the best interests and the welfare of the rakyat, the citizenry?
Origin
Malay, from Arabic ra‘īyya 'herd at pasture, subjects of a shepherd or king'.