Unity is majority

Crest of the Federation of Malaysia

Unity is the majority of plural Malaysia. Malaysians subscribe to the Federation of Malaysia Constitution and pledge with the Rukunegara.

The Malays are the majority. The Malays were united by the common cause of ensuring that Malayan Union failed on 11 May 1946. They succeeded. Then with the political force as a majority, the began to move towards the active struggle for Independence. They changed their battle-cry ‘Hidup Melayu‘ to ‘Merdeka’ in 1951. They afirm their position when the worked with the Non Malays for the betterment and managed to ‘power-share’, across the board. Even as the helm of the government, the Malays respected the Non Malays’ right. This was the fundamental premise of the ‘Social Contract’.

The Non Malays became the majority when they agreed to work with the Malays, on the common political platform as ‘Alliance Party’. This partnership proven to be very effective. During the 1955 general election, the UMNO-MCA-MIC managed to get a thumping mandate of 51 out of 52 seats contested for the Federation of Malaya Assembly.

As a reciprocity, the Malay Leadership convinced HRH Malay Rulers to admit almost 1 million Non Malays previously classified as ‘Stateless Persons’. Of course, even though they are part of strategic decision making process, they never failed to adhere to the Leadership. The Malays have held that helm and commanded the mandate of the majority and consistent with the socio-economic developmental process ever since day one.

YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman's first Cabinet

Malaysia exist on the premise of understanding, respect, tolerance, team work and now, adapting and slowly acceptance. HRH Malay Rulers consented to the wisdom of the Malay Leadership just prior to Kemerdekaan, when the Westminster-style democracy of Constitutional Monarchy for the power to the majority. A sovereign nation of Persekutuan Tanah Melayu was born on 31 August 1957, where the Malays, Chinese and Indians share everything with other minority groupings.

To achieve Malaysia where she is, was never by chance. It was planning and execution. It was about teamwork. It was about ‘give-and-take’. It was about ‘win-win’.

Of course in the process, there were challenges. First it was the war against communist rebellion. Even though Emergency was declared over by 1960, it was not till 2 December 1989 when the Communist Party of Malaya aka “Butcher of Malaya” laid down their arms and conceded to peace at the ‘Hadyaii Accord’.

Then it was the socio-ecenomic desparity and gross imbalance. Coupled with extremism and Chinese chauvinism politics by the DAP and Gerakan post May 1969, a bloody race riots erupted around Kuala Lumpur on 13 May 1969.

13 May 1969 chaos

Malaysians at large detest the episode and vowed to not go through that again.

When the dust of distrust, hatred, inciting and destruction is settled, they worked to correct all that the wrongs. They went down at the root of the prevailing problems. When unity was an issue, Rukunegara was born.

Every stakeholders were consulted (with the exception of DAP) and as a result, the New Economic Policy came into being by 1971. It was by the majority, for the majority.

Malaysia saw religious extremism tried to be sowed and divide. It was the basis of ‘Amanat Haji Hadi’on 7 April 1981 in Kuala Terengganu.

Perjuangan kita adalah jihad, ucapan kita adalah jihad, derma kita adalah jihad. Bergantunglah kita kepada Allah dengan (menghadapi) puak-puak ini kerana kalau kita mati melawan puak-puak ini, mati kita adalah syahid. Mati kita adalah Islam. Kita tidak perlu masuk Buddha, Kita tidak perlu masuk Hindu, Kita tidak perlu masukKristian, Tapi kita menjadi kafir dengan mengamalkan ‘politik suku, agama suku’.

The Malay Muslim-partisan divide became more apparent and some started to move towards militancy. Then the nation saw the bloody ‘Memali Incident’ in November 1985. Religious extremism crept again in slightly different forms when the ‘Al Maunah Heist’ happened in July 2000. Then these extremist minorities’ activity with imported terrorism agenda such as Jemaah Islamiah was detected in 2001.

Majority vehemently rejected this. It was anti-democracy. It was anti-Constitution. It was anti-unity.

Now, there are talk about a new form of minority using religious platform for their narrow political agenda, even though guised under ‘universal values’ of ‘love’, ‘freedom’, ‘human rights’ and ‘progress’. Even the Non Malays/Muslims are complaining of this unhealthy trend.

The majority don’t want these. They want stability. The want progress that comes with stability. They want prosperity that goes a long way with stability. By no means, no single community shall be left from these progress and prosperity train.

When Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak assumed power as the sixth Prime Minister on 3 April 2009, he introduced ’1 Malaysia’ with the explicit reason for that. It was about harnessing the best of everyone, to move the nation forward in unity and unison.

It was realising the nation’s motto, “Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu”. It was about the majority prevailing. It still is.

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