Lawyer says the country’s ministers also swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, not any individual in particular.
PETALING JAYA: Commenting on the swearing-in ceremony of new ministers to the Cabinet this morning, lawyer and social activist Azhar Harun said many ministers in Malaysia had to be reminded that they swore allegiance to the country and not the country’s leader, whoever he made be.
He posted this message on Facebook today after yesterday’s shocking Cabinet reshuffle that saw Muhyiddin Yassin sacked as deputy prime minister for a speech he delivered Sunday night criticising Prime Minister Najib Razak in regard to his handling of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Muhyiddin was replaced by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
“I wonder how many Ministers and Deputy Ministers take this oath seriously. How many of them take the trouble to truly understand the breadth and width of this oath; what it entails to perform the oath and what it means to perform it,” Azhar, who is also known as Art, commented.
He even posted the actual oath the ministers took, drawing particular attention to the phrase: “I will bear true faith and allegiance to Malaysia, and will preserve, protect and defend its Constitution.”
Commenting on this phrase, he said, “They owe their allegiance to Malaysia and not to their leader. They also swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, and not anybody in particular.”
Implying that most of the country’s ministers forgot the oath as soon as it was uttered, he said that perhaps it was a good idea to constantly remind those in Najib’s Cabinet of what exactly they had pledged to live up to.
“Most of them are Muslims and Muslims do or are supposed to take their oath really seriously. What more when we have often shouted and screamed that our country is the best and most awesome Islamic country.”
An earlier posting of his said: “In a war, there are many battles. Some battles are won. Some are lost. Some are even willingly lost. Warriors are even sacrificed. Setbacks are normal. What is important is that the morale must be kept high. And the ultimate aim must not be lost. That, must always be kept in sight. Regroup. Rethink. Research. Renew. And. Relaunch.”
That posting was a more optimistic one compared to the one posted yesterday after the announcement of the Cabinet reshuffle that simply said: “Words that sum up the day: Self serving; Shameless; Selfish”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.