Time we turn to the King for unity

Racial polarisation and religious divisions have always been part and parcel of Malaysia. It is these very differences that the British exploited in their divide and rule of Malaya.

However, through the political wisdom of the founders and others, Malaysians have enjoyed peace, harmony and unity for years.

The very basis and foundation of the Constitution is racial, religious and cultural tolerance and bridging differences through accommodation.

However every now and then, racial or religious suspicions or squabbles rear their ugly head in the public sphere – led by politicians with vested political agenda.

It could be over a proposed policy or an event or simply a minority of people violating the norms of society by exploiting racial or religious sentiments to provoke anger and promote hatred.

Given the sensitivity over issues of race and religion, it is vital for us to heed sound advice, instead of allowing politicians to manipulate public sentiments.

Hence, I would like to echo A Kathirasen who said we should listen to the rulers now, especially as politicians have failed our nation. Political leaders from both sides have proven that they will not hesitate to break their promises or disregard the rakyat’s interest or ignore political will when and where it suits them.

In his column of Jan 7, Kathirasen quoted Perak’s Sultan Nazrin Shah who, in describing hate speech as a ticking bomb, had urged people to be cautious of such speech.

He also quoted our current Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah’s New Year message calling on Malaysians to be united and to live in harmony.

Now that politicians have disappointed us, we should begin to look up and heed the advice of our new generation of wise and learned rulers.

We must remember that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is the supreme head of the federation and takes precedence over all persons in the federation. And while the executive power lies in the hands of the parliamentary officers, we must also remember that in the event of an emergency, the Agong may issue a proclamation of emergency. This means that he has a decisive role to play in safeguarding the security of the country.

There is also the often-quoted Article 153 which states that it is the responsibility of the Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays; but we need to remember the entire article also stipulates that the king also protects the natives of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities. The king and rulers have often been invoked or hijacked by politicians to lend credence to their legitimacy to play up the race or religious card without realising that the Federal Constitution stipulates that the rulers must also protect and safeguard the interest of the minorities.

More often than not, politicians tend to only quote the initial part of this article and not the entire article, which is very misleading. The point is that our royalty need to have Malaysians’ interests at heart. This is how their royal identity has been drafted and constructed in our Federal Constitution.

Hence, instead of giving too much attention to the words of the politicians, perhaps Malaysians now need to look up to and listen to our rulers instead.

This is not on the basis that they are royalty, but on the basis of the role of the royal institution.

Furthermore, the Malay rulers are not dictated by political expediency or correctness or beholden to any political interests. In other words, the constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, provides that the rulers are the true guardians of all Malaysians’ interests.

Article 153 of the Constitution of Malaysia grants the Yang di-Pertuan Agong responsibility for “safeguard[ing] …the legitimate interests of other communities”.

Thus our rulers, besides other constitutional duties, also serve as moderators of the social norms in Malaysia and their words should be taken with more seriousness.

Our current Agong, for instance, has been constantly concerned and consistently calling for unity.

We should, therefore, fall back on our constitution and put our hope on the institution of the kingship.

At the same time, we should not stop doing our part for unity. We can begin by exercising mutual respect. Regardless of our racial and religious differences, it is important to see our commonalities – our shared identity as Malaysians and simply to be civil and respectful in speech and action to each other.

Next, each of us should not let our emotions cloud our rational thinking even as we engage with those who are different from us. Instead, being civil even in disagreements means upholding principle five of the Rukun Negara: to uphold courtesy and morality.

Finally, let us do our part in nation-building by being grateful to our fellow Malaysians, to the mosaic of diversity that makes us a unique country.

As suggested by the Agong, we should promote the noble values of tolerance and mutual respect as part of our new year’s resolution.

Ti Lian Ker is the chairman of the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research - FMT