Ismail Sabri has failed in his “Keluarga Malaysia” concept in his first Hundred Days when not only is he afraid to ask every Minister to declare support for the five Rukun Negara nation-building principles, but more Cabinet Ministers have expressed their opposition to Rukun Negara
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri has failed in his “Keluarga Malaysia” concept in his first Hundred Days when not only is he afraid to ask everyone of his Cabinet Minister to declare support for the five Rukun Negara nation-building principles, but more of his Cabinet Ministers have expressed their opposition to Rukun Negara.
It is time that Ismail Sabri and his Cabinet Ministers brush up on their understanding of the Malaysian Constitution and the Rukun Negara.
Let me remind Ismail Sabri and his Cabinet Ministers that the Rukun Negara states:
“Whereas our country, Malaysia, nurtures the ambitions of:
- Achieving a more perfect unity amongst the whole of her society;
- Preserving a democratic way of life;
- Creating a just society where the prosperity of the country can be enjoyed together in a fair and equitable manner;
- Guaranteeing a liberal approach towards our traditional heritage that is rich and diverse;
- Building a progressive society that will make use of science the modern technology;
“WE, residents of Malaysia, pledge our united efforts to attain these ends guided by these principles:
- Belief in God;
- Loyalty to King and Country;
- Supremacy of the Constitution;
- Rule of Law;
- Courtesy and Morality.”
We had just celebrated our 64th National Day to mark the achievement of our Independence, but the Cabinet Ministers have lost the moral compass that have guided our founding fathers – leaders like Tunku Abdul Rahman, Razak, Ismail, Hussein Onn, Tan Cheng Lock, Tan Siew Sin and V.T. Sambanthan – and written the Malaysian Constitution as the bedrock foundation for Malaysia.
Six decades ago, the founding fathers were visionary and far-sighted enough to envisage that any Malaysian, regardless of race, religion or region, could be a Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Today, we have Cabinet Ministers who reject the Rukun Negara principle of the Malaysian Constitution as the supreme law of the land and not only reject a non-Malay Malaysian to be a Prime Minister of Malaysia but insists that non-Malays, whether a Dayak or a Chinese, cannot be the Chief Minister of Sarawak.
It is unlikely that a non-Malay will become the Prime Minister of Malaysia in the foreseeable future, as it has taken United States of America more than two hundred years for a black man to become a President, but why are Malaysians becoming more regressive and backward in their vision and dreams?
What “Keluarga Malaysia” is Ismail Sabri advocating when his Human Resources Minister and MIC leader, M. Saravanan, suggested in Parliament that non-Malays cannot become the head of the police force, which caused the DAP MP for Ipoh Barat, M. Kulasegaran to condemn it as “dangerous, unfair, completely incorrect and misleading”.
It is such extremist and intolerant mindset and mentality rejecting Malaysia as an unique multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation which has caused Malaysia to regress for the past half-a-century, allowing one country after another to overtake us whether Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore or Vietnam and a brain drain of over a million of Malaysia’s best and brightest to all over the world – the Malaysian Diaspora.
Ismail Sabril’s Keluarga Malaysia concept cannot reverse this process unless it is synonymous with a Malaysian First vision – where we are separately Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and Kadazans but we are first and foremost Malaysians.
The eighth Prime Minister boasted he was “Malay First” but the first three Prime Ministers sought to live on the principle of “Malaysian First”.
A “Keluarga Malaysia” concept must seek to inculcate this “Malaysia First” concept among all communities – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and Kadazans.
It is not a minus process but an addition process, not to be less Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban or Kadazan but to accept Malaysia as an unique multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural nation which can inherit the values and virtues of four great human civilisations – Malay/Islamic, Chinese, Indian and Western.
It is because of the lack of understanding that the Malaysian nation-building process should involve integration and not assimilation that has led to the recent misguided attack on DAP MP Hannah Yeoh’s visit to a mosque wearing a baju kurung and a selendang (which she had been doing for a decade) by DAP member Dr. Boo Cheng Hau.
All communities, whether Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans and Kadazans must learn to adopt a Malaysia First mindset, mentality and vision, and only then can we have a “Keluarga Malaysia” where we cease to view everything in Malay-Chinese-Indian-Iban-Kadazan terms but from the Malaysian First aspect.
It is only then we can become a world-class great nation and stop the trajectory of decline to be overtaken by more countries including Indonesia and stand tall in the world as a successful world-class great nation whether in international competitiveness, good governance and having an efficient and effective government.