BarisaPM should invite Raja Nazrin as personal adviser

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Media Statement 
by Dr Chen Man Hin
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(Seremban, Monday) : Raja Nazrin’s deep and superb insight and analysis of the country’s political situation makes him eligible to be personal adviser to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

This was demonstrated by his keynote address to students at the first Malaysian Student Leaders Summit 2007 on Sunday.

He deplored the lack of national unity and commented that “..yet, 50 years after Merdeka, we are still grappling with concerns about unity.”

This is happening because of the strains on unity by introducing a bumiputra policy in 1966, the NEP in 1970 and Islamic state during Dr Mahathir’s premiership.

To make matters worse, at the UMNO general assembly last year, the ultras rejected the concept of ‘bangsa Malaysia’ and proposed the implementation of a ‘Malay agenda’ where Malays are conferred ‘ketuanan Melayu’ status, while the rest are plain or ordinary Malaysians.

Then last month, the deputy prime minister heightened the unease amongst the people when he unilaterally announced that Malaysia was Islamic and not secular, claiming that the constitution did not state Malaysia was secular. This claim was contrary to the declaration by former prime ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein Onn that the Malaysian constitution was secular.

Raja Nazrin called on the students (and the people) to get a copy of the Constitution. He said “the Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It guarantees the rights of every Malaysian. The integrity of that document must be protected at all cost.”

This is the constitution which is the basis of the “Social Contract” agreed on by our forefathers. The contract knows only citizens as Malaysians and not bumiputras and non-bumiputras.

There is no mention of an NEP except for an affirmative action clause in article 153 conferring special rights for indigenous ethnic communities without at the same time overriding the rights of other races.

The country needs to re-invent itself to return to a state of equilibrium where there is national unity, political equality, economic justice and religious freedom

Let us start with the advice by Raja Nazrin to respect and adhere to the Constitution.                                      

(6/8/2007)