The Malaysian Police are looking for me for my remarks in Manchester to Malaysian students last Wednesday that the Malaysian Constitution, both in 1957 and the amended one in 1963 when Malaysia was formed, the Rukun Negara 1970 and Vision 2020 with its nine strategic challenges, provided for a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural Malaysian Dream and not a mono-ethnic dream.
I will see the Police on my return from Scotland but this has caused me to re-read the Rukun Negara and the nine strategic objectives of Vision.
The Rukun Negara reads:
“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 and 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”
The nine strategic objectives of Visi0n 2020 were as follows:
- Challenge 1: Establishing a united Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian Race).
- Challenge 2: Creating a psychologically liberated, secure and developed Malaysian society.
- Challenge 3: Fostering and developing a mature democratic society.
- Challenge 4: Establishing a fully moral and ethical society.
- Challenge 5: Establishing a matured liberal and tolerant society.
- Challenge 6: Establishing a scientific and progressive society.
- Challenge 7: Establishing a fully caring society.
- Challenge 8: Ensuring an economically just society, in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation.
- Challenge 9: Establishing a prosperous society with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.
If I were wrong, then Tun Razak was wrong in 1970 to formulate the Rukun Negara and Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad was wrong in 1990 to formulate Vision 2020.