I REFER to the accusations against our monarchs by the Agora Society in its article titled “The monarchs should stay above politics”, dated November 23, published by Malaysiakini.
The Agora Society concluded that there exists the undemocratic and unconstitutional trend of sultans of the various states being involved in political affairs based on two recent occasions: the decree by the sultan of Selangor to remove Chinese road signs in Shah Alam, and the Johor ruler’s reprimand of Chan Wei Kjhan, an Iskandar Puteri local councillor, for issuing an official letter in Chinese.
I must say I am disappointed with the Agora Society’s lack of objectivity in evaluating the situations at hand. They seem to have confused political interference with the sultans’ constitutional duty to uphold the federal constitution, namely Article 152(1)(a), which states:
“152.(1) The national language shall be the Malay language and shall be in such script as Parliament may by law provide: Provided that no person shall be prohibited or prevented from using (otherwise than for official purposes), or from teaching or learning, any other language.”
Further, Article 152(6) defines “official purpose” as any purpose of the government, whether federal or state, and includes any purpose of a public authority.
It is clear that for all official purposes of the government, the prevailing language to be used is the Malay language. And on both counts in Johor and Selangor, the state governments had failed to act in accordance with the federal constitution – a fact that the Agora Society deliberately chose to ignore and dismiss.
Their call for every party to respect the autonomy of local authorities, including regarding multilingual policies, is absurd as it clearly contravenes the federal constitution. The sultans should never be condemned for exercising their wisdom in reminding relevant parties to respect the constitution.
As much as I respect the Agora Society’s right to free speech, I urge that such rights be exercised with greater care, without misleading the public on the role of monarchs in Malaysia. Such prejudicial statements should be avoided at all costs as one has to remember that the rulers are the visible symbol of unity in our remarkably diverse nation. An attack against the institution is akin to an assault on the nation’s harmony.
Our federal constitution is a masterpiece of compromise. Every group gives something and gets something in return. The same applies to the rulers. They agreed to independence and to hand over their powers to the people, but they have their positions and privileges secured. Their functions are defined by the constitution.
According to Professor Shad Saleem Faruqi, the constitution places on the shoulders of monarchs the burden of discretionary powers to make critical decisions on affairs of state in his personal wisdom. And, many times, the monarchs have acted wisely to help society at large, through their wisdom.
Back in January, Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar played the role of peacemaker in a bid to resolve the controversy following the demolition of an 80-year-old Hindu temple in Masai. The ruler personally met several representatives of the Dewa Shree Sivasakthi Shree Sinnakaruppar Devotees’ Association and gave a guarantee that a new site would be made available by the state government for the rebuilding of the temple. This is a clear example of a sultan resolving a very sensitive issue by himself. And, the recent episode involving the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple in USJ25, Subang Jaya, Selangor, should always serve as a reminder of the dangers of not managing such sensitive issues properly.
In the words of the learned and late Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah in 1986, the role of the monarchs is summed up as:
“A king is a king, whether he is an absolute or constitutional monarch. The only difference between the two is that whereas one has unlimited powers, the other’s powers are defined by the constitution. But, it is a mistake to think that the role of a king, like a president, is confined to what is laid down by the constitution. His role far exceeds those constitutional provisions.” – December 9, 2018.
* Brian Lee reads The Malaysian Insight.
* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.
Comments
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Posted 5 years ago by Gerard Lourdesamy · Reply
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Posted 5 years ago by Lipdah Lia · Reply
WTF is Brian Lee?
Just someone who wants to stir up hate thru this. He probably wrote the Agora article in MKINI and then makes it appear that people are questioning the rulers.
No one is. Don't make up stories to stir trouble.
Beware these UMNO cyber troopers.
Posted 5 years ago by Viji Rajasundram · Reply
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