Month: July 2007

A Parliamentary Roundtable to reaffirm the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion and not an Islamic State will be held in Parliament on Friday, August 10, 2007 at 10 am.

All political parties, professional and civic organizations, NGOs and NGIs are invited to the parliamentary roundtable to give special meaning and significance to the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations.

For over four decades in the history of nation, there had been no doubt or question whatsoever, whether in Parliament, Cabinet, government or outside about the secular basis of Malaysia as spelt out by the Merdeka social contract reached by the forefathers of the major communities on the attainment of independence in 1957 and the Malaysia Agreement which brought Sabah and Sarawak into the federation in 1963.

That fundamental nation-building cornerstone of Malaysia conceived as a secular state with Islam as the official religion, is not only to be found in the constitutional documents and the highest judicial pronouncements of the land, it also represented the life-work and commitment of the first three Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein.

However, in the past few years, the secular basis of Malaysian nation-building has come under repeated challenge.

On the occasion of the 50th Merdeka anniversary, the time has come for all Malaysians to reclaim their national legacy and heritage by reaffirming the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion and not an Islamic State.

Or have the fundamental basis of Malaysian nation-building suffered such a serious erosion that we cannot find sufficient Malaysians, whether NGOs or NGIs, to reaffirm the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official religion and not an Islamic State.

Organisations, NGOs and NGIs, interested in attending the Parliamentary Roundtable, plse contact and register with Lau Weng San, 016-3231563.

Will MCA Ministers demand in Cabinet on Wednesday the retraction of Internal Security Ministry Publications Control and Al-Quran Texts Unit “ban” to allow for responsible debate of Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najiib Razak’s “717 Declaration” that “Malaysia is Islamic state and was never a secular state” especially when it is undemocratic, unauthorized and clear abuse of power?

It is shocking that in the past five days, MCA Ministers and leaders regard the “ban” as emanating from the most lawful and highest authority, while no one in the UMNO and UMNO Youth paid any heed to the so-called “ban” whatsoever — explaining the warning by the Umno Youth leader, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein to MCA leaders to “shut up” and stop making statements of Malaysia being a secular state as well speeches and statements by others including the Umno Youth deputy leader Khairy Jamaluddin and Umno Information chief, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib giving their distorted version of the Merdeka constitution and “social contract”.

It is most unfortunate that the Dewan Rakyat is not in session when Najib made his highly controversial and divisive “717 Declaration” which had no constitutional basis whatsoever, or DAP MPs would have rectified the distortion and rewriting of constitutional history and developments in Parliament immediately.

The Dewan Negara is in session but no Senator whether from MCA or any other Barisan Nasional component party has the conviction or gumption to stand up in the Senate to question the legality of the “ban” and to demand to know who had issued and authorized the directive but also to put on record the true history and constitutional basis of Malaysian nation-building. Continue reading “Any MCA Senator who dare to remind Najib/Hishammuddin the first 3 PMs rejected Islamic State?”