by Tunku Abdul Aziz
mysinchew.com
Whenever I think of my friend Karpal Singh, I am reminded of my great headmaster, the late Dr. Frank J. Rawcliffe who taught us the importance of being consistent, even if meant sometimes upsetting some people.
You may say what you want about Karpal’s manner, his magisterial pronouncements often delivered with a great roar full of fiery passion, but you cannot accuse him of being inconsistent in the position he has taken over the years on matters involving both personal and public ethical principles.
While Karpal clearly recognises that there are, in politics, no permanent friends or foes, he believes devoutly in the importance of “permanent principles.”
Unprincipled politics as we have seen in Malaysia can very quickly degenerate into unmitigated disasters. The unsavoury Perak affair is a case in point.
I believe in, and will fight for, my right to say what I like within the law. I naturally accept willingly the accompanying responsibility that such rights impose on me.
I should expect to be free from threats of violence for my views, and I was, therefore, shocked to see on TV a disgraceful act of intolerance by a group of UMNO youth, and for a second or two I thought I was watching a familiar scene from a 1935 newsreel showing the storm troopers of the Third Reich pouncing on a hapless Jew in a wheel chair.
On this occasion, it was in the hallowed grounds of the national parliament, no less that the brave Malay warriors chose to flex their muscle. The only difference was that UMNO’s storm troopers were not wearing the dreaded brown shirts of their German counterparts of days gone by.
For UMNO youth, this was not their maiden foray into ugly confrontations against those whose ideas they find disagreeable. And naturally, as we have come to expect from these street wise gentlemen, they claimed they were blameless for the undignified affront visited on an honourable citizen and parliamentarian for speaking out in the chamber of the house.
They have every right to disagree with Karpal’s sentiments, but no one has the right to demand an apology except the speaker of the house or those on the government benches.
He expressed his views without fear or favour in the course of his duty. That is the essence of Karpal the man and politician. I would have been disappointed if he had apologised.
Since the Perak affair began, many of us have questioned the wisdom of the Sultan of Perak’s decision against dissolving the state assembly.
I am, like many of you, not trained in law but I am reasonably educated with a modicum of common sense. I do not believe I am going against any known law of the land by suggesting that the Sultan should have called for fresh elections which are what the people of Perak want judging from the sentiments on the ground.
I believe the Sultan of Perak will be the first to admit that like all the rest of us he is not infallible. Lest I be accused of treason or derhaka against a Malay ruler, let me say here and now that I am by inclination a royalist, but not a blind one.
My loyalty, however, is to my own raja, the Sultan of Kedah, and that loyalty, however, is not unqualified. He has to earn it by acting in the best interests of his subjects. That to me is every ruler’s sole raison d’etre.
The French have another word, noblesse oblige, which is translated as those who enjoy the advantage of wealth and power have an obligation to protect those who do not have these advantages.
In this enlightened age, the only appeal to a person’s respect and loyalty that is likely to mean anything at all must be based on reason. It is no longer appropriate to invoke “lese majesty” as a form of legal sanction to secure the loyalty and affection of the people.
There has recently been a great deal of talk about social contract or compact in the context of the special rights of the Malays. I am not aware that any such contract exists, but I know that there is in universal terms an unwritten social compact between the government and the governed, and between the ruler and the ruled.
In effect, what this stipulates is that it is the duty of the government or the ruler to ensure that the will of the people must be allowed full rein under the constitution to exercise their rights. In return, the people agree among themselves to conduct their affairs in ways that benefit the community as a whole.
In a nutshell, we cannot have a prosperous and harmonious society by acting outside the constitutional parameters, and this injunction applies to both the ruler and the ruled.
It requires adjustments all round, and it is good to see that some rulers in performing their constitutional duties have tried to understand the mood of the people outside of the palace gate.
We the people of this country look up to our rulers to stand by us as we seek justice, when other avenues seem impenetrable. It is not too much to ask not to be let down in return for our devotion and loyalty to “king and country.”
Royalty is not immune to external “influences”. Once royalty is engaged in significant business ventures, then the line between preservation of wealth and supporting the wishes of the rakyat become blurred.
This “age of enlightenment” you refer to makes the old adage that “Money talks and bullsh!t walks” even more apt.
The “Social Contract” is created by humans for humans. It is supposedly “written” to bring harmony to all, but as we can see, it has not. Man-made rules can be altered to meet the beliefs and to provide convenience to some people – and inconvenience to others.
We should forget about the Social Contract but focus on Socio-political Rehabilitation instead. Our society (which is supposed to be a role model for other countries to emulate) is morally deteriorating, thus affecting politicians and politics.
Time for a GARGANTUAN overhaul.
Monarchy or emperor dynasty etc. What we need to learn is not further from China. China history has been dominated by emperor rules for thousand years, for each dynasty there is the beginning and the end of it, some is long and some short. However the length of each dynasty what we can learn from the history was that at the end of the day the changes all come from the ordinary people. Can you imagine that you are the emperor but you have not subjects that support you and there fore you are automatically no an emperor.
The end of each dynasty in China was normally for the same main reason and ie the lost of support of the people. And people only support any institution only when such institution take care of the people needs or in democratic system the majority’s needs. It is there fore all should respect the majority wishes.
If Perak has go along this line there will not be gone to such a mess, worst in this time of worldwide melt down on the economic front.
Tunku,
together with your friend Karpal and Deo you can bring DAP to a greater height for transparency and free from nepotism
just like BN you are not free yourself from nepotism..
All men and women are born equal. Whether you are born in a palace or a tent, you are still born a baby Homo sapiens. Someone will feed you, bathe you, watch you piss and defecate or crap, wipe your backside, etc. When growing up, everyone does the same things to meet our physiological needs, royalty or not.
We really do not have to apologise by not treating people from the palaces and putrajaya as higer superior beings. They are not above all of us mortals and they are not infallible.
Of course, on the other hand, in conserved societies, people born in a palace are somehow expected to take up certain responsibilities. If they grow up to be wise and compassionate and look after the welfare of their so-called “subjects”, then it’s bonus to the “subjects”.
We want to be a first-world nation. Then we better be a nation of thinking individuals. Don’t have blinkered sight and mind. Don’t let some political monsters and animals exploit us and suck us all dry.
“My loyalty, however, is to my own raja, the Sultan of Kedah, and that loyalty, however, is not unqualified. He has to earn it by acting in the best interests of his subjects. That to me is every ruler’s sole raison d’etre.” Tunku Aziz Tunku Ibrahim
I think you’re confused between the office he holds and the man who holds that office. Respect for the constitutional monarch is inherent in a system of constitutional monarchy. Respect for the man who holds that office is a different matter. You may not have much respect for him personally but you still have to raise both your hands when performing the ‘sembah’ when you have an audience with the Sultan.
When PLO terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985, they murdered one of their hostages, Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old wheelchair-bound American. unmo youth had sought to follow that shining example.
undergrad2 Says: Respect for the constitutional monarch is inherent in a system of constitutional monarchy
Is it? Where got? I don’t know – as a citizen of a country that doesn’t have a Constitution (I know … “unwritten blah-de-blah”), of any obligation to “do the okey cokey” when I meet my monarch. I know Cherie Booth RC got into tabloid trouble for failing to curtsey to the Queen, and allegedly referred to the Princess Royal as “that bitch”. I might just be tempted to curtsey (or whatever) to the Queen, purely out of respect for what I regard as excellent lifetime service. I’m not convinced I could be tempted to bow to King Charles, should he ever take the throne: he seems likeable enough, just not the sharpest tool in the box – though his mum is a hard act to follow.
If you’ve got a functioning democracy with more-or-less unfettered access to media, both as a writer and a reader, I’d say cultivating personal respect is a must for monarchs – because nobody with more than half a wit gives away respect for free, and so far as I’m aware no Constitution demands respect for any position.
I don’t see the UK royal family as being involved in significant shareholdings in publicly-listed companies, at least not on a direct basis.
And I don’t see UK publicly listed companies being beholden to the Conservatives or to Labour. Unlike most construction companies we know in Bolehland.
undergrad2;
You may not have much respect for him personally but you still have to raise both your hands when performing the ’sembah’ when you have an audience with the Sultan.
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Speak for yourself, small minded man. I raise my hands only to God. I have no intention and will not dream to have an audience with the sultan. I am a Republican…..so don’t impose your backward behavior to others.
“You may not have much respect for him personally but you still have to raise both your hands when performing the ’sembah’ when you have an audience with the Sultan.” (undergrad2)
undergrad2,
I believe you are still too green to deal with the political system which involves with a monarch. Performing the ‘sembah’ ceremony when someone has an official duty to ‘mengadap’ the Sultan is just a royal court mannerism. When we talk about respect due to the Monarch, it must be something coming from the genuine love towards the Monarch and not just a hypocritical formality based on needs.
For instance, the present Sultan of Johor already divorced the ex Sultanah three months’ ago and recently all businessmen in Johor were given the official instruction to remove the photo plaque of the ex Sultanah. The businessmen in Johor just followed the official instruction as a formality and their actions or inactions were not involved with anything about respect or disrespect to the Royalty.
When we study the History of Ching Dynasty of China, it is not surprised for us to find that even an absolute monarch like the Emperor of China had been beheaded by the rebels when the Emperor adopted a high-handed military measure in order to suppress the dissenting voices or dissident voices among the Han race and minority race of Sinkiang in China. Nevertheless, Ching Dynasty was able to survive for more than 260 years in China. That did not mean that the Chinese people would blindly pledge their loyalty to the Monarch but the loyalty would be given to the Monarch as an expression of gratitude towards the grace or kind-hearted patronage which they received from the Monarch.
In short, respect is a heart-felt feeling that must be earned with good deed. Respect is not something which can be purchased or robbed with high-handed forces!
Batu Pahat High School HM?….produces alot of great Malaysians.
Picture the same thing done by PR youths in Parliament to an UMNO man…..and you will find so many reasons to lock all up straight away.
Yes…that scene do remind us how Hitler SS treated the Jews.
UMNO is silently encouraging his youths to be like gangsters again.
All Malaysians should stay calm…not to be easily provoked to fight…but be brave….exactly like how Gandhi taught Indians and won freedom for India…without violence.
I think you’re confused between the office he holds and the man who holds that office. Respect for the constitutional monarch is inherent in a system of constitutional monarchy. Respect for the man who holds that office is a different matter. You may not have much respect for him personally but you still have to raise both your hands when performing the ’sembah’ when you have an audience with the Sultan. 101 undergrad
This is yet another example of hollow sophistication. Didn’t history teach us that if absolute monarchs can’t command the love the respect of their citizens, they get dethroned? Once dethroned, some have their heads chopped off, some pensioned off and some became constitutional monarchs. Constitutional monarchs are – as the name implies – constitutional, i.e. serving the constitution and following the will of the people. Simple, if the monarchs have doubts over the interpretation of constitution, let the will of the people prevails. No need to second guess, no need to talk long and wide – just follow the will of the people. Monarchs having options to follow or not to follow the will of people are not constitutional monarchs. I hope this 101 undergrad can follow me!
Fair comment Tunku, our sultans must learn and earn his or her subjects’ respect. Similarly the BN or PR too must learn and earn the rakyats’ respect sholud either of them wants to govern the county well.One old chinese tradition is for the father to hand over all his property to the eldest son.He expected the eldest son to take care of all his brothers and sisters.The eldest son if he wanted the respect of all his brothers and sistersand preserve the family unity,he should be very fair and clear in the adminitration of the old man’s assets.Once the adminitration of the asset becomes blur,the whole family unity will be disrupted. The current Perak state political turmoil is likened to the above case as a clear and good example for our monarchs and polititians..
Those UMNO youth ‘small boys’ had claimed in a press conference that they were actually at the Parliament as guests of the deputy health minister for lunch & discussion, and it was ‘by coincidence’ they had crossed paths with Karpal & so, took the opportunity to question him about the ‘celaka’ remarks. Don’t know what discussion these ‘small boys’ actually had with the deputy health minister, but evidently, the result was clearly unhealthy…
I believe that in a mature constitutional monarchy, members of the royalty, especially those who are in succession to the throne, are groomed and taught from young with regards to their future role in the system of govt so as not to be in conflict with the constitution and also the people’s interest.
I recall that in the 1936, King Edward VIII of Great Britain (the uncle of the present Queen Elizabeth II) had abdicated from the throne because he believed that it would not put the British monarchy in a good light should he had continued with his plans to marry an American divorcee while remaining as a king, and in addition, that having such a woman as a queen, would not go down well with the British people.
My family once was a strong supporter of BN government but not any more. It was a disgraceful act to see what happen in Perak. I have talked to many Perakians from different jobs and races. Not even a single soul is in support of the power grab which brought shame to the Perakians. Once a powerful and the richest state in Malaysia is in turmoil. Who is to be blamed?
” Simple, if the monarchs have doubts over the interpretation of constitution, let the will of the people prevails.” limkaput
Please learn to write grammatical English.
“This is yet another example of hollow sophistication. Didn’t history teach us that if absolute monarchs can’t command the love the respect of their citizens, they get dethroned” limkaput
I wasn’t talking about history, absolute monarchs or even constitutional monarchy but the difference between respect for the position that one holds and the person who holds it. Learn to read English and understand.
“I raise my hands only to God. I have no intention and will not dream to have an audience with the sultan.” wanderer
I suppose what you’re saying is that if LKS gets to appear before the Sultan or Agong, and raises both his clasped hands to touch his forehead, dressed in a songkok, you’d not support him nor his party.
I don’t about you but as a private when I salute my officer, I’m not saluting him but his rank and his uniform.
ooops ‘know’
Once a powerful and the richest state in Malaysia is in turmoil. – shadow
Yes, I agree. that was a looooooooooooong time ago when there was a street still named Brewster Road in Ipoh.
As a man who achieved many firsts in his career like the youngest judge to sit on the Bench in the entire Commonwealth at the young age of 37 years, then becoming a Federal Court judge and elevated to become Chief Judge only after some six years later and then becoming the country’s youngest ever Lord President. Do you think it is the same person who now sits on the throne of his state (again the first one to do so given the distinguished legal career behind him) and pleads lack of familiarity with his state’s written constitution??
You guys must be thick.
Undergrad2:
Yes, we are all thick.
The same person who now sits on the throne has a family that is engaged in extensive business interests. He may not have pleaded a lack of familiarity with the state’s written constitution. He may have decided that preservation of the family wealth is more important that preservation of the constitution.
Tunku AbduL Aziz < I salute you for your comment. With umno Youth Malaysian society is getting uncivilised. Malaysia become a fourth world nation.A truly corruppted nation. i feel so hopeless abt. My country. so sad. Just need to pray hard for Malaysia.
Not that thick.
If that is your short analysis of the situation facing the country, then it means we can never dislodge the very strong vested interests since they work to preserve the status quo – at least not through constitutional means.
The Sultans have been cowed by politicians as a result of one Malay Ruler commencing 1983, have their general (not just criminal) immunity removed from them, and now are we to put our faith in the very same system? Then we must be thick to rely on a system which we helped to dismantle albeit not completely.
Mahathir had other agenda when he awarded and rewarded them with lucrative contracts, allowing members of the royal familites to enter into business in a big way and as a matter of right. It is a smart to ensure their compliance. You guys now would have to deal with the consequences and stop being naive.
No one can have the cake and eat it. Not even the Malay Rulers.
The mistake it would appear is in allowing them access to lucrative business through contracts using proxy companies. Once you do that then it makes nonsense of their immunity against civil proceedings.
It makes them dependent on the goodwill of their political masters. Now we expect them to go against them? Gimme a break!!
please lah dont live on legacy….print something realistic….good old days are gone …no more lah ….can’t you see no more temples, churches no more finito…habis…bye bye..is the message
crying over spilled milk….but not too late yet….but dint be funny your license is never permanent
“….it means we can never dislodge the very strong vested interests since they work to preserve the status quo – at least not through constitutional means.” Undergrad2
That’s a little too pessimistic. We have to believe that the will of the people will be paramount and that the majority will one day rise – even unconstitutionally – and say “enough is enough”. That day of reckoning – for those who steal and fight tooth and nail to continue stealing – will surely come. And it will be swiftly followed by the rakyat’s evaluation of the “performance” of royalty.
Are you suggesting we re-write the constitution??
When members of the royal families opted to go into business and were not only allowed to do so by Mahathir, but were rewarded by him for their compliance, by kowtowing to his every wish, they sowed the seeds of their eventual demise. They put themselves on the proverbial slippery slope.
They made a contract with the Devil and now would need the Devil to save them. We may yet see the return of Mahathir to power.
There will be a Mahathir in power. Just not the old man, but his son.
DEar Undergrad2,
THen perhaps you do not “know” the Malays. The very existence of Sultans in Malaysia is due to Malays wishing to preserve this tradition.
Should the Malays find this institution cumbersome, than the institution is soon to past into history. Dr Mahathir aptly described the Malays position on Malay Rulers “The first thing that come to mind when one talk about the Malays is that vast majority of them is feudalist and wishes to remain so”.
He went on to say “It is the rulers who give the Malay character to this land. Remove the royalty the last vestige of old Malaya will dissapear”.
I only realised the significance of Malay Rulers when one professor of mine( I studied in USA) challenged my assertion that I am a native of Malaysia. The lecture room became very quiet. I did not know what to answer him. But I replied that I have a royal institution back to 12th century. He nodded. Yes sir, you have a point, the professor said.
The position of Malay rulers does not depend on Dr Mahathir. If the Malays who until today support the Sultans change their stand, then this tradition will dissapear. Or the Malays lose power and Malay Rulers position will come to its end.