One man’s meat is another man’s poison

No, we need the Rulers. I don’t trust politicians, in particular Malay Nationalist politicians like Umno. With the Rulers removed, the Umno politicians will now control the army. And I would hate to be an opposition supporter or non-Malay when that happens. Then Malaysia Boleh would transform into Malaysia Beirut.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The mark of a wise Sultan

Daulat Tuanku! The Sultan of Selangor has once again demonstrated his qualities as a wise and fair ruler. He has openly expressed his sympathies for Elizabeth Wong, saying he was worried and upset over the intrusion of privacy and private right's with the intention of destroying one's dignity and reputation. Well said.

The point is simple – what Elizabeth Wong, a matured adult, wants to do behind closed door is nobody's business. As I said, we picked an elected representative, not a nun. Malaysians have had enough of this kind of gutter politics. If it's the work of a rejected ex-lover, it's equally disgusting. He should be arrested and charged in court soon. He should be brave enough to return home and answer the charges against him instead of running away. Nobody is sure whether it's the work of BN, the results of an internal party feud or simply the stupidity of a former boyfriend. But the allegations and counter allegations is sickening, to put it mildly.

The Sultan has also correctly decided that he would not get involved as he is above politics. In the first place, there was really no need for the MB to ask the Tuanku for a decision. He should keep the Tuanku informed of the developments, that's all. – Wong Chun Wai, 47, is the Group Chief Editor of The Star

Well, Wong Chun Wai, that all depends on whom the hell you are. If you were a Jew, Christian, or Muslim, then what Eli did would be considered immoral. So what you said is based on your yardstick of things. Others use different yardsticks and would profusely disagree with you. I take it you are not Jew, Christian, nor Muslim. Or else you would be frothing at the mouth and spewing fire and brimstone.

Now, before anyone gets his or her knickers all twisted, today’s article is not about Eli. It is about your perception of things. Sultans are also heads of religion of their respective states. This means head of Islam. If you were a Muslim would you still sing the same tune? Would you not take the Sultan to task for defending a woman who is said to be having an affair with a Muslim man?

Okay, maybe Eli is not a Muslim. But her boyfriend is. And Eli is not just a simple rakyat. She is a lawmaker in the state of Selangor. Should she therefore not know better? This extends beyond just a matter of the heart. It is not just a bedroom issue. It becomes a matter of state. It involves 'illegal' sex with a Muslim when the state laws say that Muslims may not engage in illicit sex.

But you are right. I too support Eli and was one of those who phoned her to plead with her not to resign the instant the matter exploded into the public domain. But what the Sultan of Selangor did may now open him to attack by certain elements in Umno who may want to take this nation through a third Constitutional Crisis a la the first two in the 1980s. The Sultan would be touted as an immoral person who condones sex outside marriage.

In short, the Sultan should have been left out of it so that he does not ‘taint’ his hands with the issue. Even if Tan Sri Khalid needed to check with the Sultan, he could have gone to speak with Tuanku ‘secretly’ during one of his weekly meetings. Then no one would know he spoke to the Sultan and no one would know about the Sultan’s response.

Nevertheless, the Sultan made one very bold move in openly ‘endorsing’ Eli. Now he may have to pay the price for this public endorsement. And, trust me, someone will use this against Tuanku, one day, when they need to whack him for some decision he made which does not go down well with those who walk in the corridors of power. And all those who applaud Tuanku’s decision today will not be in front of the palace to defend him when those who walk in the corridors of power whack him. The 1980s has proven this.

When you laugh, the whole world laughs with you. When you cry, you cry alone. That is a fact of life. And the Sultans too have come to realise this during the 1980s Constitutional Crisis. They were very much on their own when Umno ran them through the mud. No one came out in defence of the Sultans. Not the Malays, not the Chinese, not the Indians.

Other than being heads of Islam, the Sultans are also defenders of Malay rights and special privileges, as well as of the Malay language. This is written into the Constitution.  Currently, Umno is embarking on a Malay Nationalist campaign. Were you aware of that? They are going to campaign for Malay reservation land. They want English abolished. They want the Internal Security Act retained so that it can be used against anyone who questions Malay rights and special privileges. You question them and you get detained without trial.

Do the right thing, and you all scream. Follow the Constitution, and you all shout. Uphold the law, and you all rant and rave. What if the Sultans do exactly that? The Sultans did not write the Constitution. In fact, they are mere Constitutional Monarchs. This means they too are bound by the Constitution. So they too have to follow the Constitution. And the Constitution says that Islam is the official religion of this country. Malay is the official language. And Malays have certain rights and special privileges that non-Malays do not have.

So, how do we want the Sultans to act on these issues? Should they do the right and fair thing? Or should they do the lawful thing and follow the Constitution? If they follow the Constitution, then Islam is numero uno. The Malay language is numero uno. And the Malays are numero uno. All non-Islam religions, non-Malay language, and non-Malay race are number two. That is the law.

Yes, the Sultans must do the right and fair thing. But what is the right and fair thing? What’s right and fair and Constitutional to Muslims and the Malays may be the opposite to the non-Muslims and the non-Malays. So right and fair may not be quite the Constitutional thing if you want to see right and fair in the real sense of the word.

Allowing you to convert to Islam but not allowing you to convert back to your original religion is legal. It is also right and fair if you are a Muslim. But if you were not Muslim, then you would not agree that it is right and fair, never mind if it is legal.

The New Economic Policy is right and fair if you are an Umno-Malay. It is also perfectly legal and Constitutional according to the court. Would you agree if you were not Umno-Malay, never mind what the court says?

What we fail to realise is that the Sultans have less rights than the rakyat. In fact, the rakyat have more freedom. The Sultans can’t even offer their personal opinion without breaking the law or risking a backlash. The only opinion they are allowed to have is the opinion that the government allows them. Even the Agong’s speech is drafted by the Prime Minister’s Department and they sometimes never get to see it until they are ready to deliver the speech.

That’s right. The Agong does not even know what he is supposed to say until he starts delivering his speech. Now do you understand why, during the recent Parliament opening, the Agong ‘thanked’ Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and hoped that there would be a smooth transition at the end of March? And guess who wrote that speech? Even Abdullah did not know about it until he heard the speech delivered.

Understand what a Constitutional Monarchy means. I am not saying that the Rulers are rubberstamps or figureheads. They do have some powers. We just got to know what they are and work within those powers that the Rulers have. Then we can do things that under normal circumstances we can’t.

But Malaysians speak as if they know the law and have studied the Constitution. Many I have met who are very free with their opinions were not even aware that Perak has a Constitution.

“Ah, Perak has a State Constitution? I did not know that.”

“Not only Perak. All the states have Constitutions.”

“Oh, I was not aware of that.”

Well, what business do they have being so vocal and emotional about the issue then?

“Do you know that under the Selangor and Terengganu State Constitutions they do not need to appoint a Deputy Menteri Besar? But under the Kelantan and Pahang State Constitutions they must appoint a Deputy Menteri Besar.”

“Oh, I was not aware of that.”

“Then what the hell are you so emotional about the matter of the Deputy Menteri Besar when you don’t even know that all the Malaysian states have Constitutions and you do not even know which state makes it mandatory to have a Deputy Menteri Besar and which do not?”

Hey, oppose by all means! Speak out, as that is your fundamental right. But please do your homework first. Like those who are asking for this country to be turned into a Republic: not only will you go to jail under the Sedition Act, but the Constitution will not allow it to be done. And any laws passed after Merdeka that violates the Constitution is automatically null and void. So perish the thought of amending the Constitution to turn this country into a Republic if you happen to command a two-thirds majority in Parliament. It can’t be done.

The only way we can abolish the Monarchy, and get rid of Umno in the process, is through a military takeover — like some of our immediate neighbours who got rid of their Rulers and turned their countries into Republics. Then we can be rid of our Rulers and corrupt politicians and the army will instead be running this country. Is that what you want?

Thank God this can’t happen in Malaysia. The Rulers are Colonels-in-Chief of the various branches of the military — Infantry, Navy, Air Force, Commandos, Artillery, Malay Regiment, Engineering Corps, etc. — while the Agong is the Commander-in-Chief of the entire Armed Forces. This means the Rulers call the shots, not the politicians who may want to become another Gaddafi, Saddam, Idi Amin, Marcos, Sukarno, or whatever.

Get rid of the Rulers. Then see what happens. The Armed Forces will be out of control. They will become a tool of the politicians — that is if they do not become dictators themselves now that the ‘shackles’ have been removed.

Some of you think I am pro-Monarchy because, as you say, of my ‘royal blood’. You don’t even know half of what you think you know. And that is because you are ignorant of the Constitution and the delicate structure that holds this country together. Do you remember May 13 and the ‘role’ the army played? Well, that is only a small ‘sample’ of what the army can do with the politicians using the army for political gains.

No, we need the Rulers. I don’t trust politicians, in particular Malay Nationalist politicians like Umno. With the Rulers removed, the Umno politicians will now control the army. And I would hate to be an opposition supporter or non-Malay when that happens. Then Malaysia Boleh would transform into Malaysia Beirut. And I will move back to England where I was born. Good luck to those born in Malaysia and have nowhere to go. You better learn how to shoot.