Raja Nazrin: Unification of Malays most important

(Bernama) – It is obligatory for the Malays to make efforts to unite to build human capital in the spirit of a common race and religion, said the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

In his speech entitled Islam and the Malays: the Muslims' Human Capital at the Muslim Intellectuals Discussion 2009 here today, he said loyalty to a cause that was noble and holy should be given more importance than loyalty to the individual or group.

"Be realistic — be governed by reasoning. Spread the spirit of friendship — believe in the spirit of forgiveness. Malay is your race and Islam is your religion," he said.

Raja Dr Nazrin said the Malays today were facing a major challenge concerning identity, integrity, status and survival of the race.  

"The number of Muslim Malays is small. The number of Muslim Malays with knowledge, who are professionals, rich, possessing the qualities of towering personality is even much smaller.

"The separation of the Malays and Islam in differing groups, who are being led by personalities who refuse to meet with one another, will certainly weaken the Muslims even further," he said.

The Raja Muda said the current political culture had created a new obsession, the emergence of a group culture, promoting the belief that loyalty to the group must be given priority above the survival of the ummah.

He said the Muslim Malays would eventually be trapped in the race to find faults and weaknesses among themselves which would weaken the race even further.

"As a result, the human capital of the Muslims became weaker. How many more of them are prepared to become opera actors, wear the Muslim and Malay masks, to ridicule the ummah — dupe the community to fulfill their own desire," he said.

Earlier, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah officially declared the discussion open.

Three working papers would be tabled at the discussion organised in conjunction with the 81st birthday anniversary of Sultan Azlan Shah. The papers would be presented by the President of Kolej Dar Al-Hikmah, Kajang, Datuk Dr Sidek Fadzil; the Vice-Chancellor of Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Melaka (KUIM), Prof Emeritus Datuk Wira Dr Mohd Yusuf Hashim and the President of the 'Teras Keupayaan Melayu' (Teras), Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid.