Questioning the ‘Daulat Tuanku’ cry
By Pak Sako
As human beings, we are endowed with the capacity to think so that we can question and thereby gain a better understanding, even if the subject under scrutiny is felt to be thorny.
To pose a question is not to be disrespectful (‘kurang ajar’). On the contrary, to question is the first step in seeking true knowledge and overcoming ignorance.
The culture in our country is unfortunately one where the general public is reluctant to question and refrains from it. Or the public tends to be passive and fails to engage in reflection. Statements, concepts or policies framed and implemented by the powers that be, for example, the government, ministers or rulers are often accepted as correct and appropriate without much opposition.
This attitude is not surprising as the political history of our country has been coloured by feudalism for many centuries. Feudalism is an ideology that calls for deference to authority. This culture is fully ingrained in the great majority of Malaysians. However, if we are to accept and acknowledge that every man is created equal then this antiquated culture needs to be erased. 
The cry 'Daulat Tuanku' is often heard amongst those who support Barisan Nasional when they defend the actions of the Perak Sultan in rejecting Menteri Besar YB Nizar Jamaluddin’s petition to dissolve the state assembly, and when Sultan Azlan Shah instructed YB Nizar to resign his post. The reasons for His Highness’ action were not divulged to the public even though it was a sensitive episode involving the democratic rights of the people.
Are the words and decisions of a sultan or king beyond fault (or ‘sacred’) and beyond question? Is the public not entitled to know the rationale behind his royal command? Are not the rulers accountable to the people given that the citizenry pays tax to bear their living expenses? Where would kings be without their subjects?
Kings are only human and to be human is to err. There are state rulers who have been implicated in misconduct such as in the cases cited below:
- Assault and battery: The Sultan of Johor was alleged to have beaten one of his assistants with a golf club, and to also attack a hockey coach,
- Torture: An Indonesian girl has accused her husband, a Kelantan prince, of physical abuse,
- Punch-up: A quarrel between the grandsons of the Sultans belonging to the royal households of Negri Sembilan and Johor in a night club resulted in a revolver being brandished
Are they deserving of adulation on the premise of 'Daulat Tuanku'?
