Ku Li urges people to defend secular Constitution
By Neville Spykerman, The Malaysian Insider
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah made an impassioned plea today for ordinary Malaysians to defend the supremacy of the country’s secular Constitution. He also urged the public to demand from political parties the adherence to such constitutional principles like equality of rights, separation of powers and the prevention of discrimination.
The veteran Umno leader appeared to take aim at his own party, as well as other politicians, in his speech at the launch of the book “Multi-Ethnic Malaysia” edited by Dr Lim Teck Ghee and published by UCSI University.
Tengku Razaleigh said ordinary Malaysians should demand that all political parties should not be allowed to propagate economic and political policies which discriminate against any citizen.
Political parties should also refrain from involvement in business, he said.
But, he said, Malaysians should rise up to defend the Constitution because it is the ultimate safeguard of fundamental liberties.
“One view put out by those who are impatient with these safeguards is that our Constitution is an external and Western imposition upon us, that it is the final instrument of colonialism.
“People have drawn on this view to subject the Constitution to some higher or prior principle, be it race, religion or royalty. Of course, the proponents of such views tend to identify themselves with these higher principles in order to claim extra-constitutional powers.
“These are transparent attempts at revisionism which erode the supremacy of the Constitution. We should have the confidence to reject such moves politely but firmly, whoever advocates them, whatever their social or religious status.”
Tengku Razaleigh pointed out that the Constitution was built by a deliberately consultative process aimed at achieving consensus.
In his speech, he also focused on the question of Islam and the Constitution.
“The question of whether the Federation should be an Islamic state, for example, was considered and rejected by the Rulers and by the representatives of the people. Had we wanted to be ruled by syariah, the option was on the shelf, so to speak, and could easily have been taken, because prior to this the states were ruled by the Sultans according to syariah law.
“The fact that we have a Constitution governed by common law is not an accident nor an external imposition. We chose to found our nation on a secular constitution after consultation and deliberation.”
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