KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong said today he was disappointed that race relations continued to be a significant problem for the country.
“Even though our country has been independent for 51 years, narrow racial issues are still brought up by certain parties and have been publicly debated,” he said in his royal address to parliament.
The debate over race has grown in recent years, expecially over issues such as Ketuanan Melayu, or the supremacy of the Malays, and also the treatment of minorities.
“I wish to stress that my government will not hesitate to take action against any party that tries to divide the people so as to ensure racial harmony and peace is protected,” he added.
He said that the rights of every Malaysian, which are enshrined in the Federal Constitution, will always be protected and respected, and called on the public to improve unity to stabilise the country.
“The racial and cultural diversity that we possess must be turned into one of our strengths,” he said.
The King also told the House that he took seriously the problem of falsehoods that have been spread and specifically named blogs as culprits.
“Lies and false news that have been spread by certain quarters including blog sites have caused confusion among the people,” he said.
“We should learn from history where the fall of empires and civilisations have been caused by lies, jealousy and division among the people,” he added, and called on citizens to be wise in evaluating news.
He also said that media practitioners including bloggers must be ethical and responsible and not abuse the freedom that they have been accorded.
The ruler also said that in light of the economic downturn, local entrepreneurs should now give priority to local workers instead of relying on foreign labour.
“At the same time, local workers should also not be too picky in choosing employment,” he said.
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