Reassurance for all Malaysians on rights

• Groups hail remarks on upholding social contract, protecting rights of all races ©New Straits Times by Sheridan Mahavera, Eileen Ng and Shuhada Elis KUALA LUMPUR: It's a message of unity, peace and harmony. Non-governmental organisations and political parties, which have been engaged in months of sabre-rattling over race and religious issues, said this was the essence of the statement from the Conference of Rulers. As the rulers had spoken clearly on the social contract, NGOs and politicians from both sides of the divide said, the people should move forward. Historian Professor Tan Sri Khoo Kay Khim described the statement as a reminder to all Malaysians of the centrality of the Constitution and the Rukun Negara. The position of the Malays and Islam in the nine Malay states had always been recognised by the British, Khoo said, and when they joined the Federation of Malaya, this characteristic was carried over into the Constitution. Bar Council president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan agreed that the statement reaffirmed the importance of the Federal Constitution and was a reminder of the guarantees accorded to all Malaysians. "It reminds citizens that the guarantees were a result of well-considered negotiations, resulting in the social contract which we as citizens must respect. It is a much needed message of unity, peace and harmony," said Ambiga. The council had in June hosted a forum on the social contract that was heavily criticised as being contemptuous of the accord, which has been described as laying the foundations of post-1957 Malaysia. "The Bar has never questioned the social contract and anything in the Constitution. We have discussed it and there are different views about it but the Bar has never questioned it and believes that it is entrenched in the Constitution," Ambiga said. For the Malay Solidarity Council, the statement was precisely what they have been campaigning for in light of what they see as an increasing tide of challenges to Malay special privileges. "Society has just gone overboard in arguing about the social contract and this statement is something that is needed to stop all these disputes," said council chairman Tan Sri Ismail Hussin. The council represents about 200 Malay NGOs which in May convened a special congress, which in turn sent a petition to the rulers asking that they put a stop to attempts to dispute Malay privileges. The rulers' statement was released on Thursday after the conference's 215th meeting. Among other things, it stated that the rulers hold the constitutional role to safeguard the special privileges, position, eminence and greatness of the Malay rulers, Islam, Malay as the national language, and the genuine interests of the other communities in Malaysia. "The rulers assuaged the anxieties of Malays concerning their special position but also the non-Malays by saying that their interests are in no danger of being eroded," said Parti Keadilan Rakyat information chief Tian Chua. Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said no community should assume that the statement referred to one of them specifically. Former MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said though the contract's aim was to create unity, it should not be taken to mean that different perspectives on it should be ignored. In Shah Alam, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said Malaysians could continue to speak out on the execution of policies in regard to the social contract. "This (reminder) does not restrict or stop the people from speaking out and commenting in terms of its execution but it is best if the people can respect the culture and etiquette of one another," he said.