“Malays and rulers cannot be separated”

IPOH, 5 Aug 2009: Malay Malaysians and the Malay rulers cannot be separated and whoever thinks that the country's constitutional monarchy is no longer relevant is a traitor, the 4B Youth Movement said.

Its general secretary Datuk Wira Jamaluddin Abdul Rahim added that such a person was also trying to stoke Malay sentiment.

"If there are Malays who have such an opinion, then it is most regrettable," he said.

Jamaluddin was commenting on the concern expressed yesterday by Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim on the emergence of a group who conceived the constitutional monarchy as no longer relevant. The group also apparently perceived Malaysia to be a socialist nation.

Jamaluddin said Rais's statement was most appropriate because the emergence of such a group, if left unchecked, could affect the harmony, peace and prosperity enjoyed by all communities since independence.

He said history had proven that the constitutional monarchy had succeeded in uniting the people.

He suggested that the Education Ministry strengthen the History syllabus to ensure that present and future generations had a better understanding of the history of the country's independence and the monarchy's role. — Bernama