MERDEKA: A New National Consensus?

An interesting development sees an UMNO Vice-President -- another PM-aspirant waiting IMPatiently in the wings? -- floating an "unexpected" (IMHO-lah ~~ Desi) suggestion that Malaysians should conduct a REVIEW of the national consensus as we mature into the golden age of 50 years. And why not? I am game that we re-look at the implied SOCIAL CONTRACT that our founding fathers forged to achieve Independence in 19957.

We are at a significant crossroads, and two senior Malaysians lend their thoughts on:

A NEW NATIONAL CONSENSUS...

Dear ER, please Engage Sdr Din Merican and Dr Lim Teck Ghee,
co-writing as most academicians are wont to do;
definitely not working hand-in-glove as most
politikus are wont to act. That's the striking difference.
(Desi's opinion hear! -- not Din's nor Teck Ghee's...)

_______________________________

The New National Consensus

"We are glad that some leaders in the government are beginning to realize that we are living in trying times and that it is necessary to put an end to the divisions in our country. This threat to Malaysia, in our view, is mainly driven by populist and opportunistic politics across the divide based on notions of racial or religious dominance and superiority.

The PM's remarks that "[A] true Malaysian patriot loves Malaysia and all Malaysians" needs to be embraced and put into practice by all politicians and the public. As the PM has also rightly re-emphasized, we are, deep down, all Malaysians. This is etched in our psyche, irrespective of ethnicity.

However, it is undeniable that our common sense of Malaysianness has been deeply eroded. If the nation's leaders took time to ask our young people the root causes of the disunity and discontent, we are sure that many of our young - if not most - will point to the country's politicians of all stripes.

Meanwhile, UMNO Vice President, Muhyiddin Yassin, has reinforced the PM's message by calling for a new national consensus and by reiterating the need for a renewal of national unity.

Sobriety seems to be finally returning into the national debate. What Malaysians, regardless of their racial backgrounds, want is responsible and sensible discourse and outcomes in keeping with decency, fair play and justice.

We share the view that the new national agenda cannot be designed solely or mainly by any single party. Everyone, not just politicians, has a stake in the present and future of our country. In this context, an agenda or consensus imposed from the top with token participation by others will not receive the support of Malaysians.

The new consensus and renewal of national unity should be on the basis of the spirit and letter of the Constitution and the principles and objectives of the Rukun Negara.

As a start, we must all recognize that over the last decade or two governance has weakened and undermined the vision of our founding fathers, in particular the Tunku who was a strong advocate of compromise and accommodation to nurture a sense of Malaysianness. The Tunku realized that Malaysia can only succeed on the basis of partnership among all races.

What was also well understood was that the Malay leadership should lead, but not dominate. This was the secret behind the success of the Tunku's Alliance and the initial Barisan Nasional concept. Our political and socio-economic stability was based on power sharing and consensus in decision making, not on a "winner take all", "victor-vanquished?mind set.

Since then Malaysian political and socio-economic development has come at great cost. There has been rampant populism, misuse of resources, increasingly strident race-based politics, a breakdown in the rule of law, environment degradation and social ills. Greed has become the creed of our day.

Worse, religion has been brought into the political fray and abused. Although Islam is the official religion, freedom of worship is written into the Constitution. All Malaysians should accept it. It is a small minority of politicians and civil servants who have made religion an issue for their own ends.

We welcome the Prime Minister's call for Malaysianness and Muhyiddin's reiteration for a participatory dialogue aimed at examining the sensitive issues of our time and at arriving at a new national consensus based on the enduring principles of the Constitution and the Rukun Negara..

We, and other Malaysians, await with great interest to hear the details of when and how this participatory dialogue will be set up, and the various ground rules that will be observed to make it a truly inclusive and representative forum.

Din Merican and Lim Teck Ghee"