PETALING JAYA: Malaysians, especially politicians, must heed the advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to preserve unity in diversity by going back to the principles of the Rukun Negara, say unity and social experts.
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, who is a National Unity Advisory Council panel member, said all politicians must be mindful of their remarks and stay focused on nation-building.
“I am of the view that we should reduce politicking, and we should all work together to improve the country and the economy as a whole,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said that unity in diversity was a primary asset of the nation that must be preserved.
He said this in his royal address in conjunction with his official birthday yesterday.
Lee also urged the unity government to make a serious effort to remind the public of the importance of the values contained in the Rukun Negara.
“As far as Tuanku’s speech, the main message touches on matters pertaining to nation-building which is founded on the principles outlined in the federal Constitution and also all five principles of the Rukun Negara.
“All politicians should lead by example by complying with the principles of the Rukun Negara.
“If we can stick to that, then the country will be more peaceful and there will be less politicking,” he said.
Lee added that politicians must always respect differences and the rights of all citizens, and reminded them to stop making provocative remarks about race and religion.
“This is because these two factors can create instability and may further destabilise the country. Once we stop all that, we can spend more time improving the economy,” he said.
Moderation advocate Mohamed Tawfik Ismail reminded all parties to remember the impact of insensitive rhetoric that led to the racial riots on May 13, 1969.
“Politicians should look back at the history of legislation on sensitive issues and remember why they were formulated and enacted, and for what ends.
“The popular reaction to these is understandable but we should move ahead and have greater self-censorship to prevent small issues from exploding, especially with matters of religion and ethnicity,” said the former federal lawmaker.
Prof Datuk Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, who is an expert in national unity, said he read the wishes of the King as a reminder to all politicians, including those in the unity government, to preserve harmony.
“It is clear that the King does not want to see any more fights between (politicians), and it is important to see the stability of the unity government, the idea of which came from Tuanku himself,” said Prof Shamsul.
He added that politicians must be careful when discussing sensitive issues such as race, religion and royalty.
“Although these may be considered the fundamental pillars of our local politics, they have to be extra careful when touching on these issues,” he said.
Moderation advocate Anas Zubedy said that he fully supported the call made by the King to preserve unity among the people.
“The key in achieving this is to be honest on both sides (of the political divide) and to avoid hypocrisy.
“Choose to be critical about oneself first and our own teams rather than pointing at the other person.
“Pointing at others may look like you are trying to advocate unity, but in reality, it creates more divisiveness,” he said.
