Should we reset Malaysia?

There are some who advocate that we should forget about reforming our institutions and laws and just start again from scratch. It is something that is possible if the electorate wants it but I wonder what we would come up with in the end.

We are a multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious society. Where would we find common ground should we reset? Could we forget about our history and just begin again as though it never happened?

I don’t believe that we should forget our history: we should learn from it. We have only been an independent nation for about half a century. Our past colonial masters each reigned over this land for a far longer time.

We were fortunate in that we did not have to fight a bloody war for our independence: we merely had to negotiate for it from the British. Of course compromises had to be made to give us a smooth transition into independence.

The reality today is that even if we could start from scratch: would the compromises that we would have to make today be much different from half a century ago? I don’t believe it would be.

Every Malaysian needs to feel comfortable in his own country and in so far as we can compromise we will stand united under our common flag and constitution.

There is nothing much wrong with our Constitution if we read it as it is written. The problem of course comes from interpretation and this is where I believe that we must stand firm against our own institutions that seem to act contrary to it, both in spirit and in action.

Our Constitution guarantees us all freedom of religion. We should all have it both in spirit and in reality and there should be no exceptions to this if we mean to abide by our constitution. Nowhere for example do I see a provision in our constitution that says that a Muslim does not have a right to freedom of religion.

Our constitution also provides for freedom of expression. It is clear that we should protect our citizens’ rights to express themselves freely and not stifle their right just because some quarters may not like what they hear or see.

So long as they do not advocate armed rebellion, let them say what they like and if we don’t like it we tell them so. We do not resolve conflicts by silencing the other voices: if we do this, we simply become tyrannical.

Our institutions that had once served us well in the past have started to disappoint. The main causes are corruption and the subpar academic standards of many of those entrusted with protecting our institutions.

The fault lies with the people within the institutions and not the institutions per se. Our nation has a legitimate need for most of the institutions previously created. It is just that they must function properly and do their part to ensure that the interest of the nation is protected.

My main concern in resetting Malaysia is that we may actually veer too far from what we already have today. Who is to say what will be the result of the reset?

It may be tyranny of the majority where the minority rights are totally unprotected. It may be a republic where we forget about our history.

It may be a theocracy where the ultimate power lies with some unelected council of elders. It may even be a total impasse where we are unable to come to any conclusion, leading to a state of near anarchy.

No, for me, we cannot rewrite history. What we have today, we need to improve on. Our nation is like any living organism, it too can get ill. If our eyesight gets poor then we use glasses, if our legs are a little weak we get a walking stick, if we suffer other ailments we take the appropriate medicines to cure them.

We should no more give up on Malaysia than on a sick patient. Our problems are solvable. Though we may not be in the best of health today, we can and should get better in time.

Opinion

Datuk Jema Khan is a former Sabah Umno Youth leader. He is now a businessman pushing the Agenda Liberal Melayu inFacebook .