UPHOLDING THE CONSTITUTION

It is just another 12 days we would be celebrating our Nations 51st Birthday and as days go by, we ponder if somehow we have taken the Independence for granted.

I don’t know if I am wrong to think that there could be some people out there who hope and pray that we should be invaded* by bigger nation so that they could be popular and influential – I HOPE THAT THERE IS NO ONE OUT THERE.

(*Invade here need not mean an invasion of armed forces, but could also mean, financial invasion, political invasion and etc.)

Today I will be writing on the 3rd tenet of the Nation’s principle – Upholding the Constitution. Before I go on and writing more, let me briefly mention here the historical perspective of the constitution.

The basis of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia is the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya.

Following the Alliance’s landslide victory in the first Federal Election in 1955, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra was appointed Chief Minister.

The drafting of the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya was the first step toward the formation of a new government after Britain agreed to concede independence to Malaya in 1956.

For the task of drafting the Constitution, the British Government formed a Working Committee comprising representatives from their side, advisors from the Conference of Rulers and Malayan political leaders which included representatives from the Malays, Chinese and the Indian community.

In January 1956 the Tunku headed a delegation to London to discuss the Federal Constitution and negotiate the date for independence of Malaya.

In March 1956 a Commission chaired by Lord Reid was set up to formulate a draft and refine the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya.

The Commission sought the views of political parties, non-political organisations and individuals on the form of government and racial structure appropriate for this country. In the consultation process, a memorandum from the Alliance had gained precedence.

The memorandum, an inter-communal conciliation aimed at mutual interests and strengthening the nation's democratic system of government, took into account five main factors namely;
a) The position of the Malay Rulers.
b) Islam as the official religion of the Federation.
c) Position of the Malay language.
d) The special rights of the Malays and
e) Equal citizenship.

The draft drawn up by the Reid Commission was authorized by the Working Committee as the Constitution of the Federation of Malaya commencing on the date of the nation’s independence on August 31, 1957.

When Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaya in 1963, several provisions in the Constitution were amended and the country’s name was changed to Malaysia.

For information, the Constitution of Malaysia, comprising 181 articles, is the supreme laws of Malaysia. It is formally known as the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. The Constitution is divided into 14 parts and 13 Schedules. Each part and schedule contains relevant articles.

Unfortunately many Malaysians only remember Article 10, Article 11, Article 121, Article 153 and a few other articles’ in the constitution, subject to what matters to them.

We must remember that there is 181 articles and that the constitution cannot be amended without the two thirds majority in each House of Parliament and that too must have the consent of the Conference of Rulers.

It is the duty of a citizen to respect and appreciate the letter, the spirit and the historical background of the Constitution.

MY VIEWS...... We should not find ways to destroy what has been done by going to the streets and make demonstration instead we should show the powers of our vote when the time comes. YES, i know some have done that and everyone has accepted. But then, why disrupt the process now. The constitution should not be challenged and destroyed just because someone wants to become Prime Minister.