Daulat Tuanku

This week marks the ascension of a new Yang di-Pertuan Agong; in a uniquely Malaysian system the monarchy is changed every 5 years, a practice established back during Independence in 1957 to placate the various royal families in Malaya that were claiming ascendancy to the throne.

The Agong is meant to be the supreme commander of the armed forces and head of Islam for the states that don’t have Sultans (who act as head of Islam for their ‘realms’). He also appoints various officials (e.g. judges) on the advice of the PM and he (along with the other hereditary rulers) are meant to be symbols of malay supremacy, a rallying cry around which us malays are meant to congregate to in our grand goal of establishing a global presence.

Personally, I think Malaysia should consider being a republic.

The only royalty that I can name and think of with deepest admiration is the current Sultan of Perak and his son (both for their intelligence and their efforts in fostering a peaceful society). And I think Ku Li will make an excellent PM. And while we shouldn’t generalise and remember that there are always exceptions to the rule… the others… well, let’s just say that to name some of them as keepers of Islam is tantamount to insulting the religion.

Can anyone tell me of what use are the Sultans of today (besides taking a large chunk of the taxpayers’ money, giving Dato’-ships to ever more dodgy characters, getting preferential treatment in business dealings and avoiding taxes)?

It is sad that the feudalistic mindset is still prevalent among many malays who refuse to question the validity of spending billions of ringgit (that is NOT kept in check by the Parliament or any other bodies) on the upkeep of individuals who need to do a heck of a lot more to prove that their role is not merely ceremonial. Just imagine for example, the amount of good that can come by with the half a billion ringgit that will be used to build the new palace. And why do we need a new palace for the Agong? Because the old one wasn’t big enough! Sigh…

Things used to be even worse until Tun M curbed their privileges back in the early 1990s, limiting their immunity from prosecution. As a pseudo-Johorean, that news was accepted with delight but then again, who is going to want to go against any of the sultans? I will probably be labelled as a ‘traitor’ by some for uttering these views but I stand by them – the onus is on them to prove that they deserve the respect and love of the people. And it doesn’t hurt to question the status quo every once in a while.

One can also ask if it is fair that this ancient malay relic is funded by the 45% of Malaysians whose rights are not even looked into by them? As HRH Raja Nazrin said, "Only when each citizen believes that he or she has a common home and is working towards a common destiny will he or she make the sacrifices needed for the long haul".

Otherwise, it’s just another case of being ambiguous about the line between Islamic beliefs and ethnic superiority. One cannot claim to follow the teachings of Islam in one breath and then fanatically support an individual reasons of Malay supremacy. These individuals should remember that in Islam, you are held accountable in Jannah for the leader that you choose.