Getting back on the road to unity
New Straits Times (Columns)
10 Sep 2006
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar

IT is a happy coincidence that this year, the 2007 Budget was declared the day after Merdeka celebrations. This gave us an opportunity to consider one against the backdrop of the other. And it is from this perspective that I would like to offer a view on what I think is appropriately called the "Merdeka Budget".

Malaysia’s constitutional arrangement is a unique one. It seeks to balance the special place of Islam and the protected status of the Malays and indigenous communities with the guarantee of equality and non- discrimination for all citizens. This is, by no means, a simple task.

In its efforts at nation-building, our leadership has had to navigate the difficult and sometimes turbulent waters between these competing interests to achieve a vision of unity. As history shows, this has not been an impossible task.

On Merdeka day, shortly before reading the Proclamation of Independence, Bapa Merdeka declared:

"Independence is only the threshold to high endeavour. At this solemn moment I call upon you all to dedicate yourself to the service of the new Malaya, to work and strive with hand and brain to create a new nation, inspired by the ideals of justice and liberty — a beacon of light in a disturbed and distracted world. Let us unitedly face the challenge of the years. With remembrance of the past and with confidence in the future, under the providence of God, we shall succeed."

This was stated at the culmination of a challenging pre-independence struggle. In this period, our constitutional fathers — towering personalities who included Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, Datuk Onn Jaafar and Tun Tan Cheng Lock — through sheer grit, hard work and diplomacy forged a unity premised on the understanding that each and every Malayan played a role in the future of this country.

As Tunku observed: "We will know also that the races, which have lived in this country for so long, cannot do without one another, and that they have to live on the best terms with one another in order to make Malaya a peaceful and prosperous country, and her people happy."

The road to independence was marked by sincere, open-minded consultation in which all interests were considered. Our Constitution was the result of that process. It was, and is, a testament to the fact that when we achieved Merdeka, we liberated ourselves not only from British rule, but also from the shackles of history. We were liberating ourselves from prejudices and fears.

Somewhere along the way, we seem to have lost sight of that.

The Merdeka Budget, as I call it, is a testament to the spirit of the Constitution, and a reassertion of the vision of our founding fathers. It is a Budget for all Malaysians, even as it caters to special interests. In particular, two features stand out, offering a tantalising glimpse of a possible future. Both revolve around our children.

The first is the allocation of funds for merit-based tertiary education scholarships. The Government is to be lauded for having come to terms with the very real fact that poverty is not restricted in its reach, and that in every parent’s heart beats the fervent hope that they will be able to educate their children.

In 1987, I went to Singapore with over 100 Malaysians to enrol in Singaporean schools for A-levels on Asean scholarships. Here, we had fallen through the floorboards. There, we were recognised by the Singapore Government as having potential. Many of my peers did not return. Many asked what there was to return to.

The allocation is an important one, for it shows young Malaysians of all races that they are appreciated; that they are important enough to invest in. It lays down a foundation for the sense of belonging that we all need to make this country the beacon that we once were, that we can be again.

In a similar way, the allocation aimed at introducing Tamil and Chinese language classes in national schools shows a recognition that in developing a Malaysian identity, no one element can be downplayed. That in developing a Malaysian culture, everything will have to go into the mix — not in a way which will undermine what each of us holds dear, but in a way that strengthens it.

It will help us understand each other, and to fear each other less.

As Bapa Merdeka said: "Goodwill and friendship can be achieved, and this will, in the course of time, grow into a solid foundation on which future happiness and harmony in an independent Malaya will stand."

I consider myself a typical Malaysian. Through extended family marriages, I have Pakistani, Indian, Chinese and Malay relatives, all of them Malaysian — not all of them Muslim. Through this, and through friendships with a diverse range of individuals, I have learnt that each of us is human. We all have hopes and we all suffer pain.

My father, an academic, has committed his life to the protection and promotion of Malay traditional art forms. One would think that he would be more concerned with Indian or Pakistani art forms. In a way, he is symbolic of all of us. We are Malaysians, and all aspects of Malaysia make us who we are. A unique community in a unique land.

I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his Deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak and their team for a Budget that reminds us who we are and where we came from.

(All quotations are taken from Harry Miller’s "Prince and Premier", a biography of Tunku Abdul Rahman.)