\"\"
ia

Friends, citizens, and Malaysians, allow me to say welcome to all present for our Green Dialogue about truth matters. We have collected and put on stage some of the best Green Minds and Hearts in Malaysia. Each of them has a deep heart and concern for good values and virtues related to the Green Environment and how to protect and preserve this legacy for our great grandchildren.

But, before I invite them on stage to start the Truth Matters Forum, allow me to say what is really on my heart and why I launch the second of my books in the Series ‘Alamak’ and call it, ‘Whither Integrity?’

The promise of the Athenian model of democracy was participative governance at the lowest levels of city-state governance. After other localities joined with yet others and they all became nation-states; they were usually united by a king or some kind of feudal lord, or spiritual person. The Westminster Model of democracy, which we appear to have inherited, still supports that model of ‘representative, rather than the intended form of participative democracy’.

Justice Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, the dissenting Federal Court judge in the M Indira Gandhi case, argued the same in his dissenting magnum opus. That judgment is included as part and parcel of my latest book, released today.

In my reading of his text, he argued that ours is a constitutional democracy and therefore it defines the nature of both our public faith and its limits, which defines the true limits of state enactments to override the constitution to reflect to any form of neo-feudalism. We are simply and fully a parliamentary democracy but also totally and adequately defined by the federal constitution.

A clause in Article VI of the US constitution clearly declares that federal laws have jurisdictional authority over state laws in the event there is conflict between laws established by two governing bodies. We have lost such clarity of the hierarchy of units of analysis.

Citizens United

Whether in the US or in Europe, every nation-state’s resolve to protect and preserve liberal models of (illegal migration-driven) democracy which is being challenged and doubted; even as we speak.

US Republicans have blindly and emotionally supported and given Donald Trump a big lead, while the contest of ideas is still not fully over in Europe. We will know more after the Brexit vote. In the rest of the European Union (EU), whether in Germany or even extremely liberal Scandinavian nation-states; there are citizens having similar doubts about the extent of their openness to people of other races, and especially those of other faiths.

In Malaysia, we the rakyat of Malaysia, or as I call ourselves, RM, jointly with our movement we call Negara Ku, want to take back our nation-state from all corrupt politicians who are continually abusing us; through rape and theft in public spaces.

Therefore, Citizens United is my call to all Malaysians to unite for the sake of this nation-state, which we love and call Malaysia. Yes, citizens need to unite, because we are the ones who voted all those politicians and put them there; never their party members alone. Therefore, even if Umno claims to have 3.5 million members; so what, we are much more than that? I do not need to waste my time talking about any of the others.

So far, the only party that I think gives me some hope, or, what I call the MyHOPE Coalition; the coalition which gives all Malaysian citizens some hope but they have been ‘hurriedly put together’ and called the Pakatan Harapan. But, we RM, question if they are still not simply corrupt politicians.

Pakatan Harapan does not give me real hope yet; as they have not been able to transcend their race or ethnic concerns in their dialogue over their faith issues and especially their religion! As the dissenting Federal Court Judge argued, we have always been and will continue to be a secular state primarily because of the federal constitution which defines itself as the supreme legal jurisdiction of the Malaysia we know and love.

Especially the sultans are not ready to abandon it yet; what more their Conference of Rulers.

My university professor of Philosophy, Science, and Islam at George Washington University, Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, has argued in his magnum opus, ‘Man and Nature: The Spiritual Crisis in Modern Man’. I agree with his complete thesis in that book, which was the Chicago Lectures in 1966. One summary of this book is below:

“This is a spiritual tour de force which explores the relationship between Man and Nature as found in Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, particularly its Sufi dimension.”

Dr Nasr was a committee member on my dissertation committee and has now consented that I take his rights and republish and redistribute his book which is now out of publication. The thesis is as valid today; as when he launched it in 1966.

Green integrity in Malaysia

Today’s dialogue is labelled whither green integrity? I framed it as such only because my null hypothesis is that our entire national existence lacks integration with integrity. My first book was entitled, ‘Alamak! All in God’s Name!’ My thesis was that in the name of God, or the Almighty of Our Universe of thought and life; we abuse, rape and even steal God’s Name.

Having done that, today, in the name of God, we continue to rape and steal green lungs fully aware that they are integral to all our lives and living. Why do we do this and more importantly why do we i.e. those who define political leadership of this nation-state, allow it?

I think the answer lies in our current lack of integration with integrity and because of the spiritual crisis of most modern man; men and women. I rest my case and may we hear all the speakers and their views now.

The Truth Matters Dialogue on the Green Agenda last Saturday was moderated by none other than Mr Environment of Malaysia; Gurmit Singh of world fame, with other equally famous speakers, namely Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, former director-general of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (Frim), Zul Mukshar Md Shaari, former DG of the Forestry Department, Jeffrey Phang of Kota Damansara, and councillor of MBPJ, Derek Fernandez.

Lawyer Derek Fernandez made the most comprehensive argument about how and why green lungs are stolen; his argument is simple and straightforward. In one word, it is called ‘corruption’. Clever public servants who have access to relevant information undertake the theft with ‘opportunistic capitalists who buy these illegitimate lots of land at minimal values and gain up to 25-fold value escalation’.

He said he had presented facts about 40 such plots of land, including the PKNS land in Selangor, but it is still anybody’s guess how this corruption and collusion is completed. Only the state government can overcome this if they have the political skill to address these issues. As citizens, we can only yell and scream about the same, and unless the state government wields the authority to change things, nothing will change.

Therefore, for 2016, I am still not opting to pay assessment and now to include quit rent also. May God bless Malaysia to get rid of crooks and their able allies.

(This column piece was a welcome address at the launch of the second book of the columnist entitled, ‘Alamak II: Whither Integrity?’ delivered last Saturday. The above is an edited column for publication with an additional last section premised upon concurrence of all other speakers.)