Malay Rulers and political neutrality

I was a poor student of history, as a subject. But I love the history of truth, and therefore pursue all subjects that enlighten me about truth within the true history of the world.

I primarily disliked early study of history because of poor teachers, at least at lower secondary level. They wanted me to memorise facts when I did not then have a real reason to do so. Not even good grades in an examination was a motivator.

As young as I was, I had figured out that those facts were only information, if not just data, which may not redefine the future world for me. I would much rather work to understand the true context of events and to learn from the text of history, so that mistakes of the past are never repeated, at least though my actions or inaction.

The danger however of current methods of teaching history, whether in universities or schools, is that we tend to give greater value to the ‘facts’ but not necessarily to truth. The facts approach has built in an epistemology based on objectivist science. I call it ‘the textual approach’ in schooling the nation.

A similar phenomenon and dialogue in the US some time ago was called ‘The Closing of the American Mind’, the title of a book by Alan Bloom. If truth is always sacrificed in our pursuit of both the study and teaching of history of this nation, we will end up closing the Malaysian Mind.

I believe that we should teach our kids how to think and how to learn, unlearn, and then to relearn. Learning is a life-long process. Teaching context involves learning not just what and how but also why. ‘What’ and ‘how’ can be learned through facts and all related information. The ‘why’ question always challenges us to review history taught and history understood.

For example, in the history of the Malay peninsula, then called Malaya, there were no sultans. There were chieftains who got rid of their rivals gradually. Their territories slowly but surely morphed into the nine Malay states that came under British overlordship.

I believe even the word ‘sultan’ may be of British definition. If my lessons in history are right, the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British legitimised the nine ‘sultans’, the three Straits Settlements (including Singapore, a former Johor territory), and the two ‘protectorates’ of North Borneo and Sarawak.

Imvolvement of Malay Rulers

The Sultan of Perak has reportedly said that “the Malay Rulers are above politics”. Are they?

Obviously, for a start, we would need to understand what ‘above’ and ‘politics’ mean.

Unless all three parties – Rulers, the government and the people – are included in any national dialogue, we may never agree on what ‘politics’ mean. This balance is crucial and critical to nation building.

The concept of being “above politics” may be out of date and a relic of the objectivist worldview of the modern western science of empirical observation and logical deductions. The Heisenberg phenomenon in modern western science has demonstrated that the very act of measuring molecules distorts the object of the measurement.

What, perhaps, the sultan was trying to clarify is that he has no personal interest in the two contending political parties embroiled in the current governance of Perak.

Rulers are human beings, who are always constrained by the here-and-now issues. Whether we like it or not, they are already quite involved in the politics of the nation.

The clear roles defined for them by the federal constitution specify the agreed political role they can assume without favour or fear to help in good governance.

Theirs is definitely a political role in determining, reviewing and advising in any matter of political governance. They must remain absolutely neutral in assuming this role. But I would argue that they, like most human beings, cannot be objective enough under most circumstances to attain political neutrality.

After half a century of peaceful governance by the political coalition called Barisan Nasional that is headed by Umno, maybe, just maybe, the Rulers have historically taken sides on some matters because of their fear of the ‘other’ power.

We are of the human race involved in the politics of nation-state development. Some are in politics with a clear and declared agenda.

Others are politically neutral, but want good governance to prevail: that which is good, honest, right and true. There is nothing wrong with this stance, but we must remain neutral and politically astute and wise.

May God direct and guide our nation forward towards all truth. God Bless Malaysia!