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King: Uphold constitution
Rights enshrined in charter should not be questioned or politicised, says Tuanku Mizan
King also quoted:"I urge all quarters to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution,"
(Tuanku Mizan delivering his opening speech at the first meeting of the fourth
term of the 12th Parliament.)
KUALA LUMPUR (March 7, 2011): Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin today expressed concern over the tendency of certain quarters to raise sensitive and racial issues and politicise matters which should not be politicised.
He said the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers, position of Islam as the religion of the federation, special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate rights of the other races encompassing citizenship and fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, should not be questioned so as to avert disunity.
Tuanku Mizan delivering his opening speech at the first meeting of the fourth
term of the 12th Parliament.
"Although Islam is the religion of the federation, there is healthy practice of moderation in the country which enables other religions to be practised in peace and harmony and their religious festive days are regarded as public holidays," Tuanku Mizan said..
"I urge all quarters to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution," he said when opening the fourth session of the 12th Parliament.
The King urged non-governmental organisations (NGOs), in the course of carrying out their activities and programmes, to refrain from touching on the sensitivities and issues which could jeopardise public harmony and the country’s image.
He said NGOs were an important element in civil society development and had assisted the government in various fields.
His Majesty urged the people to always maintain harmony and preserve the country’s dignity, saying they should be good, responsible citizens, and not be easily influenced by slander and accusations made by irresponsible parties.
He stressed that defaming each other could affect unity and was a despicable act, which was forbidden by all religions.
"Learn from the collapse of several earlier empires due to disunity caused by defamation," he said.
The King said although the economy was going through rapid recovery, as a nation that practised an open economy, Malaysia must be sensitive to external factors such as the uncertain global economy which posed a challenge to efforts to strength the country’s economy and to achieve a developed nation status with high income by 2020.
However, he hoped that the Government Transformation Plan and Economic Transformation Plan would benefit the people fully so that they could enjoy better quality of life, including in education, health, housing, transport and public amenities.
Debate nicely
As he did when opening the last session of Parliament, Tuanku Mizan again reminded members of Parliament that they were constantly being watched by the people and should set an example for the community.
"Please display commendable behaviour, debate nicely, contribute constructive ideas, carry out the responsibility entrusted upon you and give priority to people’s interest.
"Remember, the people always want the highest standard of service from their elected representatives," he said.
Road safety
The King noted that the rate of road accidents was still high despite the various road safety campaigns and efforts to improve the public transport system.
Towards reducing accidents, he urged public transport operators to be more responsible in providing a safe service and road users to obey traffic rules and regulations.
Fighting crime
Tuanku Mizan singled out the police force for praise for carrying out its duty diligently in maintaining public peace so that the rakyat could go about their daily lives peacefully and for reducing the crime rate.
He welcomed the strategic cooperation between the police and armed forces to tackle crime such as using military camps to train police personnel, to absorb former soldiers into the police force and to carry out joint patrols.
"I’m most impressed by this development because previously such strategic cooperation had been rare. It was a positive development that would bring much benefits to the people and country," he said.
The King called on all quarters to give their support and confidence to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in fighting corrupt practices, power abuse and irregularities in the country.
He congratulated national athletes who brought glory to the country at the international level, including at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and the Suzuki AFF Football Championship, and expressed the hope that Malaysian athletes will perform well at the Olympic Games 2012 in London.
