The Save Malaysia People’s Congress in Shah Alam yesterday attended by some 2,000 people of all races, religions and political affiliations was a vote of confidence by the people of Malaysia in the future and salvation of Malaysia.

As I said at the beginning of my speech at the People’s Congress yesterday, the Tuns, Tan Sris, Datuk Seris, Datuks and ordinary men and women who gathered at the People’s Congress from various parties, NGOs as well as NGIs, are not “bad hats”, trouble makers, anti-national elements or traitors, but loyal and dedicated Malaysian patriots who love the country deeply and do not want Malaysia to hurtle down the slope of a failed and a rogue state.

Despite our differences – and there can be no greater differences between the former longest-serving Prime Minister for 22 years, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and myself spanning more than four decades – the 2,000 people who gathered in Shah Alam were united by one common noble and patriotic purpose, to save Malaysia, the country we love deeply and owe undivided loyalty, from continuing to be a land of injustices but could begin to fulfill the promises of the Malaysian Dream where Malaysia can punch above our weight in international community because of our accomplishments and achievements of various fields of human endeavor – political, economic, respect for human rights, good governance or nation building of a plural society of diverse races, languages, religions and cultures.

The events of the last few days have brought to the fore the tragic cases of 14-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah, V. Kugan and Teoh Beng Hock – the Shah Alam High Court award of RM414,000 as damages to the family of Aminulrasyid Amzah’s family for the unjustified police shooting and killing of the teenager in Shah Alam in April 2010, the death of former High Court judge V.T. Singham reminding Malaysians of his courageous judgement in the case of A. Kugan’s death in police custody, and the high-powered campaign to accuse and tar DAP Secretary-General and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng with the allegation of corruption for the RM2.8 million bungalow purchase, raising the question of the independence and professionalism of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in high-profile political cases.

One objective of the “Save Malaysia” campaign is to implement meaningful institutional reforms to restore the credibility, independence, professionalism and integrity of national institutions to ensure that we are a country where Aminulrasyid, Kugan and Teoh Beng Hock do not become victims of injustices of an unfair and iniquitous system – which had completely deviated from the guarantees of rule of law and institutional checks-and-balance entrenched in the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Constitution.

In fact, it is not only Aminulrasyid, Kugan and Teoh Beng Hock who had become victims of injustices of an unfair and iniquitous system, even Justice Singham himself was also a victim.
Yesterday, hundreds of people in Ipoh paid their last respects to Justice Singham, one of Malaysia’s judiciary luminaries, at his funeral service.

Malaysians joined distinguished Malaysian jurists like former Court of Appeal judge, Datuk Mohd Hishammdudin Mohd Yunus and former United Nations special rapporteur Datuk Param Cumaraswamy in mourning the death of Singham, one of the few great Malaysian judges who refused to kowtow or succumb to the Executive and who strongly believed in the important doctrine of the Separation of Powers among the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary, resulting in his becoming a victim of unfair and iniquitous system in being denied promotion as Court of Appeal and Federal Court judge.

As we are on the subject of “Save Malaysia” and the need for democratic and institutional reforms to return to the cardinal fundamentals of the 1957 Merdeka Constitution and the 1963 Malaysia Constitution, it is apt to consider the need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to restore a just rule of law and truly independent judiciary in Malaysia.

I think there is no person more qualified to head such a Royal Commission of Inquiry to restore a just rule of law and truly independent judiciary in Malaysia than former Court of Appeal Judge, Datuk Mohd Hishammuddin who was himself a victim of the unjust and iniquitous system and denied promotion to be Federal Court judge because of his “without fear or favour” judicial qualities.

This is the relevance and importance of the Save Malaysia “Citizens’ Declaration” of 4th March 2016 and the Save Malaysia People Congress in Shah Alam yesterday.