I dedicate a question for Malaysians to ponder while commemorating the 53rd Malaysia Day – is Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia Policy dead or alive?

If Najib’s 1Malaysia Policy is still alive, why are UMNO leaders spearheading a national campaign of hate and lies drumming up racial and religious politics, the latest example being the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who alleged that Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s new political party is a proxy for DAP to divide the Malay community – just like PKR and Parti Amanah Negara?

DAP shared the same platform as the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman and veteran UMNO leader, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah when the latter led Parti Semangat 46 in the 1990 General Election to bring about electoral and institutional changes in the country.

Were Tunku and Razaleigh traitors of the Malay community or pioneers of Malaysian nationalism and patriotism?

Is Najib and UMNO’s survival justification enough to abandon the 1Malaysia Policy to promote racial and religious hatred and animosities based on lies and falsehoods?

If Najib’s 1Malaysia Policy is to create a nation where every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first and race, religion or region second, why is UMNO and Barisan Nasional acting so recklessly and irresponsibly as to betray the fundamental principles of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and Malaysia Agreement 1963 that Malaysia is a secular nation with Islam as the official religion – undermining not only racial and religious harmony but threatening the very basis of the Malaysian nation which resulted in the formation of the federation in 1963?

Will the Barisan Nasional Supreme Council reaffirm and reiterate a policy stand that until and unless there is unanimous agreement of all the Barisan Nasional component parties, including those from Sarawak and Sabah, the Barisan Nasional government will not support any bill in Parliament, whether official or private member, which undermines the very cornerstone of the formation of Malaysia – such as a hudud-enabling bill as was attempted in the May meeting of Parliament?

The commemoration of Malaysia Day will be meaningless if the question as to what has happened to the Report of Royal Commission Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah (RCIIIS) is not raised, as this is also central of the question as to whether Najib’s 1Malaysia Policy is dead or alive.

The RCIIIS was established in February 2012, and although initially given 18 months to complete its findings, submitted its report to the Federal Government more than two years later in May 2014, but the RCIIIS Report was only made public more than six months later in December 2014.

Since then, the RCIIIS Report seemed to have been completely forgotten by Putrajaya as if thrown into the wastepaper chute, despite the formation of a high-sounding RCIIIS Report Working Committee under the chairmanship of Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and PBS Chairman, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to look into the RCIIIS findings and compile recommendations.

Will the Prime Minister render a full account in Parliament next month as to what Putrajaya proposes to do with the RCIIIS Report with regard to the “illegal immigrant nightmare” which had haunted the people and state of Sabah for over two generations?

A Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Joseph Kurup today advised Malaysians not to engage in activities that will be detrimental to the harmony of the country and which aimed to damage the international image of the country such as illegal assemblies.

Kurup is clearly referring to Bersih 5 which was announced yesterday as to be held in Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 19.

Bersih 5 rally is not intended to damage but to save the international image of the country.

There is nothing that any Malaysian or group of Malaysians can do more to damage the international image of Malaysia than two things:
firstly, involvement in an international money-laundering conspiracy resulting in Malaysia gaining the world infamy of an overnight global kleptocracy; and secondly, accepting such international infamy as a global kleptocracy with indifference and nonchalance as if it is the commonest thing in world – as is the case with the Malaysian Cabinet.

It is most shocking that Kurup seems quite happy and content to be a Minister of a global kleptocracy.

If not, what does Kurup propose to do so that Malaysia can undo such grave damage to its international image?

(53rd Malaysia Day Message in Gelang Patah on Thursday, 15th September 2016)