The Cabinet on Wednesday should set up a national consultative council on 2050 National Transformation Policy under the chairmanship of CIMB Group Chariman, Datuk Seri Nazir Razak to ensure a shared national vision by 100% and not just 47% of the population.

How can the first minority government in the country, which won only 47% support of the popular electorate in the last general election in 2013, undertake a national undertaking like the TN 50 concerning the vision of Malaysia for the next 33 years when it has the lost the locus standi even to claim to represent the majority of Malaysians?

The 53% of the popular electorate, who rejected the Barisan Nasional as the Federal government in Putrajaya, must be able to fully participate in the evolution and shaping of TN 50 if the objective is to create a shared national vision for 100% of Malaysians and not just 47% of the people.

The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is right when he said yesterday that Malaysians need to focus on efforts on instilling unity instead of giving attention to matters pertaining to disagreements and differences in opinion.

He said as a multiracial and multi-religious country, any kind of disagreement and differences in opinion should be handled with care and that the paramount objective is to set aside differences and focus on matters that can instill unity and harmony.

The Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues must walk the talk and not just utter sweet mumbo-jumbo or even worse, the cause of worsening racial and religious polarisation in plural Malaysia – like the case of a Minister who recently officiated the opening of a government-sponsored forum on “Liberalisme: Agenda Jahat Illuminati”.

One question that begs answer is whether NT50 a repudiation or fulfilment of Vision 2020 – and shouldn’t there be a national reappraisal whether Vision 2020 is a success or a failure?

I suggest that the national consultative council headed by Nazir with representatives from the government, political parties, civil societies, academics, religious leaders and businessmen be tasked with specific term of reference to achieve a national consensus on the fundamentals of Malaysian nation-building based on the Malaysian Constitution, the Malaysian Agreement 1963, the Rukunegara principle and objectives 1970 and Vision 2020.

It is not surprising that many Malaysians are wondering whether the TN50 will reaffirm the five Rukunegara principles of Belief in God; Loyalty to King and Country; Upholding the Constitution; Rule of Law and Good Behaviour and Morality and the five Rukunegara objectives (1) to achieve a greater unity of all her peoples; (2) to maintain a democratic way of life; (3) to create a just society in which the wealth of the nation shall be equitably shared; (4) to ensure a liberal approach to her rich and diverse cultural traditions; and (5) to build a progressive society which shall be oriented to modern science and technology.

The first Caliph Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq made a short but classic inaugural address which touched upon several critical issues, including Governance, Justice, relationships between the government and the citizenry, etc.

This was Abu Bakr’s classic inaugural address as the first Caliph:

“O people, I have been appointed over you, though I am not the best among you. If I do well, then help me; and if I act wrongly, then correct me. Truthfulness is synonymous with fulfilling the trust, and lying is equivalent to treachery. The weak among you is deemed strong by me, until I return to them that which is rightfully theirs, insha Allah. And the strong among you is deemed weak by me, until I take from them what is rightfully (someone else’s), insha Allah. No group of people abandons military/armed struggle in the path of Allah, except that Allah makes them suffer humiliation. And evil/mischief does not become widespread among a people, except that Allah inflicts them with widespread calamity. Obey me so long as I obey Allah and His Messenger. And if I disobey Allah and His Messenger, then I have no right to your obedience. Stand up now to pray, may Allah have mercy on you”.

“Wahai manusia, sesungguhnya aku telah dilantik menjadi pemimpin kamu, bukanlah aku yang terbaik dalam kalangan kamu. Jika aku betul, tolonglah aku. Jika aku salah, betulkanlah aku. Benar itu adalah amanah, bohong itu adalah khianat.

“Orang yang lemah dalam kalangan kamu adalah kuat di sisi sehingga aku mengembalikan haknya. Orang yang kuat dalam kalangan kamu, lemah di sisiku sehingga aku mengambil daripadanya hak (menghalang apa yang bukan haknya), insya-Allah. Jangan kamu meninggalkan jihad, kerana tidak ada kaum yang meninggalkan jihad, melainkan Allah timpakan mereka dengan kehinaan.

“Taatlah aku selagi aku taatkan Allah dan Rasul-Nya. Jika aku derhakakan Allah dan Rasul-Nya, maka tiada ketaatan untukku.”(Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, 1/361).

The lessons from Abu Bakr’s short inaugural but powerful speech include:

1. The right of citizens to scrutinize their leader and to hold him accountable;
2. Truthfulness should be the basis of all dealings between a leader and his people;
3. Establishing the principles of Justice and Equality
4. War against wickedness and shameful acts
5. Declaration that the leader is not above the law.

Malaysia is a confluence of great religions, cultures and civilisations in the world and it will do TN 50 and the character of Malaysian nation-building great good if they are guided by the wisdom from all the great religions, cultures and civilisations which meet in confluence in Malaysia – not only the inaugural address of the first Caliph, but the great sayings from the sages from the different cultures and civilisations.

(Media Conference Statement (2) at Wisma Penang DAP in Penang)