Spirit of moderation animated
Technorati tags: Federal Constitution, Misinterpretation, Political Mileage, Shad Saleem Faruqi
Esteemed Federal Constitution scholar and expert, Prof. Shad Saleem Faruqi, sets the record straight, lambasting the politicians who have misinterpreted the Constitution's contents for political mileage.
The good professor outlines 3 of the misconceptions currently held as "truth". But whether or not those guilty of forming and spreading the misconceptions will cease and desist is another story altogether - they're not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed, and usually fly in the face of facts, opting instead to dearly hold on to their misconceptions.
AT a constitution-drafting conference in Khartoum, Sudan, last week, Malaysia was highlighted as a Muslim-majority country where Islam goes hand-in-hand with democracy, development, inter-communal harmony and women’s emancipation.
It was flattering to listen to such praise of our country in a foreign capital.
At the same time, some foreign diplomats commented on the ethno-religious controversies that have afflicted the Malaysian body-politic over the last decade, the most recent being whether under the Constitution the Prime Minister can be a non-Malay, whether there is a conspiracy to convert Malaysia into a Christian state and whether government scholarships are reserved only for Malays.
I believe that for all three issues, the Constitution gives clear answers.
The controversies exist only because some politicians wish to shore up their support by planting seeds of discord and augmenting racial and religious polarisation.
