KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Oct 2009: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has called on all quarters not to harbour any suspicion or be unduly worried over his 1Malaysia concept as it does not deviate from what was agreed upon by the nation’s forebears.
The Umno president told delegates who gathered for the party’s general assembly here that 1Malaysia was a celebration of Malaysia’s plurality and diversity from which the country drew its strength.
“It is for this reason that the government introduced the idea of 1Malaysia. Indeed, 1Malaysia is not a new concept or formula.
“Instead, the final objective of 1Malaysia is national unity, which has also been the main vision of previous Umno leaders, and translated into the various manifestations of strategic work plans over the past five decades,” Najib said when opening the Umno General Assembly at Putra World Trade Centre, here today.
The prime minister said that from the day patriots fought for the nation’s independence until today, the effort to forge national unity had been a priority and would continue to be so.
Najib said that everyone was aware that without unity, it would be impossible to realise the objectives and visions the nation had set out to achieve.
He said the 1Malaysia concept was based upon several pillar principles, among them the departure from unity based on tolerance to one that was based on acceptance, social justice and shared values, taking into consideration the nation’s historical reality and guided by the supremacy of the constitution and the Rukunegara (national principles).
“I would like to stress that the 1Malaysia concept does not in any way digress from the spirit of the Federal Constitution as the law of the country, either written or unwritten.
“In fact, we will continue to uphold core provisions such as Article 3, Article 4, Article 152, Article 153 as well as Parts II and III of the Federal Constitution,” he said. — Bernama
Editor’s note
The following is a short description of the parts of the Federal Constitution cited by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. We encourage our visitors to read or learn more about the Federal Constitution themselves, or via the My Constitution Campaign organised by the Bar Council’s Constitutional Law Committee. The campaign is also on Facebook.
Article 3: Islam is the religion of the federation but other religions may be practised in peace and harmony in any part of the federation.
Article 4: The Federal Constitution is the supreme law of the federation.
Article 152: The national language is the Malay language but no one can be stopped from using other languages other than for official purposes. The government also has the right to preserve and sustain the use and study of the languages of other communities in the federation.
Article 153: The Agong shall safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate interests of other communities. This includes the reservation of quotas in the public service, education opportunities and trade or business permits for the Malays and natives of Sabah and Sarawak.
Part II: Fundamental liberties enshrined in the constitution — personal liberty, prohibition of slavery, protection against retrospective laws and repeated trials, equality, freedom of movement, freedom of speech, assembly and association, freedom of religion, rights to education and property.
Part III spells out the rights to citizenship in Malaysia. 
Nicholas Aw says
Mr PM, how not to be suspicious of 1Malaysia? Malaysians have been taken for a ride once too often. Remember the story of the boy who cried wolf? Your words do not correlate with your actions, as can be seen by a number of events, including putting up a tainted candidate for the Bagan Pinang by-election, and statements made by your cabinet ministers which contradict your 1Malaysia.
Then there are incidents where the Federal Constitution (Article 3) has not been adhered to. The local government imposes ridiculous conditions in approving churches and temples, and at times it takes years and even court battles to prove a point. A good example is the church in Shah Alam, which doesn’t resemble a church at all; one would think that it is a factory.
Then there is the Herald, the weekly Catholic magazine meant only for Catholics — the Home Ministry has disallowed the use of the word “Allah”. Despite arguments that this word is being used by many other religious denominations, the BN/Umno government claim exclusive rights.
There are many other issues that could perhaps be compiled into a thesis, but I shall not highlight these as they are public knowledge. My question is: is this what 1Malaysia is about?
SM says
Can someone please explain what 1Malaysia is? Right now, it is simply a slogan being chanted by all in the government!
Maybe the PM can have a look at his own people first and explain to them what 1Malaysia is. For example, Umno Puteri leader Rosnah… just look at what she said! Does that sound like 1Malaysia?!
Azmi says
I will try to answer on behalf of the PM and believe that he’ll say “YES”.