KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah says he is disappointed with the manner in which some politicians exploit racial issues for their own agenda.
Speaking to The Star newspaper in an interview published today, the Sultan's remarks comes amid a heated debate sparked by a raft of recent public comments about race relations and the concept of Malay Supremacy.
His comments are also the latest sign of a more vocal royalty which appears to be filling the vacuum left by a lack of political leadership.
The Sultan said he was disturbed by how some politicians preferred to dwell on what he called trivial issues instead of focusing on dealing with the economy.
"Malaysia belongs to all races, not just the Malays. The country is what it is today because of the contributions of all races and that is something we must acknowledge," he said.
He also acknowledged, however, that it was his initiative to have the recent Conference of Rulers issue a statement defending the social contract, which has also been the subject of roiling debate recently.
"People need to understand that the social contract is the primary basis for the formation of Malaysia. Let's not debate it because it is better for the rakyat to understand the history behind the social contract," he said.
He said the rights of the Malays were well protected and could not be taken away without the consent of the Rulers.
But he said the Rulers also felt that non-Malays should not feel apprehensive over their rights as these rights are also guaranteed.
By Leslie Lau
The Malaysian Insider
02/12/08
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