Tunku’s idea of a happy abode for all

It is never too late to aim for the united Malaysia that our first prime minister envisioned.

DEC 6, 2017 marked the 27th year after the demise of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ( pic), our first prime minister. Tunku, as he was popularly known, will be remembered not just as one of the founding fathers of this beloved nation but also as a man who laid the foundation for a united Malaysia.

He could have taken the route of President Sukarno, capitalising on fervent nationalism to galvanise a nation and discarding all racial identities in the name of “Bangsa Indonesia”.

It might have worked. But Tunku was a believer in diversity and difference.

Tunku was the right leader at that point in time.

Ironically, Tunku would rather not have been leading Umno or becoming the prime minister of the country for he was reluctant to take over the party from Datuk Onn Jaafar, the founder of Umno.

Thankfully, he did. Later on, Perikatan (the Alliance Party) was his platform to govern with representation from all races, the formula that is still preserved by Barisan Nasional today.

He was an idealist, even a roman- tic. But he was pragmatic as well.

He believed that for a fledgling nation, the people must speak as one, dream the same dream and work towards the betterment of all.

Tunku was under pressure from many nationalist groups to do otherwise – to think as Malay first, Malayan second.

Some of the nationalists could never forgive Tunku, for they believed Tunku had failed them or worse, betrayed “the Cause”.

Tunku stood firm. He walked the walk. During the formative years, he had Cabinet colleagues of different ethnic groups to help him.

They were some of the finest ever to walk the corridors of power.

From his perspective, nationbuilding was not about experimentation. It was about building blocks, one by one, to ensure there is a solid structure to hold on to.

The blocks that Tunku and his colleagues built were the foundation that we are on now – for better or for worse. It could have been much worse, but thankfully, the subsequent leaders have stayed close to the spirit of that foundation, with varying degrees of success.

It is easy to find fault with Tunku. And there were times when his lackadaisical attitude towards life was used against him.

He was born a royal but lived the life of a commoner. He was a simple man with simple tastes. He called a spade a spade.

And he was never careful with his words. Journalists of his time were accustomed to his no-holdsbarred sessions.

He spoke his mind. He worked hard and perhaps played as hard.

But things were a lot simpler then. People of different races lived alongside each other, in harmony and peace.

There were no decrees and dress codes to show one’s adherence to religion. Entertainment was never frowned upon. The local film industry was enjoying its golden years.

Religion was a personal thing. As they said back then, water and oil seldom mix.

Then came the racial riots of 1969. It was a wake-up call for the nation.

Racial harmony, which was taken for granted, took a different turn.

Neighbours turned against neighbours. The nation was on fire.

Tunku was blamed, perhaps unfairly. He had to leave, leaving the nation to a very able and equally visionary leader in the form of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.

The task of rebuilding the nation was never easy thereafter, more so addressing economic and social imbalances in society.

This nation is indebted to Tunku in more ways than one. But one thing stands above the rest – his notion of a united Malaysia.

In one of his speeches he reminded the nation never to allow “disunity to divide or disrupt us, for if we do, we fail”.

He reminded us that with “each passing year, we must ensure that the bonds of unity and goodwill, of tolerance and harmony, grow stronger and stronger”.

It is easier said than done. We acknowledge that.

But let us remind ourselves that things are not better in terms of race relations compared to Tunku’s time. Our people are drifting apart.

We are more concerned about building our own cocoons based on race and religion than building a nest of a united front for all. We are getting overly sensitive about almost everything.

Divisive politics is adding to the fuel of racial discontent to win votes. Tunku had his vision “to make Malaysia, the land we love, a happy abode for all of us”.

It was a simple dream. But it’s increasingly more difficult to achieve that without sincerity of purpose and the audacity of hope.

Al Fatihah to the Great Tunku.