Why Reinvent The Social Contract Say Two Academics

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Chandra Muzaffar and Denison Jayasooria have called for action to curb uncouth behaviour in Parliament.PETALING JAYA: Two academics say the Federal Constitution and Rukun Negara, two of Malaysia’s most fundamental documents, are enough to lay the groundwork to redefine the nation’s future.
Chandra Muzaffar and Denison Jayasooria said there was no need to reinvent the wheel by setting up a new National Consultative Council to set the nation’s course through a new social contract.
Prominent banker Nazir Razak, son of Malaysia’s second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, had recently proposed that a new social contract be drawn up.
However, Chandra, a political scientist and social activist, said the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara were very good documents which provide the basis for strengthening unity among the people and overcoming major challenges.
“The only problem is that we need to be sincere and honest in trying to give meaning to these two documents. Looking at the constitution, it’s quite balanced in terms of recognising rights, aspirations and so on.
“While Islam is the official religion of the federation under the constitution, freedom of worship for other religions is also guaranteed. So there’s a balance that’s realistic and based upon the realities of our society,” he said.
He told FMT that it was often forgotten that the Rukun Negara goes beyond the five key principles but also outlines the country’s five fundamental aspirations, including achieving unity, preserving a democratic way of life and building a progressive society.
“It’s a far-sighted document that talks about universal ideals, a just and democratic society. At the same time, it recognises things which are part of the land, such as the position of the King in our country.
“But you’ll find we emphasise about the five principles, not the five goals, which is wrong because it must be seen in its entirety and totality,” he said.
While the documents are not perfect, he said they are a good framework to address unhappiness in different communities, adding that going through further debates and discussions would not produce much difference.
“We can’t run away from balancing different interests and achieving what is feasible. No one community will get everything. That’s what it’s going to be,” he added.
Lack of political will
Jayasooria, a sociologist and research fellow at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said a key issue was the lack of political will to follow the two documents, but added that there needed to be a “whole-of-society” approach to this.
He told FMT that the now-defunct National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) formed in 2013 had also done a lot of work at the time, but hit a roadblock when the government of the day failed to implement its recommendations.
“Revisit the NUCC report, review the recommendations and execute it as a clear and actionable plan by the government, and not just the national unity ministry,” said Jayasooria, who was a member of the NUCC secretariat.
Nazir had spoken of a need for a review of the “implicit social contract”, reiterating his call for an NCC to bring leaders of respective fields together to carve out a new way forward for the nation.
The former CIMB Group chairman said it would be difficult to address social cohesion on its own as it was intertwined with politics and the economy, adding that the most harmless reform could be swiftly racialised and shot down.
Uncouth behaviour in Parliament
Chandra and Jayasooria said that one key area that demanded addressing was the speech and conduct of politicians in and out Parliament, criticising both sides of the political divide for their uncouth behaviour.
Chandra highlighted that “courtesy and morality” was the fifth principle in the Rukun Negara, telling government and opposition MPs that they would do well to debate in a more courteous and mature manner.
“If politicians can adhere to the Rukun Negara’s principles and goals and the underlying principles of the constitution, we’d be much better off. It won’t cure everything, but it will be a great help. Sometimes they can’t even adhere to basic things like courtesy,” he said.
Jayasooria said Parliament should establish a group to monitor MPs’ conducts, reporting to a bipartisan special parliamentary committee to take appropriate action.
“Parliament must introduce a new orientation course for all MPs on parliamentary speech and conduct with a focus on national unity,” he added. - FMT

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