The makings of a fair and just ruler

There is this very good article written by Tunku Abdul Aziz which was published by NST on Saturday.

You can read the full article here,

The makings of a fair and just ruler

For those who are a bit too lazy to click on the link, I put here part of the article,

Closer to home, Raja Nazrin Shah, the Regent of Perak, was reported as saying, according to the New Sunday Times (April 20), that "The institution of Malay rulers must be dynamic in facing challenges and fulfilling demands".

He went on to state that the throne must be non-partisan and stand above political polemics at all times.

His reminder about the duties and obligations of the Malay rulers could not have come at a better time, reflecting as it does the sometimes unflattering sentiments on the ground towards some of our rulers and their families.

In a stark reminder to his elders, Raja Nazrin made it clear that the institution was not merely decorative, as the role and responsibility of the ruling monarch had been spelt out.

Raja Nazrin restated an immutable universal principle of kingship that embodies service and public duty in the public interest above all other considerations. Are our rulers up to the challenge that the wise young Raja has thrown into the ring?

His father, Sultan Azlan Shah, a constitutional authority in his own right, once said that: "The role of the constitutional monarchy goes beyond what is stipulated in the constitution.

"The rulers have a far wider responsibility in ensuring that the spirit of the constitution, the philosophy behind the written law, and the interest of the country and the people are safeguarded at all times."

Sultan Azlan Shah was clearly making a distinction between the formal functions of a Malay ruler as set out in the constitution of his state and his traditional duties as a hereditary ruler.

A ruler of a Malay state is, therefore, more than a constitutional creation. He is the embodiment of all that is noble, virtuous, fair and just. Many rulers, past and present, have not lived up to these ideals, but, on balance, it can be fairly argued that they are conscious of their duty to the people. They have a duty that goes beyond the constitutional framework, which has neither spirit nor soul and which only a wise and caring ruler can give.

I now turn to a consideration of what rulers have to do in order to earn the love and respect of their people.

First, they must uphold the dignity of their exalted position by behaving in ways that will set them apart from the rest of us, mere mortals, as models of honour, decency and rectitude. What this means in effect is that they must set high moral and ethical standards of behaviour for themselves and their families in keeping with their anointed roles in life. A ruler must steer clear of involvement in partisan politics.

Equally unacceptable in the eyes of their people is for our rulers and their children to reduce themselves to being supplicants, petitioning politicians for land for speculative purposes and government projects.

There is, in my considered view, no quicker way for royalty to lose their self-worth and respect than to be seen to be behaving in this way.