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Democratic Culture.
From His Royal Highness, Raja Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah's Address at the Oxford
and Cambridge Society Dinner, on 27 th June 2008. This beauty of a quote is an
apt introduction to the topic that I am going to discuss today; The Royal
Institution : a mechanism of check and balance to enhance a democratic culture.
Before we go in depth into the topic, let me lay out the four key points of our
discussion today: First; Royal Institution Above All. Secondly; Maintaining Unity
Amidst Diversity. Thirdly; The Ruler of People, for the People, and last but not
least; The Protector of the Constitution.
seems to promote disunity and separation. This is where, once again, our royal
highness has highlighted the role of the Royal institution in counter-balancing this
problem. Allow me to quote:
It is true that being Malay sultanates, they are primarily bastions of
Malay and Muslim culture. But it is not exclusive. The monarchy is
extended to Malaysians of all ethnic and religious identities.
Therefore, the monarchy is more than just a symbol of unity. It is a
vital instrument of unity in diversity and an anchor institution. In this
way, the monarchy functions as the voice of reason and good
governance. By its very nature, it is a force for moderation over
extremism. Increasingly, the Rulers have made their voices heard
on important issues, most notably against fanaticism and
chauvinism. Because of the special position they hold in society,
the Rulers have the ability to persuade in a way that few others
can.
5th August 2009
In this lengthy quote, our royal highness has aptly entailed how the Royal
Institution plays its role as the voice of reason and good governance in
maintaining unity amidst the diversity. The ruler posses the ability beyond the
others, and in times where democracy might fail us, and it will happen, the Royal
Institution would be our savior.
plays its role as the check and balance mechanism. Even though democracy, in
its whole idealistic glory has always proclaims that they are the representative of
the people, the sad reality is the fact that it is often not the case. Therefore when
such catastrophy takes place, we can always be certain that we can rely on the
Royal Institution to take charge and make right of what has been made wrong.