IPOH: There will be ‘growing pains’ in the journey to make Malaysia a mature democracy to join the nations in the ‘Premier League’ of democracies said Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
As such, Sultan Nazrin reminded that no one should be left behind in this process, including those with whom one is not in agreement with.
“We must avoid the unhealthy practice made in some countries where, following an important victory, ‘the winner takes all’.
“Everyone under the Malaysian sun should be part of this journey, and we should be mindful to involve all of the nation’s stakeholders in this historic journey,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin said this in his opening speech at the Fifth World Conference on Islamic Thought and Civilisation (WCIT) at Casuarina@Meru Hotel here today.
He said this in reference to the shocking results of the 14th General Election (GE14).
“From this defining moment in our country’s relatively young history, I do hope that the citizens of Malaysia feel empowered to make their mark and to influence their nation’s future.
“As I stressed a little over a decade ago, Malaysians of all races, religions and geographic locations need to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that they have a place under the Malaysian sun.
“It will require what our ulama call both tajdid (renewal) as well as islah (improvement), to breathe new life into and to rejuvenate our institutions, and where necessary to improve upon them,” he said.
In his speech, Sultan Nazrin also delivered a message of hope and positivity in which he urged all to believe that “the future is ours”.
“The future is ours to safeguard and shape, and ours, I hope to enjoy. It is short, seemingly simple assertion and yet invites a number of question – not least what do I mean by ‘ours’.
“To whom, am I suggesting, does the future belong? As a Muslim, I say that ‘future is ours’ in that I believe Islam has much to offer the world when it comes to tackling some of the biggest challenges of the future for mankind, particularly in economic and environmental terms,” he said.
In his message, the Sultan also stressed the importance of investing in and empowering the world’s youth that represents the planet’s future.
“We often talk about young people being the leaders and policy-makers of tomorrow, but I suggest that we also need to do more to make young people feel actively consulted and engaged in decision-making today.
“There is also evidence to suggest that when young people feel disempowered, disaffected and ignored, they will inevitably seek to bring about change in other, less constructive, collaborative, democratic and even peaceful ways.
“When young people are consulted and actively involved in political and diplomatic processes, they can help to effect change which is significant, peaceful and positive for all,” he said.
Sultan Nazrin said as such, it was crucial to do more to enable young people to “become drivers of change”, to empower them to believe that the future really is theirs to influence and build.
“I would emphasise that young people currently make up nearly half of the world’s population; as of 2017, 42 per cent of the global population was under the age of 25 and that number is set to grow.
“We must, I think, do more to engage these many millions of people in shaping their tomorrow, today. The future is our collective responsibility, and if we take up that responsibility now, the future will also, I believe be our reward in this life and in the next,” he said.