The Malay Magna Carta

Malays under siege?

Sang Sapurba is the primordial Malay prince. The father of Malays. The original king. He is said to be descended from Alexander the great and related to King Solomon.

In order to create his line of progeny, Sang Sapurba chose to marry a princess. Each princess after having consummated the marriage would develop a fatal skin disease and die. This greatly troubled Sang Sapurba until he meets up with the character, Demang Lebar Daun. If Sang Sapurba is the primordial Malay ruler, Demang Lebar Daun must be the archetypal PM.

Like all good subjects, Demang Lebar Daun offered his beautiful daughter’s hand in marriage. The marriage however has its primordial pre-nuptial agreement. No, the agreement is not between the bride and bridegroom- but between the groom and the father in law.

Dan bila Raja itu meminta mana-mana Raja yang punya anak untuk dikahwinkannya, ramailah Raja yang memberikan anak perempuannya kepada Sang Sapurba tetapi selepas pasangan itu berhubung kelamin, dengan tidak bersebab isteri Raja itu akan terkena penyakit kulit yang berbelang-belang, sehingga sampai ke 40 orang anak Raja yang dikahwini oleh Sang Sapurba, kesemua selepas ditiduri mengidap penyakit yang sama, dan semua ditinggal atau diceraikan oleh Sang Sapurba.

Sehingga Demang Lembar Daun sanggup menyerahkan anak perempuannya yang cantik jelita untuk dikahwinkan dengan Sang Sapurba tetapi dengan bersyarat jika Sang Sapurba sanggup membuat perjanjian dengannya. Maka ditanya oleh Sang Sapurba: Apa yang dikehendaki oleh bapa ku itu?"

Maka sembah Demang Lebar Daun. 'Adapun Tuanku segala anak cucu patik sedia akan jadi hamba ke bawah Duli Yang Di Pertuan; hendaklah ia diperbaiki oleh anak cucu duli Tuanku. Dan jika ia berdosa, sebesar-besar dosanya pun, jangan difadihatkan, dinista dengan kata-kata yang jahat; jikalau besar dosanya dibunuh, itu pun jikalau berlaku pada hukum syarak'

Maka di persetujui oleh Sang Sapurba akan perjanjian itu dengan Demang Lebar Daun yang mewakili rakyat terbanyak berbangsa Melayu tetapi Sang Sapurba pula meminta satu janji dengan Demang Lebar Daun..

Maka sembah Demang Lebar Daun, 'Janji yang mana itu, Tuanku?' Maka titah Sang Sapurba, 'Hendaklah pada akhir zaman kelak anak cucu bapa hamba jangan durhaka pada anak cucu kita, jikalau ia zalim dan jahat pekerti sekalipun'

Maka sembah Demang Lebar Daun, Baiklah, Tuanku. Tetapi jikalau anak buah Tuanku dahulu mengubahkan dia, maka anak cucu patik pun mengubahkanlah'

Maka titah Sang Sapurba, 'Baiklah, kabullah hamba akan waadat (perjanjian) itu'

The conference of rulers was held recently. It came out with a communiqué. It was an unprecedented one. For it would suggest the very foundations of the state- i.e. the position of Malay rulers, religion, language and finally the social contract between the races be preserved.

It calls upon the Malays to be united to defend all these.

Is Malay unity under siege?

Now, sakmongkol may be thick in his history, but if this original contract between the ruler and his subject is read, sakmongkol’s understanding is as follows:-

Obeisance and loyalty are a two way transaction. The rulers hold their part of the bargain and the Malay rakyats hold the other part of the bargain.

Has anything occurred to render the original contract between the two parties so as to induce the conference of rulers come out with this unprecedented communiqué?

Maka sembah Demang Lebar Daun, 'Janji yang mana itu, Tuanku?' Maka titah Sang Sapurba, 'Hendaklah pada akhir zaman kelak anak cucu bapa hamba jangan durhaka pada anak cucu kita, jikalau ia zalim dan jahat pekerti sekalipun'

Maka sembah Demang Lebar Daun, Baiklah, Tuanku. Tetapi jikalau anak buah Tuanku dahulu mengubahkan dia, maka anak cucu patik pun mengubahkanlah'

Maka titah Sang Sapurba, 'Baiklah, kabullah hamba akan waadat (perjanjian) itu'

Recently we heard about the ruler of Negeri Sembilan being ordered by the court to pay RM1 million credit facility which he owed. After the mini constitutional crisis sometime ago, the rulers of Malaysia created a special court to adjudicate disputes involving Malay rulers. The idea of creating a special court is not unique and novel in Malaysia- the military has it special courts to try its officers and officer corps are bought before special military tribunals. Judges are brought before their own tribunals where they are tried before their peers.

In placing these special people before special courts, what we are doing is to honour own sense of propriety – of doing things the right way. And sakmongkol thinks, by judging the Negeri Sembilan ruler by the court of the rulers is honouring our sense of propriety and probity.

The primordial contract between the ruler sang sapurba and the rakyat/Demang Lebar Daun can also be considered as the Malay Magna Carta( the one the Brits did at Runnymede). It laid down the rules of conduct between the ruler and the ruled.

By the terms of the primordial agreement, a ruler must conduct himself with decorum and probity at all times. Sakmongkol does not think the private matter between the ruler and chartered bank constitutes a violation of this primordial charter between the ruled and ruler. He is already being made accountable for his personal conduct.

What troubles Sakmongkol is the underlying uneasy feelings that can be felt by various assaults of the institution of rulers, their rights, language, religion, Malay position – do these constitute a repudiation of the obligations of the people? And by keeping quiet or even agreeing gleefully to all these, are we giving our countenance?

While the ideas of justice and all that, are universal and are acceptable by almost everyone, isn’t it possible that all of that idealism and feelings of piousness that accompany such calls to level the playing field as it were, are nothing but smokescreen to hide out truer feelings? And the truer feeling is, we assault these institutions as a means of getting back on the Malays? In the end its just that- the humiliation on the Malays is complete once you attack the institutions that define them- monarchy, religion, culture and language. Analyse that.

Take away these, where is the Malay?