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PETALING JAYA (April 29, 2008): Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad has poured cold water on Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)'s rally cry of "Ketuanan Rakyat" (people's supremacy), saying "Ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy) cannot be done away with unless the Federal Constitution, which accords the natives their special rights, is amended.

Said Shahrir: "In fact, it depends on how people interpret it (Ketuanan Melayu). To me, Ketuanan Melayu is linked to the survival of the sultanate system. To abolish "Ketuanan Melayu" means to change the constitution to do away with the sultanate system in favour of the presidential system."

Shahrir, who was appointed Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister recently after an absence of 20 years from the cabinet, told Sin Chew Daily this when asked to comment on PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's remark that if her party comes to power at the federal level, party adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will champion "Ketuanan Rakyat" and not "Ketuanan Melayu".

Shahrir said he is not of the view that the sultanate system can be maintained as part of the "Hak Istimewa Melayu" (Malay special rights) (if Ketuanan Melayu) is replaced with Ketuanan Rakyat.

He said Ketuanan Melayu determines the present facets of the country and keeping the sultanate system is part of Ketuanan Melayu as prescribed under Article 153 of the constitution.

Shahrir said only by reforming the present government system, to one of presidential system, can Ketuanan Rakyat be practiced. Otherwise Ketuanan Melayu is not to be denied.

Ketuanan Melayu cannot be denied, because the constitution has institutionalised a system of Constitutional Monarchy for Malaysia. If the Ketuanan Rakyat as espoused by PKR is implemented, where will the sultans be?" he asked.

He felt that Ketuanan Rakyat that is being bandied about by PKR is just a political catchphrase.

He said Ketuanan Melayu is something that exists under the constitution. What Umno is doing – in shouting for Ketuanan Melayu – is just defending the concept of Malay special rights as enshrined in the constitution.

He said although the sultans do not have executive power, they still have power (over their territories) as indicated by the flexing of power by state rulers in the selection of mentris besar in some states recently.

"This shows that sultans have their power and role under the system of constitutional monarchy, otherwise why should Pakatan Rakyat (PR) compromise (on the selection of mentris besar?

"If Pakatan is championing Ketuanan Rakyat, it would not have compromised," he said.

Meanwhile, Wan Azizah begged to differ, saying the so-called "Ketuanan Melayu" is a phrase coined by Umno, and has nothing to do with the special rights the constitution accords the Malays in language, religion and land matters.

She said Ketuanan Melayu is just a concept and when Pakatan Rakyat proposed to replace it with Ketuanan Rakyat, the coalition did not intend to abolish the system of constitutional monarchy – in other words, there is no change to the position of the Malay rulers.

Speaking to Sin Chew, the parliamentary opposition leader said: "We did not ask that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the special position of the Malays, be abolished.

"When we talk about Ketuanan Rakyat, apart from the special rights enjoyed by the Malays, we want all the people to enjoy equal rights.

"We reject Ketuanan Melayu because PR wants to be a government which looks after all the people, and not for a particular race to reign supreme."

Wan Azizah stressed that as a Malay and a Muslim, it would be wrong under Islam for her to ignore non-Muslims who need help.

She said she believed Shahrir said what he said to defend Umno.

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