The Road To Merdeka – Article 153

I shall not waste my time dwelling into what Article 153 of the Federal Constitution stands for. If any of you are Internet-savvy enough to reach this page would mean that you would be savvy enough to Google it up.

I am writing this with alarm because a self-professed Constitutional Lawyer by the name of Edmund Bon tweeted that the Reid Commission had recommended for the said Article to be removed 15 years after Independence had been achieved. While that point is true, Mr Bon probably did not and does not understand the whole history and spirit behind both the Reid Commission and the Federal Constitution itself.

On the road to Merdeeka, the Reid Commission did offer a draft Malayan Constitution to the Malay Rukers, the British Government, and the leaders of the Alliance Party. The Commission also recommended dual or multiple citizenship.  This, like its recommendation that Malay special privileges should be for only 15 years, the dual or multiple citizenship recommendation was also rejected.

Some naive people speak about the departures above from the Reid Commission draft as being a departure from an original constitution.  The likes of Mr Bon should learn history properly, that the Reid Commission was not a party to the Merdeka talks. The parties were strictly the Malay Rulers in whom resided the states’ sovereignty, the British Government, which was in treaty with the Malay Rulers as protector and administrator, and the Alliance which had a resounding victory to represent the people of Malaya – 51 out of 52 seats, the only opposing seats being won by the Pan-Malaya Islamic Party.

So please, people. Check your historical facts and spirit behind the Federal Constitution before you make a fool of yourselves.