We Are All, We Are One

Bid to reclaim Malaysia for all launched

Published on Thursday, 10 July 2014 12:02
Written by Mirror On The Wall

In what can be described an historical event, several NGOs and concerned citizens have come together as one nation to launch, what they have described a people's movement, called Negara-Ku, to reclaim the nation.

The movement, which is led by national laureate A Samad Said or better known as Pak Samad and former Bar Council chair, Datuk S Ambiga and former Suhakam commissoner Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, has among other objectives, to reinstall the sense of peace, harmony, goodwill among all communities and understanding that Malaysia was so well known for in the past. 

Zaid Kamaruddin is chairman of the Negara-Ku movement.

Aptly named 'Negara-Ku' or my country, the movement is focused on the formation of Bangsa Malaysia - a move away from the current ethnocentric and race-based politics of of the day.

In charter released today, the movement chastised race-based parties that are bent on perpetuating divisiveness and polarisation by reinforcing "their respective power bases".

Resist, refuse and rebuke

The former Bersih 2.0 co-chair added that ethno-centric and race-based politics as well as communally-minded politicians continue to derail the process of inclusive nation-building and the formation of a Bangsa Malaysia national identity.

Samad also said that religion was increasingly being used as a main marker of identity, and as a boundary maintenance mechanism to polarise the people.

Also present was activist Haris Ibrahim, who reminded the people of an epsisode in 1947 when the British attempted to divide the people of Malaya. He said that attempt failed.

"On October that year, the people, Malays, Chinese and Indians downed tools and brought the administration to a halt."

The new movement launched today he said, was to return Malaysia to te unity and harmony experienced in the past.

"Resist, refuse and rebuke the effort to divide us," Haris said.

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The Negara-Ku movement slammed what it described as "the manipulation of race, ethnicity and religion that has resulted in increasing intolerance, bigotry and extremism," in a once prosperous and united nation.

The charter further says that the state apparatus has abdicated its traditional role of being honest and fair "brokers" in conflict management in society.

This, it said, has resulted in an "emerging sub-culture of political violence that are symptomatic of dangerous under-currents in society."

The charter, which touches on a wide range of socio-ethnic issues, says that the proponents strongly believe that "the majority of the People want to end this brand of divisive ethno-religious politics."

The movement emphatically states that it wants to "take ownership, fully cognisant, that Malaysia is a nation where her people are inextricably bound by a shared history, commonweal, and destiny."

Among the stated objectives of the Negara-Ku charter are:

1. To resist all forms of intolerance, bigotry, hatred, extremism, and violence;
2. To oppose all forms of discrimination, oppression, persecution and injustice;
3. To oppose all forms of discrimination, oppression, persecution and injustice;
4. To strive for a socially inclusive society;
5. To exhort the State and its Institutions to respect, adhere and uphold the Rule of Law;
6. To demand adherence to the principles of stewardship, integrity, accountability and transparency in all aspects of governance.

The ultimate aim of the Negara-Ku charter is the healing of the nation, so ravaged recently by incendiary statements, and to restore hope to land that was once the envy of our neighbours.