Kepimpinan UMNO wajar menghayati roh Artikel 153 sebagai wadah Perjuangan 1 Malaysia

Slogan ‘1 Malaysia’ “Rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan” merupakan catchphrase Kepimpinan UMNO bawah Presiden VII Dato’ Seri  Mohd. Najib Tun Razak dalam pendekatan terbaru untuk menyatu padukan rakyat Malaysia yang pelbagai kumpulan etnik dan kepercayaan.

Perdana Menteri VI Najib juga mengariskan perlaksanaan ‘1 Malaysia’ adalah berdasarkan Perlembagaan Negara dan Rukunegara, sebagai asas pembentukan negara-bangsa Malaysia. Ianya harus dipersembahkan dari konteks sebenar bagaimana proses Kemerdekaan itu berjaya dicapai, pengorbanan Raja Raja Melayu dan orang Melayu (sebagai stakeholder asal dan utama Tanah Melayu) dan Perlembagaan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu itu sendiri terlahir. Peruntukan khusus mengenai orang Melayu dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia juga perlu ditekankan.

Sekiranya Perlembagaan dijadikan asas penerapan ‘1 Malaysia’, maka roh Perlembagaan Persekutuan pada 31 Ogos 1957 wajar disandarkan. Roh Perlembagaan Persekutuan sebenarnya terletak pada Artikel 153.

Esktrak dari Perlembagaan Persekutuan Malaysia:

Article 153

It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, but subject to the provisions of Article 40 and of this Article, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall exercise his functions under this Constitution and federal law in such manner as may be necessary to safeguard the special provision of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and to ensure the reservation for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak of such proportion as he may deem reasonable of positions in the public service (other than the public service of a State) and of scholarships, exhibitions and other similar educational or training privileges or special facilities given or accorded by the Federal Government and, when any permit or licence for the operation of any trade or business is required by federal law, then, subject to the provisions of that law and this Article, of such permits and licences.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong may, in order to ensure in accordance with Clause (2) the reservation to Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak of positions in the public service and of scholarships, exhibitions and other educational or training privileges or special facilities, give such general directions as may be required for that purpose to any Commission to which Part X applies or to any authority charged with responsibility for the grant of such scholarships, exhibitions or other educational or training privileges or special facilities; and the Commission or authority shall duly comply with the directions.

In exercising his functions under this Constitution and federal law in accordance with Clauses (1) to (3) the Yang di-Pertuan Agong shall not deprive any person of any public office held by him or of the continuance of any scholarship, exhibition or other educational or training privileges or special facilities enjoyed by him.

This Article does not derogate from the provisions of Article 136.

Where by existing federal law a permit or licence is required for the operation of any trade or business the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may exercise his functions under that law in such manner, or give such general directions to any authority charged under that law with the grant of such permits or licences, as may be required to ensure the reservation of such proportion of such permits or licences for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable, and the authority shall duly comply with the directions.

Nothing in this Article shall operate to deprive or authorise the deprivation of any person of any right, privilege, permit or licence accrued to or enjoyed or held by him or to authorised a refusal to renew to any person any such permit or licence or a refusal to grant to the heirs, successors or assigns of a person any permit or licence when the renewal or grant might reasonably be expected in the ordinary course of events.

Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, where by any federal law any permit or licence is required for the operation of any trade or business, that law may provide for the reservation of a proportion of such permits or licences for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak; but no such law shall for the purpose of ensuring such a reservation-

• (a) deprive or authorise the deprivation of any person of any right, privilege, permit or licence accrued to or enjoyed or held by him;
• (b) authorise a refusal to renew to any person any such permit or licence or a refusal to grant to the heirs, successors or assigns of any person any permit or licence when the renewal or grant might in accordance with he other provisions of the law reasonably be expected in the ordinary course of events, or prevent any person from transferring together with his business any transferable licence to operate that business; or
• (c) where no permit or licence was previously required for the operation of the trade or business, authorise a refusal to grant a permit or licence to any person for the operation of any trade or business which immediately before the coming into force of the law he had been bona fide carrying on, or authorise a refusal subsequently to renew to any such person any permit or licence, or a refusal to grant to the heirs, successors or assigns of any such person any such permit or licence when the renewal or grant might in accordance with the other provisions of that law reasonably be expected in the ordinary course of events.

1. (8A) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, where in any University, College and other educational institution providing education after Malaysian Certificate of Education or its equivalent, the number of places offered by the authority responsible for the management of the University, College or such educational institution to candidates for any course of study is less than the number of candidates qualified for such places, it shall be lawful for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong by virtue of this Article to give such directions to the authority as may be required to ensure the reservation of such proportion of such places for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong may deem reasonable, and the authority shall duly comply with the directions.

(9) Nothing in this Article shall empower Parliament to restrict business or trade solely for the purpose of reservations for Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak.

1. (9A) In this Article the expression “natives” in relation to the State of Sabah or Sarawak shall have the meaning assigned to it in Article 161A.

The Constitution of the State of any Ruler may make provision corresponding (with the necessary modifications) to the provisions of this Article

Artikel 153 merupakan roh dan nyawa kepada Perlembagaan Persekutuan, yang dipersetujui antara Raja Raja Melayu, Pejabat Tanah Jajahan Kerajaan Whitehall dan diterima sebagai timbang-tara antara UMNO yang mewakili orang Melayu dan MCA yang mewakili orang Cina dan MIC yang mewakili orang India dan pengorbanan orang Melayu mensahihkan penerimaan lebih sejuta orang yang disifatkan sebagai tidak berwarga negara (stateless persons) secara automatiknya menjadi warga Persekutuan Malaya apabila negara mencapai kemerdekaan pada 31 Ogos 1957.

Artikel ini adalah penyelidikan khusus dan mendalam dengan mengambil kira sejarah (terutama Perjanjian Persekutuan Tanah Melayu 1 Februari 1948 antara British, Raja Raja Melayu dan UMNO – sebagai ganti Malayan Union), keperluan masyarakat dan persekitaran tanahair dan dipersetujui secara konsessus Suruhanjaya Reid yang terdiri dari Hakim Mahkamah Rayuan dan Peguamcara Scotland Lord William Reid, peguam perlembagaan Sir Ivor Jennings (UK), Mantan Governor Jeneral Australia Sir William McKell (Australia), Hakim B Malik (India) dan Hakim Abdul Hamid (Pakistan). Sejarah merakamkan semasa di Rome, Hakim Malik merupakan pesuruhjaya yang mecadangkan agar Artikel 153 diujud dan masukkan sebagai peruntukan paling utama dalam Perlembagaan Malaya yang sedang dirangka pada masa itu.

Jelas pengamal undang undang Kommonwealth ini sedar bertapa utamanya kepentingan orang Melayu sebagai tunggak warga Persekutuan Tanah Melayu dipelihara, sesuai dengan peranan mereka sebagai Bumiputra dan pemutus apa apa dasar dan undang undang, termasuk menghargai pengorbanan mereka menerima secara terbuka lebih sejuta orang orang yang British sifatkan ‘tidak berwarga negara’ (stateless persons) secara automatiknya diterima dan diberikan hak sama rata sebagai warga dan diberikan perlindungan sepenuhnya bawah Persekutuan Tanah Melayu. Hak ini ditranslasi penuh pada kuasa yang diperuntukan kepada Raja Raja Melayu atas nama Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong.

Kepimpinan diperingkat Majlis Tertinggi, Perhubungan Negeri dan Bahagian UMNO seluruh negara wajib dan bertanggung jawab penuh untuk menghayati sepenuhnya Artikel 153 dan menerapkanya dalam proses kefahaman secara komprehensif diakar umbi sebelum diterapkan kepada parti komponen Barisan Nasional, sebagai perlaksanaan ‘1 Malaysia’ dan menentukan keberkesanan dan kejayaanya. 

Keghairahan Kepimpinan untuk mengembalikan sokongan Bukan Melayu kepada Kerajaan tidak harus mempergadaikan apa yang hak sebagaimana digariskan Artikel 153. Jangan biarkan keadaan sehingga “Kera dihutan disusukan, anak dibuaian mati kelaparan”. Hakikatnya, dalam proses memartabatkan Bangsa Melayu, hak dan kepentingan Bukan Melayu tidak pernah dinafikan, maupun diambil tanpa kerelaaan. Inilah asas ‘tolak ansur’.

Orang Melayu, terutama Kepimpinan tidak wajar dan perlu mengambil pendekatan apologetik apabila memperbincangkan soal ‘Agenda Melayu’.