KEY NOTE ADDRESS BY MR YASIN ABDUL RAHMAN @ YASIN AFFANDY, PRESIDENT OF
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTY BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (NDP) IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE
VISIT OF THE DELEGATION FROM THE
PARLIAMENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY TO LIMBARUH HIJAU
22ND MUHARRAM 1428/10TH FEBRUARY 2007
IN THE NAME OF
ALLAH,
THE MOST GRACIOUS,
THE DISPENSER OF GRACE
May peace and blessings of Almighty
ALLAH be upon the Mercy to all the Worlds, the Seal of Prophethood, our beloved
Prophet Muhammad and upon his companions and Ummah, in this world and in
the hereafter.
May ALLAH exalt those who exalt our
beloved Prophet, and may the Light of Truth guide those who disparage him.
Honourable
(Ladies and) Gentlemen,
Please allow me, in my personal
capacity, and on behalf of the Supreme Council and members of the National
Development Party of Brunei Darussalam, to begin by sincerely welcoming all of
you to our party’s headquarters, Limbaruh Hijau, today.
Your visit today is an historic one for us, being the
first group of overseas parliamentarians to honour us by doing so since the
party’s official establishment on 31st August 2005.
Our party, the National Development
Party of Brunei Darussalam, has as its vision: “The Nation-state of Brunei
Darussalam as a Malay, Islamic Monarchy, a secure, peaceful and prosperous
nation-state worthy of the clemency of ALLAH, The Most Glorious, Exalted” (Baldatun
Thayyibatun Wa Rabbun Ghafuur). Divine writ, as contained in the Noble
Quran, inspired this vision of ours.
The idea behind the formation of the
party transpired with the realization of its founding members on the need to
serve and support the Government of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan
in preserving and sustaining Brunei Darussalam as a democratic, Malay, Islamic
Monarchy in accordance with the Royal Proclamation of Independence on 1st
January 1984.
The formation also stemmed from the desire to fulfill the
vision stated earlier and to uphold the principle of justice and benevolence (Al-‘Adl
Wa l-Ihsan) that has been the practice of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan in dispensing his authority as Ulil Amri (that is, the one
entrusted with authority over his subjects in the context of Brunei
Darussalam).
The strong and aspiring desire to preserve and sustain
Brunei Darussalam as a democratic, Malay, Islamic Monarchy induced the founding
members of the National Development Party to identify clearly its mission, and
enthused by these mission statements, the National Development Party has also
outlined several principal objectives to be strived for by members of the
party.
These principal objectives among others are:
a. First, to
inculcate the sense of undivided loyalty among the citizens towards His Majesty
as The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan and the one entrusted with authority over his
subjects in Brunei Darussalam, and towards his descendants.
b. Second, to
educate the people and instill among them the spirit of patriotism, love for
the nation-state, and understanding of politics as an activity carried out
peacefully and in civility.
c. Third, to
endeavour to support the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in bringing about a system of government,
administration and management characterized by justice and equity,
transparency, integrity, competency, trustworthiness, benevolence and
beneficence.
d. Fourth, to
collaborate with any and all groups and persons that respect the vision,
mission and principal objectives of the party in ensuring the success of its
programme, without contravening the constitution and laws of the nation-state.
e. Fifth, to
endeavour to establish in the national interest, relations and cooperation with
international governmental and non-governmental bodies and organizations and others,
particularly to advance and develop Brunei Darussalam, as an independent state
and nation.
f. Sixth, to
work in earnest to promote and to uphold the status of the Malay language as
the national and official language of the nation-state, whilst expanding the
study of the Quranic language and the use of the Jawi script.
g. And lastly, in
general, to carry out all the activities delineated by the constitution of the
party and whatever valid pursuit, which would be in accordance with the
constitution and the laws of the nation-state, in order to fulfill the
commitment to serve and develop the country and to strengthen national
resilience.
Honourable
(Ladies and) Gentlemen,
As mentioned earlier, the National
Development Party strives to serve and support the Government of His Majesty
The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan in preserving and sustaining Brunei Darussalam
as a democratic, Malay, Islamic Monarchy.
The Malay Islamic Monarchy philosophy has been at the core
of our national identity, resilience, progress and development since the 15th
century.
The national philosophy denotes who we are as Bruneians
and is still very much relevant today in our way of life and national
consciousness, and God-willing, will continue to be so in the future. The
National Development Party has made it its mission and duty to ensure this.
Striving to help ensure that Brunei
Darussalam remains a Malay Islamic Monarchy does not mean that we are against
the existence of a society that is pluralistic and diverse in culture, race and
religion.
The majority of members of the National Development Party
are Muslims.
As Muslims, we fully realize and willingly submit that it
is our God-given duty and responsibility to render love and understanding, and
accord assistance and protection, to our fellow citizens, irrespective of race
and religion.
Diversity in culture, race and religion is a mercy
dispensed by Almighty ALLAH upon humanity and should be a cause for celebration
and goodness, not hatred.
ALLAH The Exalted says in the Noble Quran:
“O Men! Behold! We have created you out of a male and a
female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to
know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who
is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.”
(Al-Quran; Surah Al-Hujurat [The Dwellings]; Verse 13).
Diversity brings about the plurality of
legitimately sound and rational views, opinions, as well as ideas that would be
beneficial to all, when encouraged to emerge in a spirit of mutual respect and
trust, and nurtured, developed and expanded through earnest cooperative
joint-actions.
In Brunei Darussalam’s context, the National Development
Party perceives that these should continue to be promoted within the framework
of the Malay Islamic Monarchy philosophy.
Fundamentally because it has proven to be the successful
formula that has brought continuous peace and prosperity to Brunei Darussalam
thus far, and there is no valid reason why this should not continue to be the
case now and in the future.
In proclaiming Brunei Darussalam’s independence from
There may be those who may see that declaration as a
somewhat oxymoronic vision, questioning the compatibility of democracy with a
monarchical system of governance.
It is our view, however, that such questioning could only
arise in the minds of those who assume that they have the monopoly over the
definition of democracy, or that there is only one definitive concept of
democracy.
The National Development Party of Brunei Darussalam does
not share this perception at all.
To us in the National Development Party,
democracy is equated with the ability of citizens to participate and contribute
to the decision-making processes in Brunei Darussalam within established legal
avenues.
The Government of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan
has provided many of these avenues, from the grassroots’ level in the villages
up to district and national levels.
These avenues are there and it is up to citizens, either
individually or in groups, to make the most of, should they wish their views, opinions
and ideas to be given due considerations by the Government.
It is also through these same avenues that these
individuals or groups could rally round His Majesty The Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan by acting as His Majesty’s eyes and ears, and as checking and
balancing mechanisms against abuses of authority by those entrusted by His
Majesty to serve the country and its people.
These are important politico-philosophical concepts that
the National Development Party of Brunei Darussalam subscribes to wholly, thus
in line with our principal objective to endeavour to support the Government of
His Majesty The Sultan and Yang D-Pertuan in bringing about a system of
government, administration and management characterized by justice and equity,
transparency, integrity, competency, trustworthiness, benevolence and
beneficence.
They form the rationale behind our assertion that the
party is a strategic partner to the Government of His Majesty The Sultan and
Yang Di-Pertuan in the pursuit of national progress and development.
We do not however suggest that these are
the only avenues that could be taken advantage of for the good of the country.
There are undoubtedly many other democratic means that
could be introduced for greater and more effective participation of the
citizenry in the national decision-making processes.
If one were to be frank, then one could also admit that
this is even true with regard to the democratic systems presently in existence
in many western countries.
On the need for
greater and more effective participation of the citizenry, we genuinely believe
that His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan knows this very well,
exemplified by his command that the Majlis Mesyuarat Negara or National
Consultative Council be reinstated two years ago and its membership enlarged.
Given His Majesty’s visionary leadership, we are certain that greater political
reformations would be initiated for the same purpose and in accordance with our
national philosophy and way of life.
However, what the National Development Party of Brunei
Darussalam wishes to draw attention to is the view it holds that it is the
royal prerogative of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan to decide which
appropriate political reformations should be adopted and implemented, and when.
This is a national matter for His Majesty to evaluate and
decide in consultation with his subjects.
The National Development Party do not welcome any
interference or pressure whatsoever from any quarter, particularly foreign,
trying to force or compel His Majesty, the Government or the people of Brunei
Darussalam, to adopt changes or reforms that are incompatible with our
religion, culture, tradition and national interests.
We are a sovereign people ruled benevolently by a beloved
and sovereign Monarch, and we do not welcome dictation on what is politically
good for us.
We welcome the sharing of views, opinion and ideas, but
not pressure to accept or implement them.
The National Development Party wants Brunei Darussalam to
tread very, very carefully so as not to commit the same mistakes that others
have suffered in developing their national political structures.
Transparency International Global Corruption Barometer
Report for 2006 stated that the two top sectors or institutions most affected
by corruption are political parties and parliament/legislature.
The National Development Party would not therefore demand
that the Government copy any of the multitudes of parliamentary or legislative
systems presently being applied in various parts of the world if it may mean
that such a measure would possibly result in Brunei Darussalam becoming a
politically corrupt society.
We would rather urge the Government of His Majesty The
Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan to take careful and measured steps, albeit slowly,
when trying to adopt and implement political reformations so as to ensure that
these do not become causes of our nation’s corruption and ruin.
This apprehension over the copying of other countries’
political reformations and parliamentary systems, as well as their associated
structures and schemes with varied election systems, leads the National
Development Party to view that the present system of monarchical leadership as
the most suitable to Brunei Darussalam, and thus should be preserved and strengthened.
It is extremely compatible with our culture and tradition,
and serves to protect the interests of the majority of Bruneians, as well as
protecting the rights of the minorities.
The National Development Party does not wish for the
existing system to be replaced by one similar to that in existence in many
so-called liberal democracies where the rule of their power elites (as defined
by the American sociologist, Charles Wright Mills) is varied with narcissistic
political expediencies, and is perceivably therefore not based on genuine and
democratically defined national interests.
Examples of this are abundant, as any serious and earnest
scholar or observer of world affairs and political systems would readily admit.
The present monarchical leadership system in Brunei
Darussalam is observed to have continued to put emphasis on the Islamic concept
of Syura, (consultation and consensus building) and this is absolutely
compatible with the national religion, and the culture and tradition of the
majority of Bruneians.
Syura is defined as a
consultative process and the Islamic injunction is that affairs of the people
shall be administered through such a process.
Such processes are already in existence at various levels
in Brunei Darussalam, and as stated before, it is up to individuals or groups
of individuals to make the most of them.
These processes could be improved over time, and new ones
adopted when that is assessed and agreed upon by His Majesty The Sultan and
Yang D-Pertuan and his subjects to be in the national interest.
Submitting views, opinions and ideas through such a Syura
process is in essence participating in governance at various levels, but the
success in participation would of course depend greatly on the merit of these
views, opinions and ideas.
It would also depend largely on the extent of support for
these views, opinions and ideas.
The greater the support, the greater the probability of
acceptability that each of these possesses.
Thus, when submitted through a Syura process
already in existence, due consideration would inevitably and assuredly have to
be paid to a particular view, opinion or idea that has huge support behind it.
This should be
especially true if it can be convinced empirically that the matter submitted has
the support of the majority, for that would be in accordance with Islam as the
official religion of the country and would also be compatible with the concept
of democracy as understood by us.
From our point of view, the practical mechanism or platform
for greater people's participation in the national decision making process is
through a two-tier formal consultative
system at the national level that is compatible with our religion, culture and
tradition.
We have put forward our view on this subject in our
political manifesto.
We have proposed that the current national-level consultative
system be strengthened and restructured in a parliamentary manner by the
establishment of a Royal Consultative Council. The National Consultative
Council that is presently already in existence shall function as the ‘lower
assembly’ while the Royal Consultative Council shall function as the ‘upper
assembly’.
Under this strengthening and restructuring proposal:
o The number of members of the
National Consultative Council shall be increased, with a majority of its
members directly elected by His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan’s
subjects through a free and transparent electoral system. The candidates from
among His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan’s subjects standing for
elections must fulfill certain academic qualifications in addition to other
criteria determined by legislation to create a consultative system which is
truly effective and representative;
o The Royal Consultative Council
shall comprise members of the Privy Council, the Council of Customs and
Traditions and the Islamic Religious Council, all of whom shall be appointed by
His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan in accordance with conventions
established by our customs and traditions;
o
The institution of the ‘upper assembly’ is envisioned to scrutinize every
proposal submitted by the National Consultative Council, to ensure that it is
not in contradiction with the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him), the rights and privileges of His Majesty The Sultan
and Yang Di-Pertuan and the customs and traditions of Brunei Malays.
o Under the consultative system
being proposed, the power to pass laws remains in its entirety with His Majesty
The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan in accordance with Islamic tradition in his role
as Ulil-Amri (the one
entrusted with authority);
o No doubt this proposed
consultative system will bolster confidence and at the same time extend and
effectively institutionalize the formal participation of His Majesty The Sultan
and Yang Di-Pertuan’s loyal subjects in the nation’s administrative process, in
line with His Majesty’s stated vision on the matter when re-instituting the
National Consultative Council two years ago.
Honourable
(Ladies and) Gentlemen,
Having said that, we should highlight to
all that the proposal to strengthen and restructure the current national-level
consultative system is simply that, a proposition for further deliberation and
consideration that resulted from our humble attempt at coming up with a practical mechanism or platform for greater people's
participation in the national decision making process in support of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang
Di-Pertuan’s tireless effort to develop the nation.
It is
not a demand and could never be so for members of the National Development
Party are loyal subjects of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan that
constantly strive hard to possess Taqwa or God-consciousness.
God-consciousness brings about
the realization that the National Development Party does not have a monopoly
over truth or the best of ideas.
ALLAH The Almighty says in the
Noble Quran:
“He (ALLAH) grants wisdom
to whom He pleases and he to whom wisdom is granted, indeed receives a bounty
overflowing; yet none remember but those who possess minds.” (Al-Quran;
Surah Al-Baqara [The Heifer]; Verse 269).
Always mindful of the message
contained in that verse of the Noble Quran, members of the National Development
Party shall never be conceited in thinking, either individually or
collectively, that they alone have been granted wisdom, and shall therefore
never make demands, only propositions.
With such a standpoint, we
state in all humbleness that the National Development Party is positively
unique in an age where members of every other political party the world over
tend to believe that they alone monopolize wisdom, truth, good ideas and
sincere intentions.
All praises are due to ALLAH
The Almighty for granting us such a perspective and may ALLAH bless us with constancy
in that uniqueness.
With regard to democracy, Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) had commanded Muslims to always be with and not break
away from the majority.
Many statements of the Holy Prophet are very clear on this
very significant point, such as:
“Follow the largest group.” (As recorded by Ibn Majah, on
the authority of the Companion of the Prophet, Abdullah ibn Umar),* and,
“It is your duty to stand by the united community and the
majority (Al-‘Ammah).” (As recorded by Ahmad bin Hanbal, on the
authority of the Companion of the Prophet, Mu’adh ibn Jabal).*
These commands of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) attest that Islam is absolutely compatible with democracy, if
democracy is defined essentially as “the majority decides”; that is, deciding
on matters where Islam allows for Ijtihad or independent reasoning, and
the avenue for this is almost limitless.
By logical premise, it also implies that the Malay Islamic
Monarchy philosophy that the National Development Party upholds fully, in which
Islam is an intrinsic and integral part, is also compatible with democracy.
However, it should
be emphasized that “democracy” is not “the end” that the National Development
Party is striving for. It is simply a “means” among various others that could
be employed to achieve the end that we have already envisioned, and that is a
secure, peaceful and prosperous Brunei Darussalam, worthy of the clemency of
ALLAH, The Most Glorious, Exalted.
As stated earlier, democracy may be defined fundamentally
as: “the majority decides”.
Admittedly though, the majority could be wrong or
misguided on occasions for Man is not infallible.
Islam, being a way of life that espouses fully ‘Ilm
al-Mantiq or logic and rationalism, recognizes this given priori.
A monarchical leadership, under a system that guarantees
it legitimate lifetime authority, and having apparent and well-defined need for
some recourse in some instances to regal expediency when administering the
country, would act effectively as the ultimate temporal safeguard against the
tyranny of the majority.
Or for that matter the tyranny of the minority, in
instances where, for example, parliamentarians opt to adhere to Edmund Burke’s
18th century view on their independence from their constituents and
undemocratically reject the will of the masses, and thus undermining the
resolve of the great majority.
The ability of a monarchical leadership to act as an
effective safeguard against tyranny and other kinds of injustice stems from the
commonly known and pragmatically accepted regal expediency that it
understandably has to opt to at times.
The operative words in that statement being “commonly
known” and “pragmatically accepted”. As opposed to diverse “uncommonly known”
and “generally unacceptable” motivations behind political expediencies of power
elites that emerged from the various kinds of leadership system currently in
placed in other countries, including in so-called liberal democratic ones.
Given the infallibility of Man, as mentioned earlier, the
underlying calculations behind many of these diverse motivations, if made known
or exposed, may not necessarily be conducive to enhancing the desired
perpetuity of these elites’ powers of various kinds, which could thus endanger
their vested or self-centred interests.
In a monarchical system, that perpetuity is
well-established and largely assured, and thus reduces significantly, if not
eliminate in total, the need to keep causal motivations for actions unknown.
The absence of such a need, particularly in a culture or
society where known underlying motivations are “pragmatically accepted”, builds
considerable trust and obvious understanding between the Ruler and the Ruled,
strengthening the legitimacy of the Bai’ah or contract of governance
between them that has been traditionally established and reinforced over
centuries.
The perpetuity inherent in a monarchical system also
facilitates long-term stability at the apex of political leadership.
A country with such
a system would be spared the potentially destabilizing multifaceted effects
that come about as a result of regular changes in political leadership that
bring with these significant and compounding habitual changes as well in
political ideologies, priorities and expediencies.
These arguments rationalize the wisdom of our forefathers
in adopting and upholding the Malay Islamic Monarchy philosophy as the guiding
principle behind the Sultan/Rakyat synergy that propelled and is still
propelling the evolution of a system of governance that would ideally be
completely compatible with our religion, culture and tradition.
The National Development Party has pledged itself to
continue the tradition of our forefathers by exerting every effort to uphold
the Malay Islamic Monarchy philosophy in the national pursuit of bringing about
the stated ideal end result in the evolution of the country’s governing system.
We believe that this is also what the grassroots in Brunei
Darussalam want.
We do not wish to pride ourselves in the fact that the
National Development Party is presently the largest political party in the
country, but by virtue of that undeniable fact, we as such do speak with some
authority when we make such a statement.
The statement was also made, as a matter of fact, out of
genuine trepidation.
The National Development Party notices, like all other
citizens of the world, that some countries like to impose democracy (which is
only a “means” towards an “end”) through invasion and occupation, impressing
upon those occupied a system of governance that may not necessarily be right
for the latter or incompatible with their own way of life.
Others may not agree to go to the extent of invasion and
occupation, but nevertheless wish to force the adoption of their so-called
liberal and democratic views through various political and economic means.
These they do when at the same time, they themselves
enforce illiberal laws and regulations in their own countries.
An example that may be cited is the ban on Muslim women
wearing Hijab in certain places, including schools, when these are
clearly against the basic rights of individuals to express themselves freely.
Such double standards are bewildering and de-legitimize
the attempt to advocate one’s values to others, even if the foundations
underpinning these values are universal in nature.
Frankly, instead of being pressured, what people in other
parts of the world want is for Western countries to recognize that on some
issues that may be taken to be incompatible with Western values or belief
systems, there are actually majorities in non-Western countries that support
these same issues and that support should thus be respected.
It is after all in line with the West’s own democratic
principles. For example, should the majority of Muslims in a particular country
that has Islam as its national religion wishes to have the Shariah or
Islamic Law enforced, that should be recognized and respected, especially when
guarantees have been given that non-Muslims in that country would not be
subjected to the said law.
As the majority, it would be within the Muslims’
democratic right to demand and be governed by Shariah in all aspects of
their lives, and to deny them that right would be undemocratic and illiberal.
To impose, for example, political and economic sanctions
in an attempt to prevent its adoption and enforcement in such a situation would
only be perceived as acting contrary to the democratic values that the West
espouses.
Instead of adopting such actions, the National Development
Party believes that it would be more fruitful and be mutually beneficial if
these countries take measures to enhance its understanding of Islam and the
Islamic world, of which Brunei Darussalam is very much a part of.
We humbly implore that you do not judge Islam by what some
who profess to be Muslims do, and not to paint all Muslims with the same brush.
Greater and serious understanding of Shariah should
also be attempted, to dispel misconceptions that could result in actions that
subsequently deny Muslims their democratic rights.
Of course, Muslims should also attempt to understand
others, including the West, better and not view everything that the latter do
as inherently anti-Islamic or as example of conspiracies to undermine the
Islamic Ummah.
Better and more frequent dialogues between the Islamic
World and the West should be organized and held, in an atmosphere of love and
friendship among brethrens in humanity. In this, the National Development Party
is willing and ready to participate fully.
The party wants to play a positive role to bring about
greater understanding among civilizations, as a way of promoting peace and
prosperity, and ending misery, suffering and conflicts in this world that all
of us and future generations have a stake in.
The National Development Party is therefore willing to
cooperate with like-minded individuals or groups of individuals or
organizations to realize such an end.
Your
Honourable (Ladies and) Gentlemen,
With that, I wish to end by sincerely welcoming all of you
once again to the headquarters of the National Development Party, and thank all
of you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us the honour to host your
visit today.
May the relationship between the Federal Republic of
Germany and Brunei Darussalam strengthen further, for the mutual benefits of
their peoples.
Lastly, we pray to Almighty ALLAH to guide us all to the
Peace and blessings of Almighty ALLAH be upon our beloved
Prophet Muhammad and upon his companions and Ummah.
All praises be to ALLAH, The Cherisher, The Sustainer of
the Worlds.
Danke schon.
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* Muhammad Asad, The Principles of State and Government
in Islam.