UNIFICATION OF THE MALAYS IS MOST IMPORTANT, SAYS CROWN PRINCE

IPOH (Malaysia), July 14 (Bernama) -- It is obligatory for the Malays to
make efforts to unite to build human capital in the spirit of a common race and
religion, said the Crown Prince of Perak state, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

In his speech entitled 'Islam and the Malays: the Muslims' Human Capital' at
the Muslim Intellectuals Discussion 2009, here Tuesday, he said loyalty to a
cause that was noble and holy should be given more importance than loyalty to
the individual or group.

"Be realistic - be governed by reasoning. Spread the spirit of friendship -
believe in the spirit of forgiveness. Malay is your race and Islam is your
religion," he said.

Raja Dr Nazrin said the Malays today were facing a major challenge
concerning identity, integrity, status and survival of the race.

"The number of Muslim Malays is small. The number of Muslim Malays with
knowledge, who are professionals, rich, possessing the qualities of towering
personality is even much smaller.

"The separation of the Malays and Islam in differing groups, who are being
led by personalities who refuse to meet with one another, will certainly weaken
the Muslims even further," he said.

The Crown Prince said the current political culture had created a new
obsession, the emergence of a group culture, promoting the belief that loyalty
to the group must be given priority above the survival of the ummah.

He said the Muslim Malays would eventually be trapped in the race to find
faults and weaknesses among themselves which would weaken the race even further.

"As a result, the human capital of the Muslims became weaker. How many more
of them are prepared to become opera actors, wear the Muslim and Malay masks, to
ridicule the ummah - dupe the community to fulfill their own desire," he said.

Earlier, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah officially declared the
discussion open.

Three working papers would be tabled at the discussion organised in
conjunction with the 81st birthday anniversary of Sultan Azlan. The papers would
be presented by the President of Kolej Dar Al-Hikmah in Kajang, Dr Sidek
Fadzil; the Vice-Chancellor of Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Melaka state
(KUIM), Prof Emeritus Dr Mohd Yusuf Hashim and the President of the
'Teras Keupayaan Melayu' (Teras), Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid.
-- BERNAMA