The True Malaysian We Lost

Singapore is mourning the passage of S Rajaratnam, one of the founding fathers of the republic.
According to the tribute on ChannelNewsAsia, he was the son of a Ceylonese plantation worker who studied in Victoria Institution in Kuala Lumpur.

I am not sure how it came about that he ended up in Singapore but he entered politics and became the great communicator for the PAP.

To me the most memorable and lasting contribution he has made for Singapore lies in the pledge that has not been changed since 1966 when Singapore became an independent nation.


This is what school children recite at each assembly.

“We, the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society
based on justice and equality
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.”

It is so simple and yet so effective. Do you think Malaysia can also use this pledge?
Just change the word Singapore for Malaysia and you have it.

An all-inclusive uniting pledge and to include more modern thinking I would add just one word in the line
“regardless of race, language or religion,”
to
“regardless of race, sex, language or religion,”