“五年前，我提过，这国家的所有人民，无论肤色族或宗教，都应接受彼此为这国家的公民。我现在也有同感：我们都是马来西亚人，我们每个人都有权利以马来西亚为家。”--拉惹查丽苏菲雅
关于新任国家元首苏丹依布拉欣的文章已很多。但关于国家元首后，人们对她的记载和了解就少得多。
14年前，国内主要报章读者和当时社交媒体小众读者可能没有注意到上述排在不起眼内页中，有关柔佛苏丹后拉惹查丽苏菲雅演讲的新闻报道。
有关的场合为2010年11月16日在吉隆坡举行的“和平、良知与理性之声”研讨会，我亦有出席。
这次会议的主要推动者是公民团体PCORE。这个小型非政府组织一直积极分享其和平范式，以作为实现这国家团结和融合的方式。
研讨会后，我曾撰文称赞PCORE将来自不同背景的年轻人和年长者聚集在一起，让他们表达对这国家当前问题和发展的关注。
我当时还指出了：“对我来说，这次会议真正的主角是拉惹查丽苏菲雅”。
我们共性和人性
在研讨会的主题演讲中，拉惹查丽苏菲雅指出用“外来者”来形容非土著是一种“伤害和无知”，并认为我们需要更多的讨论交流来解决种族和宗教之间的分歧。
“我们不应该简化和回避敏感问题，而应该透过建设性对话来对抗破坏性言论。当明显受过教育和成熟的人使用此类话语或建议马来西亚同胞回到他们的祖籍国时，这是可耻的。”
她也指其祖先有著苏门答腊和土生华人血统，她说了解马来西亚社会多样性很重要，这种多样性是由几个世纪跨种族和跨信仰婚姻和交流带来的。
在公共场合中公开承认其混血背景不仅是史无前例的。一些拥有类似混血血统的领导人，要么试图隐藏或压制他们认为“为难事实”，要么炫耀或煽动单一种族或宗教立场，就好像自古以来他们就是其中一份子，也是这国家的基因。
成就
拉惹查丽苏菲雅的演讲远比报纸上报道的内容多得多。这涵盖了她的个人经验和对宗教的思考，也提及了穆斯林应去理解其他文化、宗教及遗产的重要性。
她的说词，发自内心，简单明了，不需要任何复杂的知识论据，也不是冠冕堂皇的陈词滥调，让我们明白珍惜和保护属于我们所有人的马来西亚之重要，无论出身高贵还是卑贱；无论肤色是棕色、黄色、黑色或白色；无论崇拜一个神、多个神或无神论者。
读者也可能不知道拉惹查丽苏菲雅广泛成就和兴趣。
她毕业于牛津大学，获得文学学士和硕士学位（她的学士学位是中国研究）。
除了马来文和英文外，她还能讲中文、意大利文和法文。她也积极推动和赞助艺术活动、更是一位艺术家和作家，著有《Puteri Gunung Ledang》（金山公主）等儿童读物，并曾把其在报纸专栏汇编成书，题为《On Common Ground》（共同点）。
忧国忧民
虽然我是认同共和主义者，但逻辑和常识告诉我，我们需要类似拉惹查丽苏菲雅所代表的君主制来维持国家的团结，并提醒我们共同的人性。
有拉惹查丽苏菲雅和其他王室成员像她一样关心这国家，这国家就有希望能克服困扰许多马来西亚人的种族和宗教之恶魔。
在当年研讨会的午餐闲聊中，我们小组从手机和Skype如何改变人们的生活到睡眠窒息等话题中，我们知道拉惹查丽苏菲雅曾彻夜不眠地思考这国家和人民的困境，并思索她能提供怎样的解决方案。
困扰著她失眠的，也困扰著关心这国家未来的忠诚和爱国的马来西亚人。
拉惹查丽苏菲雅在她60岁生日后不久，在柔佛王家脸书上发表了一篇题为〈爱是无色〉的帖子，分享了她对华裔外祖母的爱。
她也提醒说：“如果让孩子保留自己纯洁无邪的思想和他们自己对世界的理解，实际上他们会忘记种族差异。是我们——作为父母——有意识或无意识地让他们意识到这些差异。”
对于数以百万计的年轻和年长的马来西亚人来说，这是一个很好的劝告，尤其他们每天都接触到不同种族和宗教差异之际，更糟的是那些有著种族和宗教偏执的本地人和来自外国的煽动者。
但对于我们国家的领导人来说，尤其是政治和宗教领导人，以有原则和强有力的行动，将我们从一个失败国家的边缘拉回来还为时不晚，尤其许多国人认为，如果继续让种族和宗教的偏执和仇恨之火蔓延，这国家将看不到光明。
林德宜《国家元首后：非凡王室》原文：Raja Permaisuri Agong : Royalty Extraordinaire
Five years ago I spoke about the importance for all of us to accept each other as fellow citizens of the country we love, regardless of our race or religion. I feel the same now : we are all Malaysians and each one of us has the right to call Malaysia home. Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah
Much has been written about our new Yang Di Pertuan Agong, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar. Much less has been written or is known about his consort and our new Queen.
14 years ago readers of the country’s main newspapers and at that time small social media audience may not have noticed the news report of a speech by Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, the consort of the Sultan of Johor, that was buried in the inner pages.
The occasion of the speech was a conference which I attended on ‘Voices of Peace, Conscience and Reason’ held on Nov 16 2010 in Kuala Lumpur
The prime mover of the meeting was PCORE, a citizen’s group. This small NGO had been active in sharing its peace paradigm as a way to achieve unity and integration in the country.
Following that meeting, I had written that credit must go to PCORE for bringing together a diverse mix of young and older people from different backgrounds to voice their frank concerns on current issues and developments in the country.
I also noted that
“For me the real star of the conference was Raja Zarith Sofiah”.
Reminding of Our Common Identity and Humanity
In her keynote address to the meeting, she described the use of ‘pendatang’ to describe non-Bumiputeras as “hurtful and ignorant”, and explained that more discussions were needed to address and resolve the gulf between ethnic and religious communities.
“Rather than simplify and shy away from sensitive issues, we should fight destructive rhetoric with constructive dialogue. It is shameful when apparently educated and mature individuals use such terms or suggest fellow Malaysians go back to where they came from.”
Describing her own ancestral background as a mix between Sumatran and Peranakan Chinese, she said it was important to recognise the diversity of Malaysian society, brought about by centuries of interracial and interfaith marriages and communication.
This open acknowledgment of her mixed ancestral background during a public event is not only unprecedented. It puts to shame the way some leaders who have a similar mixed ancestry either try to hide or suppress what they perceive as an inconvenient truth, or they engage in flaunting or agitating a mono-ethnic or religious stance as if this has been part of their, and the country’s DNA, from time immemorial.
Accomplishments
Raja Zarith Sofiah’s speech was much more than what was reported in the newspapers. It also covered her personal experience and thinking on religions and the importance for Muslims to learn about other cultures and religions and their heritage.
She spoke from the heart, simply and without the need for any convoluted intellectual argument or high sounding clichés to drive home the importance of cherishing and protecting the Malaysia that belongs to all of us — high or lowly born; brown, yellow, black or white; and worshiping one, many or no god.
Readers may not be aware of the wide ranging accomplishments and interests of Raja Zarith Sofiah.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree from Oxford University (her BA is in Chinese Studies).
Besides Malay and English, she is able to communicate in Mandarin, Italian and French. She is a patron of the arts, an artist and author who has written children’s books including Puteri Gunung Ledang, and published a compilation of her newspaper columns in a volume titled, On Common Ground.
Uncommon Sleepless Nights
Although I am a republican at heart, logic and common sense tells me that we need the type of monarchy she personifies to hold the country together and to remind us of our common humanity.
With her and other royalty who care for the country in the way she does, there is greater hope that the nation can overcome the racial and religious demons and fantasies that torment many Malaysians.
During the lunch chit-chat on topics ranging from how the handphone and Skype have transformed our lives to the inconvenience of sleep apnea, our group learned that she has had sleepless nights thinking about the predicament of our country and our people, and wondering how best she can be of service.
The insomnia that troubles her also afflicts loyal and patriotic Malaysians concerned about the future of the country.
In one of her posts in The Royal Johor facebook titled “Love knows no colour” just after her 60th birthday Raja Zarith Sofiah shares her love for her Chinese maternal grandmother.
She also reminds:
“Children are actually - if left to their own pure and innocent thoughts, and their own understanding of the world - oblivious about racial differences. It is us - as parents - who consciously, or unconsciously, make them aware about these differences.”
This is good advice for the millions of young and adult Malaysians who have been exposed to the daily concoction of racial and religious differences made more destructive by the local peddlers of racial and religious bigotry abetted by foreign counterparts.
But it is not too late for the leaders of our nation - especially political and religious - to pull us back with principled and strong action - from the brink of a failed state which many Malaysians see as looming just ahead should the fires of racial and religious bigotry and hatred not be doused.
