Peranan UMNO Menegakkan Islam dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan: Satu Kajian Secara Kronogikal (The Roles of UMNO in Legislating Islam in The Federal Constitution)

Abstract

Makalah ini berusaha menelusuri kronologi sejarah pemaktuban Islam dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan negara Malaysia dengan menyemak pelbagai sumber primer iaitu rekod-rekod rasmi, minit-minit keputusan mesyuarat UMNO-Perikatan, laporan-laporan rasmi kerajaan, akta-akta, ordinan-ordinan, perlembagaan dan akhbar-akhbar berkait dengan Islam dalam kemerdekaan Malaysia di Arkib Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur dan National Archive, London. Bahan-bahan ini dianalisis dengan kritis dan disusun secara kronologikal. Berdasarkan hasil analisis tersebut makalah ini menemui hakikat bahawa sesungguhnya UMNO memain peranan paling utama dalam sejarah pemaktuban Perkara 3 dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang menyebut Islam merupakan agama Persekutuan. Dalilnya, UMNO merupakan satu-satunya parti politik yang mengusulkan Islam kepada Suruhanjaya Reid (pada 25 September 1956). Pada asalnya, cadangan tersebut ditolak oleh Raja-Raja Melayu dan kerajaan British. Sekiranya UMNO tidak mengusulkannya maka amatlah besar kemungkinannya tidak ada Perkara 3 dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan itu seperti adanya pada hari ini. UMNO bukan sekadar menghantar memorandum kepada Suruhanjaya Reid, sebaliknya, ia berusaha secara berterusan untuk menangani tentangan Raja-Raja Melayu dan pihak British itu sehingga akhirnya termaktub juga Islam dalam Perlembagaan. Hakikat ini tidak disedari oleh para penyelidik. Ini berlaku kerana mereka tidak menukili sejarah penggubalan Perlembagaan Persekutuan secara kronologi.

Kata kunci: Sekular; UMNO; Perlembagaan Persekutuan; Suruhanjaya Reid; Majlis Raja-Raja Melayu 

ABSTRACT

This article seeks to construct the chronology of the recorded history of Islam legislation in the Federal Constitution by investigating through various primary sources such as official records, minutes of UMNO-Alliance meetings, official government reports, acts, ordinances, constitutions and newspapers related to Islam in the independence of Malaysia at the National Archive of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, and the National Archive in London. These materials have been critically analysed and arranged chronologically. Based on the analysis, it is found that United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) had indeed played the most important role in the history of legislating Article 3 of the Federal Constitution, which mentions Islam as the religion of the federation. This is proven by the fact that UMNO was the only political party that had proposed the motion on Islam in the Federal Constitution to the Reid Commission (on 25th September 1956). Initially the motion was rejected by the Malay Rulers and the British government. If UMNO had not proposed it, then, most probably Article 3 of the Federal Constitution would not have existed as it does today. UMNO had not only sent its memorandum to the Reid Commission, but it had also consistently and seriously dealt with the opposition of the Malay Rulers and the British government until Islam was finally enacted in the Constitution. This fact is not realised by researchers. Hitherto, the researchers had not examined the history of the legislation of Islam in the Constitution chronologically. It is for this reason that the real history, especially the role of UMNO in the legislating of Islam in the Constitution, is not visible. Thus, it is recommended that researchers should reconstruct the legislation history of Islam in the Constitution chronologically.

Keywords: Secular; United Malays National Organisation; Federal Constitution; Reid Commission; Malay Rulers Council