Written by YAM Tunku Panglima Besar, Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, Founding President of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS).

Credit must be given to keep our country safe from the extremes that provocateurs are so keen to deploy

I don’t play golf, except in St Andrews, Scotland. This came as a shock to my golf-playing friends, who have been trying to get me to go to the driving range for years.

But there I was, compromising my loyalty to racquet sports by swinging the iron (not entirely unsuccessfully!) in the fresh Fife air, even as the severity of the haze back home appeared on my newsfeeds again.

I was in the small town to attend a corporate training course co-curated by the University of St Andrews, exploring how geopolitics, artificial intelligence and climate change are impacting how business is being conducted: the first time I was back in the classroom as a student since Covid-19.

The golf was part of a break from the classes: and when you’re in a place famous for something, it is appropriate to embrace the opportunity to celebrate it. For avid golfers, their sport represents the pinnacle of human civilisation, so I was glad to try and understand why in its place of origin.

It was more within my comfort zone to enjoy some of the seasonal activities that Edinburgh had to offer. The first was the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which hosted over 4,000 events over the course of three weeks, spanning music, comedy, theatre, poetry, dance and exhibitions of all varieties and tastes.

It began in 1947 on the fringe of the Edinburgh International Festival, which also continues to run annually as a more curated event. I managed only a tiny glimpse of what was on offer, but I was amazed that a city smaller than Seremban (both in terms of population and physical size) could host one of the world’s most significant cultural festivals.

The second was the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, in which military and police bands from all around the world present their musicianship, choreography and athleticism against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.

Combined with dancers, singers, pyrotechnics and flypasts, it was a stunning spectacle like none I had ever seen: when the Scots say “massed” pipes and drums, they really mean it.

A week later I was back in Seremban in time for the National Day Parade. It was also a wonderful spectacle as usual – luckily the haze had lifted – and the pre-march section featured a fitting homage to Yamtuan Antah, the last Malay Ruler to personally lead troops into combat, during the War of Bukit Putus in 1875.

The enemy then was, of course the British, who had used economic incentives to entice allies from among the local leaders: classic “divide and rule” that empires since time immemorial have employed, and we see now in full swing in the Middle East.

Yamtuan Antah unfortunately lost the war, but over the next two generations, his successors adapted to the new imperial geopolitics, and ultimately helped negotiate and construct a way towards independence through the Federation of Malaya.

This storyline was preluded by members of the new state government reciting the Rukun Negeri led by the Mentri Besar, and followed by the march pasts which exhibited all the usual patriotic fervour we have come to know and love. The musicianship was particularly good this time, with the state anthem being played consistently well, and school bands providing punchy interludes.

For some reason, bagpipes were featured more strongly than usual, playing a famous Malaysian military march. It provided a strong reminder that while we are rightly proud of the institutions that we have created, aiming to serve Malaysians at home and abroad, it is also right to acknowledge the many different ingredients and experiences from around the world that have inspired them.

The first Yang di-Pertuan Agong, when opening our Parliament for the first time in 1955, explicitly spoke to the many centuries of thought that have gone into the establishment of our Dewan Ra’ayat (as it was spelled then) and Dewan Negara. He was referring both to the political traditions inherent in adat, as well as the growth of parliamentary democracy as experienced in Britain.

As Malaysian politicians of all sides navigate today’s climate of scepticism on the one hand and increased expectations for service delivery on the other, sometimes our institutions are accused of being compromised and weaponised for partisan purposes. In recent times, new political parties have been formed and there have been several high profile resignations and defections.

In the midst of these, the judiciary and now a Royal Commission of Inquiry have been prominent in checking and balancing the actions of past and current leaders. It is in these institutions that confidence must be maintained – and credit to be given – to keep our country safe from the extremes that provocateurs are so keen to deploy.

This article was featured in The Star, 4 September 2026

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of IDEAS Malaysia. All opinions are the author’s own