Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has defended Malay language daily Utusan Malaysia , saying that the paper is not racist but instead embodies the spirit of 1Malaysia.

Sultan Nazrin said those who branded the paper as being racist have an agenda to derail Malaysia's social contract.

"The Utusan Group and its main publication, Utusan Malaysia , is now branded as racist; (it is) intentionally played up by those who are put off by it and those who have an agenda to eliminate the social contract agreed upon by our forebearers in formulating the main policies that form an independent nation.

"They are increasingly vocal in questioning the status of the bumiputera in the country and do all kinds of subversive activities to dethrone the special position of the bumiputera that is enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

"They are in fact stirring a hornet's nest; they are instigating the people to play with fire," Sultan Nazrin said in his keynote speech at the inaugural Utusan Business Awards 2015 awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur today.

He said Utusan Malaysia 's outspokeness on Malay issues does not mean that it opposes or resents other races, but is merely a continuation of its founding mission.

As proof that Utusan Malaysia is not racist, the sultan cited the awards given today as an example.

"Based on the concept, membership of the judging panel, selection criteria and list of the inaugural winners of the award, the Utusan Group has proven that it embodies the spirit of 1Malaysia and does not hold racist views," he said.

Among today's award winners are Permodalan Nasional Bhd president and CEO Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman, Lim Kok Wing, the founder of his namesake university, and Westports Malaysia chairperson G Gnanalingam.

Each of them won one of the three lifetime achievement awards given today, among a total of 31 awards given.

As another example, Sultan Nazrin pointed to the 2013 case of Melissa Gooi ( photo ), who found herself accused of sedition after a Facebook rant over the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's speech that she was listening to.

Coming to Gooi's defence at the time was Utusan 's senior reporter Zaini Hassan, who wrote a commentary saying that Gooi was probably acting out of ignorance and shouldn't be faulted.

Sultan Nazrin said Zaini wrote that Gooi was merely among a growing number of Malaysians who are unaware of Malaysia's institutions and customs, and advocated for the basic understanding of the Federal Constitution to be taught in schools.

The sultan said Zaini's writings had raised his confidence that the majority of Malaysians are not racist, but are rational.

“Zaini Hassan has shown magnanimity and the spirit of a Malaysian, who is firm in his criticism on basis of truth, even though I believe that Zaini does not know Gooi.

“Whatever negative labels have been slapped on Utusan Malaysia , the paper did not discriminate by not publishing an article in defence of a woman of Chinese descent,” he said.

'Report on graft without fear or favour'

On another matter, Sultan Nazrin also urged Utusan Group to take on an active role in building a graft-free country, by reporting on corruption without fear or favour.

He said while Malaysia has done well by garnering the 18th ranking on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index this year, all the years of hard work involved could be swept away in a blink of an eye.

In particular, he pointed out that Malaysia has faltered on the 2015 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), garnering a global ranking of 54.

“Corruption is a cancer that is said to be spreading in this country; corruption is like termites nesting and rotting away the pillars of our country. Why would a tree shake, if there is no wind blowing at it?

“The failure to combat and curtail corruption seriously, wholeheartedly, committedly, is feared to have the potential to cripple the country and its people, who would be forced to pay for it with suffering, as experienced by people in many undeveloped countries,” he said.

The sultan also lamented the loss of the original Jawi-scripted version of Utusan Malaysia ,which was called Utusan Melayu and has since been replaced by the current version using Latin alphabets.

He said the Jawi script is derived from the language of the Quran and has a long history in Malaysia. It was used in important letters and decrees, is a part of the Malay identity and is still in use in the palace today.

He voiced disappointment that when Utusan Melayu was discontinued, it was not during colonial rule but at a time when Malay is the national language and Malays hold political power as well as head major government-linked companies.

Utusan Melayu was not merely a paper, he said, but a historical institution that has fought for and championed the Malays.

Its demise shows that Malays are weak in protecting their heritage and the shallowness of their nationalism.

“It its last moments, I was informed that when Utusan Melayu sought and begged for help. However, it was treated like a street beggar by the Malay intelligentsia who have become captains of various conglomerates, industries and companies, who did not show any willingness to help or to give a lifeline for the continuation of a valuable heritage.

“Not only that, the Jawi script paper was belittled as having no commercial value. Thus, its heritage is buried, without defence, without tears, without being missed and without even being acknowledged, which is a wake-up call (to the Malays) on how frail is their resilience and integrity, until they would allow a child to die from starvation,” Sultan Nazrin said.