I would like to give the prime minister the benefit of the doubt with regards to his ‘1Malaysia’ promulgation and I am sure many Malaysians likewise wish that it were a success.

The PM incessantly talks about ‘1Malaysia’ at home and abroad, most recently in Brussels whilst attending Asem met whereat he had mentioned that ‘1Malaysia’ is not a mere slogan but a policy.

It is an irony therefore that many in the civil service seem to be riding roughshod with their own agenda which is at odds with the ‘1Malaysia’ policy. Whereas Namewee was interrogated for hours by the authorities, is there a committee looking into the Siti Inshah and Ungku Aznan fiasco?

We now have a new incident to grapple with ie, Hamim Husin of Biro Tata Negara who claims he was misquoted during a closed-door briefing for Puteri Umno. The presence of Perkasa’s youth leader when Hamim made a police report was in itself telling as to where would civil servants draw the line when serving in the ‘1Malaysia’ government of Najib Abdul Razak.

The excuse that Hamim’s briefing was a closed-door event has no credence. The pastor from Sarawak currently being investigated for sedition and Hindraf’s numerous briefing sessions at selected localities in the run up to the 2008 general electins were also closed-door events.

With regard to the former, a YouTube posting had emerged (much alike Malaysian Insider’s article on Hamim) and in the case of Hindraf, their meetings were disrupted and some publications confiscated which were used as the basis to frame charges of sedition on them.

If interpreted wholesomely, Article 153 identifies with the essence of ‘1Malaysia’ as it addresses the legitimate interests of the non-native communities as well, a point Perkasa never fails to miss. Sensitive articles including 153 can only be repealed, inter alia , with the consent of the Malay Rulers Conference and is unlikely ever to happen.

It is imperative for us to understand that our forefathers had agreed to the Merdeka constitution which came into effect on August 27, 1957 – that is our social contract. Since then, the constitution has been amended more than 50 times, most notably post-1969, with total individual amendments numbering nearly 650.

The PM, as head of government, has to ensure his ‘1Malaysia’ policy is implemented steadfastly by the civil service which he leads.

In this regard, he is in an unenviable position of having to balance the competing interests of middle-Malaysia and that of extremists, most notably within Umno and the civil service, who identify with Mahathir and Perkasa.

It is to his credit and for the benefit of wider Malaysia that he succeeds.