People entrusted with public office must be "the Keepers of Justice", safeguarding the nation for future generations, the sultan of Perak says.

Malaysians could be regarded keepers of justice "only when we ourselves are able in turn to bequeath our nation to our sons and daughters in the original - if not in an even better state - which we inherited from our founding fathers", Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said.

Sultan Nazri quoted Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first prime minister of Malaysia, as describing the inheritance as follows: "Justice before the law, the legacy of an efficient public service, and the highest standard of living in Asia."

He said this when launching a book titled 'On Justice and The Nature Of Man' by Muslim philosopher Prof Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The sultan also alluded to what the Tunku said about the principles of a sovereign and democratic nation and the seeking of the welfare and happiness of the people.

Uphold justice

"In my estimation, he perfectly summed up the natural consequences of our actions when we, the Keepers of Trust, uphold justice in all aspects of our lives, including the way we run our nation," His Highness said.

Sultan Nazrin then quoted verses of the Quran and prominent figures on man, justice and life, saying: "So long as we are true to ourselves and are guided by the sense of justice that God has created through our human nature - that unique and special creation of God that is in fact mankind - the pursuit of happiness will not only be realised as one of our unalienable rights as individual human beings, but also that we will be able to achieve a just and happy society."

He noted that Syed Muhammad Naquib, in his 57-page book, had written a commentary on justice and the nature of man, based on two verses from the Quran.

The sultan said the professor's lifelong project had been to look at the philosophy of modern times, explore it, understand it and subject it to the tradition of Islam.

- Bernama