The Role of the Malay Royal Institutions According to the Constitution in Safeguarding Malay Position from the Higher Education Perspective
Nazri Muslim, Wan Zulkifli Wan Hassan, Azizi Umar

Abstract
The monarchy system has long existed in the social system in Malay states for great many decades. Following this system, the King has an absolute power in every state administration especially before the occupation of the English. When the Malay Federation achieved Independence in 1957, this ruling institution continued with several amendments to be adapted with the parliamentary democracy concept and constitutional monarchy. Other than executing the power that is allocated by the Constitution, the Royal Institution also epitomizes the Malaysian unity that comprises of multifarious ethnic groups. This is because under the Constitution, it is allocated it is the responsibility and mandate of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the privileged position of the Malays and the Sabahan and Sarawakian Bumiputera and rightful interests of other races due to the fact that the Monarchy Institution is not a politically-influenced unit and that it holds onto the exempted principle. This responsibility is not easy, because an issue such as the special position of the Malays has always become polemics in our pluralistic society. Thus, this article will look into the monarchy instutions in maintaining the position of the Malays from the perspective of the higher learning education. Such a perspective would indicate the matters that need to be inculcated in the curriculum of higher learning system pertinent to the role of the monarchy in safeguarding the Malays’ position in the constitution. This is because the discussion on the Monarchy Institution at the higher education level is not made a specific subject but is inculcated in the constitutional course, the social system course in Malaysia or the Nationhood/Malaysian Study courses. Meanwhile, the discussion on the Monarchy Institution only revolves around what is dictated in the constitution without being elaborated in terms of its rationale as to why every allocation is included in the constitution.This argument needs to be taken into account as IPT students are more open and mature when analysing an issue rather than those who merely accept any issues that have been raised and contended.

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