PERMATANG PAUH DECLARATION
Being conscious of the Quranic injunction which urges striving towards betterment;
And inspired by the Asian traditions, which all encourage renewal for the individual and for society;
And acknowledging that Malaysia is in the grip of a terrible crisis and requires recourse to its inner
strengths in order to rise again,
We the citizens of Malaysia of all cultural and religious backgrounds are determined to launch a movement
for comprehensive reform:
A reform movement shining with a light radiating from aspiring and pure hearts; from the awareness that
man is truly noble and free, with rights and responsibilities, that it is a sacrilege to abuse and denigrate any
man or woman, to bind and restrict any man or woman without following the due process of just laws;
A reform movement to establish justice for all, the weak and strong, the rich and poor, to preserve the
institutions and processes of law from the defilement of graft and abuse of power;
A reform movement to sanctify the power of the people through democratic means, for democracy is an
imperative: man's instinct for justice makes democracy a possibility, but the existence of tendencies to
oppress makes it a necessity;
A reform movement that champions economic justice, one that advocates fairness in economic growth and
distribution so that the rich do not get richer at the expense of the poor, for the world has enough for
everyone, but too little to satisfy everyone's greed;
A reform movement to eradicate graft and abuse of power, to strip the opulent and greedy clique of their
power to manipulate the market;
A reform movement to reinforce a dynamic cultural identity, where faith in our noble cultural traditions is
intact, but there is openness to all that is good in all traditions;
A reform movement to launch the Malaysian nation into the information age and the borderless world,
encouraging wisdom, self-assurance and openness towards a global friendship based on the principles of
truth and justice.
We launch this reform movement as a peaceful movement, in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution
and in observance of the principles of the rule of law.
The hour has come. Unite for Reformasi.
Permatang Pauh
12 September 1998