Wednesday April 25, 2007
Groups: Reject racist ideas
KUALA LUMPUR: Three organisations have called for the rejection of any ideology that uses racism to promote national unity.
The Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS), Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) and the National Young Lawyers Committee of the Bar Council Malaysia also called for sharing of common values in society regardless of race and religion to enhance inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations.
The resolutions were part of a 20-point consensus document produced by participants at the organisations’ First Young Malaysians’ Roundtable Discussion on National Unity and Development earlier this month.
At the event, Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, who delivered the keynote address, said youth should not be excluded from national decision-making processes and policy formulation.
CPPS senior research analyst Tricia Yeo said there was a need to enhance open and constructive dialogue for progressive development.
“There is a need to emphasise shared and common values and we hope to provide input in the national unity policy.
“Young Malaysians play an important role too and we do not want their voices to be left out,” she said before handing over the consensus document to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili at Parliament lobby yesterday.
Dr Maximus, who also heads the Parliamentary Select Committee on National Unity and the National Integration and Unity Department, said he would table the document in the next select committee’s meeting.
He said although the issues raised by the organisations were not new, the organisations played a good role in voicing out the views of the youth.
National Young Lawyers Committee chairman Edmund Bon said his group had started conducting a survey on national unity among young Malaysians.
He said national unity was an urban centric issue and it might not be a topic of discussion among youth in Kelantan and Terengganu.
He said they hoped to produce a report by August and they targeted about 1,500 people.
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