Saturday August 16, 2008
Succeed on your own steam, Abdullah urges Malays
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malays must cultivate the strongest will to succeed and achieve anything they want without having to rely on help or subsidies, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.
Abdullah said although Malays as a whole have improved their lot, there were still a lot more that needed to be done.
“We must value-add as I have said time and again. But there must be that something in us that will enable us to achieve that,” he said in his speech at the Gabungan Pelajar Malaysia Semenanjung's (GPMS') 60th anniversary dinner last night.
Abdullah said such an initiative was a challenge to the Government but said it was also up to the people to want it and do their part.
“We must, in the end, be able to walk unaided. That is the final goal. We must be able to move forward and develop without subsidies.
“Even if the goal is to reach the highest peak, we must believe we can do so on our own strength,” he said.
Emphasising that the world was changing quickly, Abdullah said the Malays also have to be quick to arm themselves with the latest knowledge to improve themselves.
On another note, Abdullah, who was a former president of the GPMS (1962-64), said the organisation had never been extremist.
“GPMS as it is, is the place to start to get involved in nationalism. But as far as I remember, then and now, we have never been extremist.”
Abdullah said the organisation was moderate in its approach in advocating the improvement of Malay education and culture.
“We have never held demonstrations to demand what we wanted and had instead lobbied those with influence in order to do so.”
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