Sunday September 16, 2012

Protect our unity to ensure harmony for the future, says PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has reminded Malaysians to continue to strongly protect the success in uniting the people of various races, religions and cultures in the country.

The Prime Minister said this was to ensure that harmony and prosperity in Malaysia continued to be preserved for the benefit of the future generation.

“This diversity in the country's socio-culture is the country's main asset and must be preserved and expanded under the 1Malaysia concept,” he said in his message in the souvenir programme of Malaysia Day to be celebrated in Bintulu, Sarawak today.

Najib also urged the people to think of the intention and aspirations of past leaders who had acted maturely and with far-sightedness, adding that it was them who had enabled the progress achieved today.

“Let us unite our determination, resolve and move in line with the continuity and survival of Malaysia,” the PM said.

Recalling the history of the formation of Malaysia, Najib said the people certainly could not deny the role played by past leaders in uni-ting the Federation of Malaya with Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo Island.

He said it was to create a new nation besides assisting in speed- ing up the process of Independence for Sabah and Sarawak as well as checking the influence of communism which was gaining ground then.

“The late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra together with other leaders from Sabah and Sarawak had reached a consensus to unite the states separated by the South China Sea into a new nation named Malaysia.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, in his Malaysia Day message, said the economic expansion and the people's well-being should take precedence over street demonstrations and rallies.

“We do not want such activities to be a common feature in Malaysia's political calendar. It will be to Malaysia's disadvantage.

“Neither will it serve any purpose if our country's image is tarnished and it is dubbed as a city of demonstration instead of a city of economic transformation,” he said.

He said the hard work that was sowed all these years was bearing fruit with increasing foreign investments, higher per capita income, better healthcare, public transport and infrastructure and longer life expectancy.

He said Malaysia has been doing well, with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development ranking the country as a top host country for Foreign Direct Investments in 2011-2013.

“While the Barisan Nasional government sees Sept 16 as a date of unification of east and west Malaysia, someone from the Opposition saw it as an opportunity to break up the nation by trying to grab power in 2008,'' he said.

News

Sunday September 16, 2012

Protect our unity to ensure harmony for the future, says PM