KUALA LUMPUR: The unity government will protect every person in the country regardless of their religious background, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said the Malaysia Madani concept is not exclusive to Muslims although it is mostly related to the Quran.
He said every segment of Malaysian society must accept the reality that Islam is the religion of the Federation.
He added that negative sentiments claiming that the Madani government is only exclusive to the Malays and Muslims are incorrect. The Madani concept, he said, is an inclusive concept aimed at protecting every person in the country.
“Madani is not an exclusive concept, it’s inclusive. The messages in the Quran are clear. We are to protect everyone of all races, regions and villages.
“The majority of people here are Muslims and Islam is the religion of the Federation. Non-Malays must accept this fact.
“The message we are bringing is let us all be open to learning from one another. Let’s not have suspicions among ourselves. We are not anti-Chinese or anti-Indian or anti-anyone. Everyone has their own religious beliefs.
“What we want is to ensure this country is successful and it requires the effort of everyone, which means we have to work together, and the way to do this is to understand each other,” he said during the One Year Madani Government dialogue session at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here yesterday.
Together as one: (Top) Participants in traditional attire at the Madani fun run posing for a picture. (Left) Kids sitting in a miniature bomba fire engine at the Madani programme held at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama
Anwar said this in response to a question from one of the audience members who had asked about what the Prime Minister hopes to achieve with the Madani concept. The person said some non-Muslims are confused since the concept is largely related to the Quran.
Another audience member told Anwar that the sentiment on the ground is that current Cabinet members do not appear to be working well as a team.
Anwar replied that some ministers are not getting enough media coverage, hence the reason why it appears as if they are not performing well.
“Take a look at each ministry from education to health, to commodities and foreign, for example.
“The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry is bringing in hundreds of billions of ringgit to the country, and the Rural and Regional Development Ministry is making sure local entrepreneurs and products are taken care of.
“All of this couldn’t happen if they (ministers) don’t understand the meaning of teamwork. They work every day until late at night, but they are not getting the publicity.
“As human beings, we can only make efforts to improve and I take note of the reminder. It’s a good reminder for us all to understand the meaning of teamwork,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who also attended the dialogue, called on Malaysians to help maintain political stability so that the country’s economic growth will continue without problems.
“In the next four years, if people are united, we can achieve political stability and this will bring success to our country,” he said.
