Pride of being Malaysian embedded in concept of 'Negaraku': Salleh
KUALA LUMPUR: Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak (pix) said the pride of being Malaysian is embedded in the concept of 'Negaraku'.
Salleh said "patriotism is about being proud of your country and uniting as one under 1Malaysia, bridging the ethnic and religious divide".
He said 2018 marks a year whereby it is more than 60 years since Malaysia gained its independence after the new nation that was born on Aug 31, 1957, was founded on the spirit of moderation, understanding and tolerance.
"The formula hammered out between the British and the Alliance Party of Umno, MCA and MIC took into consideration the multi-ethnic and multi-religious makeup of the country that would require a lot of effort to prove viable.
"This diversity was enhanced with the creation of Malaysia on 16th Sept 1963 when the country's multi-ethnicity became richer with the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak into the federation," he said in a post today on his blog, sskeruak.blogspot.my.
Salleh also called on Malaysians to tell those who wish to jeopardise the country's future that they want peace and not chaos in 2018.
He said that of late, the peace in the country is being threatened by those who play the race and religion card.
"(In) 2018 we shall be seeing the 14th general election being held and we need to remember that a stable government must be one of the requirements in choosing a government. There are those who do not care if they sacrifice the nation in the pursuit of power and such people must be rejected," he said.
Even though the peace and tranquility of the nation were interrupted from time to time, the worst being in 1969, he said, Malaysia emerged as the choice for foreign investors due to the country's stable political environment.
"From the ashes of that May 1969 tragedy emerged Barisan Nasional to replace the Alliance Party and the nation not only reverted to its old self but economic progress was enjoyed in the years following that," he said. — Bernama