Whose country is this?

Malaysia is not a country for just one group of people. We experience the richness of the mixed cultures through friendships, food and fashion throughout your day. No one community should be made to feel unwelcome in a country of their own. In taking ownership of Malaysia, minorities have an equal responsibility to shape and craft a nation that all our children and grandchildren will be proud to take over. Together with their neighbours in the majority community, they must play an important participatory role in contributing to the country’s welfare as a whole. As concerned citizens, if minorities express displeasure at weaknesses in Malaysia it is only because they want the country to improve.

Muslim or non-Muslim, we all belong to the same country. It is time that we remove the old shackles of debates along racial and religious lines. It is time that we recognise minority groups as equal Malaysians. It is time to realise that each person is himself endowed with special rights.

Malaysians must continuously improve themselves and be ready to fight off attempts to threaten the unity and prosperity. We must hold true to the concept of justice and fairness for all citizens. Malaysians still much to contribute although the country now more than 50 years old. The nation’s independence and rapid development were a joint effort by Malaysians of different races and at all levels. Government should always stick to the power-sharing concept, which placed emphasis on consultation and consensus.

I would like to conclude that Malaysia is not your country, of course it is not my country, but it is our country……