THREE CELEBRATIONS, ONE GOAL
Sacrifice and success go hand in hand, says Najib
THE Sea Games, the 60th National Day and Hari Raya Aidiladha celebrations, coming one after another, are about the spirit of sacrifice. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak says as long as Malaysia has
citizens who are willing to make sacrifices, big or small, it will remain on the right track.
MALAYSIA’S three consecutive celebrations — the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games, 60th National Day and Hari Raya Aidiladha — capture the spirit of becoming a successful nation.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the essence of Aidiladha celebrations was about lessons learnt from the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail in obeying God’s command.
“The meaning of sacrifice may differ from one person to another. For example, our Sea Games athletes have sacrificed time and energy to raise Malaysia’s status in sports, while we would not be able to celebrate the 60th Merdeka without the sacrifices of our warriors in the past,” he said in his blog yesterday.
Due to these sacrifices, Najib said, Malaysia was able to achieve success in the Sea Games as an independent country.
He said sacrifice and success were inseparable and that one could not exist without the other.
“God-willing, as long as Malaysia has citizens who are willing to make sacrifices, from the smallest ones on the personal level to being willing to lay their lives down for their beloved nation, I am confident that we will remain on the right track to achieve the dream of a successful Malaysia.
“This is the true meaning of sacrifice and success.”
He recapped the three memorable events, which included Malaysia winning the most number of gold medals beyond its target, indicating a bright future for Malaysian sports.
He also praised the Youth and Sports Ministry and other ministries involved in ensuring the success of the games, and paid tribute to volunteers and supporters of the national contingent.
This was followed by the Merdeka Day parade that reflected the success in nation-building efforts that came with the sacrifices of past leaders.
Earlier, Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the National Stadium at Bukit Jalil was filled to the brim during the Sea Games closing ceremony on Wednesday.
“We not only succeeded in achieving our target of 111 gold medals in the 2001 edition, but instead surpassed that figure and amassed a record 145 out of 404 gold medals,” he said in his blog.
He added that the crowd in Bukit Jalil gave a rousing applause when Najib took to the stage at the closing ceremony of the Sea Games and announced Sept 4 as a public holiday as a gift from the government to the people.
A majority of those who applauded were young people, he said, adding that this showed their gratitude to the prime minister for rediscovering the nation’s superiority and dominance in sports in this region.
Salleh, who is also the main committee co-chairman for this year's Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16, added that during the National Day celebration, he saw the patriotism among the people, appreciating the contribution of the people who fought for the country’s independence.
“I see the 1Malaysia concept flourished... I felt the essence of ‘Negaraku Sehati Sejiwa’.”