Lee: Vital to remain united

KUALA LUMPUR: It is vital for Malaysia to remain a united and peaceful nation with political stability despite the existence of divergent political ideologies and views.

In stating this, Malaysia Unity Foundation trustee Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the country should not only be safe from terrorism, crime and violence but also from problems and conflicts caused by racial or religious hatred.

“As responsible and patriotic Malaysians, it’s our profound duty to work for peace, harmony and unity, and refrain from acts of provocation and violence which will result in conflict and chaos,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He noted that a barrage of race-based incidents that made headlines over the past few days should serve as a reminder to all Malaysians that they must tread very carefully in handling racial or religious issues. More efforts, he said, must be made to promote moderation and mutual respect among all races and work towards unity in diversity.

Lee underscored that in the new Malaysia, playing the race card was no longer acceptable.

“All Malaysians must look beyond race and religion for the larger interest of the nation and its future development while respecting the constitutional rights of all,” he said.

He also said that all parties should be exposed to the Rukun Negara and Malaysia’s history to enable them to understand and respect the rights, beliefs and practices of Malaysians from various religious and ethnic backgrounds. — Bernama