Uphold unity and work together, advises Musa
KOTA KINABALU: As many Sabahans took their traditional cleansing dip at beaches and rivers to usher in the New Year, Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman hopes that all their resolutions will be achieved in 2018.
“The New Year is a time for fresh resolutions and for many, this is a starting point to achieve new goals,” he said in his New Year message.
“It is my hope that we will all achieve what we set out to do.”
Musa urged Sabahans to close ranks, subscribe to the agenda to develop the state, and work with the rest of the country to enjoy progress.
“Don’t allow parochial thinking to close our minds. We need to work with the rest of the country in order to enjoy progress.
“We must also remain united as our progress depends on us being able to work with one another.
“I also call on all quarters in Sabah to cooperate with one another, and I urge the civil service to give its best in implementing plans and ensuring the needs of all stakeholders are met,” he said.
Over the past decade, he said Sabah had transformed itself into a state that is increasingly competitive within Malaysia and the region.
This was possible because of its consistent efforts to improve the economy, take care of the people’s welfare, maintain political stability and ensure development reaches those who need it most, he said.
“Despite being multi-ethnic and multireligious, peace and harmony is a way of life in Sabah.
“Do not allow those with vested interests to use race or religious sentiments to jeopardise the prevailing unity and mutual respect that we have enjoyed all this while.
“We must rise above petty politics and maintain the civil society that exists in our beloved state,” he said.
Many Sabahans usually take a bath at rivers or in the sea on New Year’s Eve as a symbolic cleansing, known locally as buang sial (discarding ill fortune).
Families and friends head to the beaches in the early evening and hold barbecues before taking a dip at the stroke of midnight.