MORE FORK-TONGUE TALK! Stop hurting others, avoid racist matters - PM tells Malaysians

Datuk Seri Najib Razak called on Malaysians today at the launch of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) to avoid offending racial sensitivities in order to foster national unity.

The prime minister noted that Malaysians are becoming increasingly aware of such sensitivities, pointing out that non-Muslims would make sure that halal food is served at functions with Muslim guests, or vegetarian dishes if there are Hindu guests.

“If we are sensitive, this is a foundation that is critical to national unity,” Najib said in a speech at the launch of the NUCC here today.

“Whatever we do in the community, whether between different races or religions, we should not hurt other people. If there is an alternative, choose that alternative. Whatever we do, we should not hurt others, and neither should others hurt us. If we can accept this, we are safe,” he added.

The launch of the NUCC, whose objective is to discuss issues affecting unity and to recommend nation-building solutions to Putrajaya, comes even as the multi-cultural country is roiled with racial and religious tension.

The debate over whether Christians can describe their god as “Allah” has intensified and angered Muslim groups, who claim that the Arabic word belongs exclusively to Islam, after the Court of Appeal recently favoured a government ban on the Catholic Church’s weekly paper, the Herald, from using the word.

Najib also said in his speech today that nation-building “not only takes time, but can’t be taken for granted”.

“The challenges are huge. Our country is too complex. But our complexity is not a barrier towards achieving national unity,” said the prime minister.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said at the same function that the NUCC is an “effort by the BN (Barisan Nasional) government to ensure that the multi-racial society in the country enjoys and experiences the results of the transformation programmes introduced by the prime minister”.

“Hence, it is no wonder that Publilius Syrus, a Roman writer, said that ‘Where there is unity, there is always victory’,” said the minister in charge of national unity.

“Our focus after this is to organise a grassroots programme that involves all MKPN members, which is a unity dialogue programme, to hear the views and opinions of the grassroots in relation to the efforts in fostering national unity, and to subsequently prepare a blueprint,” added Kurup, using the Malay initials for the NUCC.

The NUCC, which is headed by Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) chairman Tan Sri Samsudin Osman, has 27 members comprising politicians from both the ruling BN and federal opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR), academics, as well as representatives from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade associations and Sabah and Sarawak-based groups.

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye from the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation is deputy chairman, while other notable members include social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir, Umno’s Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who is also head of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation, PAS central committee member Datuk Dr Mujahid

Yusof Rawa, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam from the Centre for Public Policy Studies and Datuk Lim Kok Cheong from the Association of Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM).

The NUCC was first mooted by Najib after BN retained its grip on power despite losing the popular vote to PR.

In the aftermath of the polls that saw BN winning 133 of Parliament’s 222 seats ― a new nadir since Election 2008 ― non-Malays were targeted for abandoning the ruling coalition in what was dubbed a “Chinese tsunami”, although later analysis showed that voters had chosen along class, rather than communal lines.

Kurup said in an interview in August that there will be about five sub-committees in the NUCC, which The Malay Mail Online understands will look into matters such as law, youth and unity, inclusive development, national integration, as well as nation-building and cross-cultural understanding.

Malay Mail