Don’t leave national unity to politicians, says deputy minister

 

Ti Lian Ker and Fadillah Yusof say the people must be responsible for national unity.

PETALING JAYA: A deputy minister has urged the people to adopt the government’s new national unity blueprint, saying it is “the way forward” for the country.

Deputy national unity minister Ti Lian Ker said the action plan serves as a “guide” to all citizens and serves to remove politicians from the equation.

“For decades, Barisan Nasional served as the platform to resolve many issues affecting society,” he said.

He said even though the public was not privy to what BN leaders discussed, many issues were actually resolved through consensus after discussions with the coalitions’ leaders from all communities.

Ti claimed that “things changed” under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and many decisions did not go through BN.

He said that when mechanism broke down, there was no alternative, and race relations went downhill because of agent provocateurs and social media.

“We need to bring back the spirit of inclusiveness and accommodation, but instead of doing so through a political framework, we are looking at the blueprint which is guided by the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara.

“We cannot leave national unity to politicians. We need to take it out of their hands and start with the people,” he said, adding while the ministry spearheaded the initiative, it was up to the people to respond and turn the spirit of the blueprint into action.

He said all parties must be on the same page and be vigilant against those who threaten unity among the people.

Stand firm against the disrupters

Senior mMinister for infrastructure Fadillah Yusof said the country’s leaders must stand firm against those who seek to “draw lines” among Malaysia’s diverse people and push them apart.

“Diversity is neutral and by itself cannot harm us as individuals or as a nation. It can only be disrupted by the introduction of the element of fear – that we, as a people, have reason to fear each other.”

Fadillah said those who sought to sow fear among the people classify differences in others as “faults”, and instead of celebrating the differences, criticise and condemn others instead.

“Diversity is part of our history and must be our future. We must forever be an inclusive state. We have always been a melting pot. Once melted, we form one mass and can only be one society,” he said. - FMT