PETALING JAYA: A Sarawak government leader has received praise from netizens for his speech about how the state celebrates all festivals, regardless of religion and ethnicity.
In a six-minute video, Dr Annuar Rapaee, who is the state deputy minister for education, innovation and talent development, said Sarawakians must avoid issues that have been “played up” by those in other parts of the country.
“The most important message from me tonight is for us to prioritise our tolerance and respect for one another.
“Religion is between you and your god, me with my god, but among us, there are no obstacles, no barriers that can stand in the way of our unity.
“We don’t want to spend our days arguing about who the prime minister is, or about religion. There would be no end to that (debate). We should just focus on developing our community,” he said during a pre-Christmas celebration in his constituency, Nangka, on Saturday.
Annuar said that in Sarawak, everyone in the state’s multi-ethnic society celebrates the Gawai harvest festival, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Christmas and Chinese New Year.
Praises poured in from netizens in the comments section of social media platforms where the speech was shared. Most of them agreed with the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) assemblyman’s message.
“This is what we truly mean by living ‘Segulai Sejalai’,” said one netizen, referring to the 2023 Malaysia Day tagline, which translates to “Onward Together”.
Several others thanked Annuar, saying that “no words could describe” how proud they are to be a Sarawakian.
“Accurate! Religion is between an individual and God. Let’s remain peaceful and loving towards one another regardless of race and religion,” said another netizen.
Another commenter agreed, saying that celebrating all festivities “has never been an issue in Sarawak”.
Annuar’s comment on people “arguing about who the prime minister is, or about religion”, alluded to two issues that have hit the headlines in the past week.
On Dec 14, Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal called for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to use his two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat to amend the constitution to ensure that only Malays can become the prime minister.
His suggestion was criticised by many quarters including Sarawak government and opposition leaders.
Then, on Saturday, it was reported that a local bakery chain had issued an internal memo to all its outlets not to have Christmas greetings written on cakes ordered by their customers in order to maintain its halal status.
The management of the bakery subsequently removed the ban following the government’s announcement that it does not prohibit halal-certified bakeries from doing so. - FMT
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