KUCHING: There must be collective efforts between the people in Peninsular Malaysia and those in Sabah and Sarawak in order to establish a more united Malaysia.
1Malaysia Foundation chairman Dr Chandra Muzaffar said more efforts were needed by the people to join hands and work together for a common future.
“I sometimes feel that we haven’t done enough in spite of being together for such a long time, since 1963.
“In terms of cooperation, I think we can do much better,” he said at the Kuching International Forum on Unity (KIFU), which was officiated at by Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg here yesterday.
Chandra noted that there was no society in the world that had succeeded in achieving the objective of unity.
“Everyone is trying, and we all make mistakes with scores of successes here and there. But the question of forging unity is unlike so many other endeavours as it is a continuous and long journey.
“We keep on trying to improve the relations among the people of different backgrounds and that’s what we’re trying to do here through KIFU.”
Held in conjunction with the declaration of Kuching as City of Unity, Dr Chandra pointed out that the forum was an attempt to explain the declaration in greater depth with the help of a panel of distinguished individuals, academics, city council officials and young diplomats.
“We hope to draw together individuals from within Sarawak, from other states, and other parts of the world to reflect upon unity, which is the one of the greatest challenges facing humankind.
“The challenge in which the very simple language of people of different ethnicities and religious backgrounds live together in unity,” he explained, adding that the forum would be the first in a series of forums to be held annually to commemorate the status of Kuching as ‘City of Unity’.
He also expressed his hope that through the forum, the bridge they had attempted to build on the basis of unity would become an effective bridge for the future.
“We hope that this bridge will join not just human beings but also join hearts and minds together as we struggle to ensure that this beautiful land of ours is something all of us share in common and that despite all the ups and downs, we will continue to be a stable, happy and progressive nation where all our sons and daughters can be proud of.”-Borneo Post
Post a Comment