(2014 Chinese New Year message in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 29th January 2014)
Happy Chinese Year of the Horse to all Chinese Malaysians and increasing number of Malaysians of other races who also celebrate the Chinese New Year.
This is the unique characteristic of the Malaysia Dream, where an increasing number of Malaysians participate in the different ethnic and religious festivities as they are Malaysian events although they belong to other races or religions.
This why during my Chinese New Year visit to Johor, covering all the 5 Parliamentary and 13 DAP State Assembly seats apart from Jementah (which I will make up during the Chinese New Year period), I also wished Malays and Indians “Happy New Year” and distributed oranges to them signifying that regardless of race, religion, region or political beliefs, we all belong to one Big Family – the Malaysian Family!
Malaysians should seek to establish greater Malaysian Oneness from all different ethnic and religious festivities – based on the great values and virtues taught by all the religions and races.
Just as I believe that the overwhelming majority of Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political beliefs, do not want another May 13 riots in the country, the overwhelming majority of Malaysians regardless of race, religion, or political beliefs want good governance, accountability and transparency in public affairs; zero tolerance for corruption which will put Malaysia on the top-rank of countries least corrupt in the annual Transparency International Corruption Perception Index; a just, sustainable and competitive economic system which can bring progress and prosperity for all Malaysians and a meritocratic education system recognized world-wide as producing world-class students in the top-scale of international assessments unlike at present where Malaysian students are stuck at the bottom third of international educational tests.
Malaysia is at the crossroads. Chinese Malaysians together will other ethnic Malaysians must work together hand-in-hand to build a better future for the new generations, founded strongly on the principle that there is a place under the Malaysian sun for every one of its citizens.
This is why it is important the Malaysians should speak up as patriots to save Malaysia from the machinations and evil design of a small group of traitors who want to destabilize the country through the incessant incitement of racial and religious hatred, conflict and tension so as to cause another May 13.
The civil society should organize and launch a campaign “to love and save Malaysia” from racial and religious strife, which is the precondition if Malaysia is to be a successful, progressive, prosperous and competitive nation in the world.