I AM quite excited tonight as I see hundreds of youthful faces – and that was how DAP started some six decades ago, a youthful party with leaders and members among young Malaysians dedicated to the Malaysian Dream to make Malaysia a better, more just, more progressive and more prosperous nation for all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age or gender.
We all have a Malaysian dream; the question is whether we can sustain the Malaysian Dream in our lives.
There may be a future Penang chief minister or federal minister among you; only time will tell.
We are in fact living in momentous times, as in a month’s time, on Aug 12, the state general election for Penag will be held and just like for Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, the state polls in six states are important not only for the six states but for the future of the nation.
Malaysians have been afforded an opportunity to pause, reset and return to the original nation-building principles for a plural Malaysia which the nation’s founding fathers which included the first three premiers – Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak and Tun Hussein Onn.
The first three premiers have written into the Constitution and the Rukun Negara – constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy, separation of powers, rule of law, an independent judiciary, Islam as the official religion of the country and freedom of religion for other faiths, good governance, public integrity with minimum corruption, a clean and honest government, meritocracy, respect for human rights, an end to the various injustices.
Not to mention, inequalities in the country, a world-class economic, educational, health and social system, national unity, understanding and harmony from our multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural diversity.
Moreover, this may be the last chance for Malaysia to turn the corner and reverse the national decline of the last few decades and become a great world-class nation capable of producing world champions again.
I call on the youths of Penang to lead a movement for Malaysian transformation to be a world-class nation capable of producing world champions and be a role model to the world of inter-ethnic, inter-religious, inter-cultural and inter-civilisation dialogue, understanding, tolerance and harmony.
We must dare to dream big dreams and even more importantly, take steps to realise them. Regardless of whether we are Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak or Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh or Taoist, we must be “Malaysian” first.
Nobody is asking a Malaysian to cease to be a Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak or Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist but we must have a common overarching identity—that is, as Malaysians.
We want all Malaysians to unite as one, regardless of race, religion, region, age or gender as opposed to those who want to set race against race and religion against religion. – July 7, 2023
Veteran lawmaker and retired DAP supremo Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang was the former MP for Iskandar Puteri.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
