|
6th September, 2010
TELUPID: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) sees the 1Malaysia concept as a uniting factor that transcends race, religion and geographical origins.
PBS secretary-general Henrynus Amin said there was no need to doubt 1Malaysia as it was synonymous with PBS’ theme, “Patriotism as the basis for unity”.
“1Malaysia is a national strategy to narrow the gap that divides the nation in terms of vision and expectation by being patriotic.
“1Malaysia is to love Malaysia and to love Malaysia is to be patriotic.”
Speaking to PBS members and supporters when opening the PBS Labuk annual general meeting, here, yesterday, he said contrary to allegations, 1Malaysia was not a call to create a common race, a common religion or a common language.
“Certainly, it is not intended to dilute the rights of any particular racial group in spite of the rhetoric.”
Henrynus said 1Malaysia was a serious call for all Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion and geographical origins to unite in vision and resolve to love, protect and build Malaysia.
He thus challenged Malaysians to set aside their political ideologies to work together to build and ensure the success of this nation.
He said under the 1Malaysia approach, PBS expected the leadership of the country to be moderate, sensitive and responsive to the demands of the people irrespective of race, religion and geographical background.
“PBS has no fear or doubt about 1Malaysia because the party believes that the same philosophy had guided the founding forefathers of Malaysia to establish a strong, democratic and successful nation.
“The Malays, Chinese, Indians, and the Bumiputeras of Sabah and Sarawak may have different expectations, but they are bonded by the common goal to love, protect and build lasting peace, racial harmony and economic prosperity for the nation,” he said.
He acknowledged that there were emerging issues or discontent, especially among the young, as reflected in the outcome of the last general election.
But he said conflicting expectations, agendas or differences of opinion were the hallmark of a healthy democratic society, where racial, religious and ideological issues were resolved through political dialogues, consensus and other democratic means.
Henrynus said PBS placed its confidence in the wisdom of Malaysians and the foresight of the political leadership to steer the country in the right direction.
PBS, he said, welcomed the vision of the prime minister to achieve a high-income economy for Malaysia under the framework of the New Economic Model.
“But these noble goals cannot be achieved without a change of mindsets and developing the desired national character and competence.”
Henrynus said: “‘1Malaysia: People First, Performance Now’, is also a national strategy of investing in human capital development to achieve a high-income economy.
“It is not the mere possession of knowledge, skills and natural resources that make a nation rich and prosper, but more importantly, having the right mindset, character and competence to use the valuable resources to generate wealth to enrich the country.”
|
