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4th June, 2012
PAKAN (Sarawak): Malaysia’s success in uniting the people of various races and religions can make the country a model for other countries of the world, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said yesterday.
He said the success of uniting the people in every aspect has earned the admiration of world leaders, including from developed countries such as the United States.
“Malaysia can be a model for the world. This is not what the Barisan Nasional (BN) is saying, much less the opposition. Outsiders are recognising our success. The success is a fact and a reality,” he said when addressing the 3,000 residents of the Rumah George anak Chunggut Nanga Nansang longhouse and nearby areas of Pakan, here.
He said two United States’ senators who visited Malaysia recently had expressed admiration for the success of the BN government in maintaining harmony among the people of the country.
Najib said the 1Malaysia concept had been in existence for a long time among the people of the various races in the country, and was more obvious and evident in the lives of the people of Sarawak.
Najib said the celebration of community festivals in the country, such as “Gawai Dayak”, reflected the diversity of cultures well-accepted by the people anywhere in the country.
“We celebrate the Gawai Dayak today, thankful that Malaysia is recognised as a successful country. Before I initiated the 1Malaysia concept, Sarawak had already been practising the concept,” he said.
He also said that in the three years that he has been the prime minister, much development and progress had been brought to Sarawak, including in the interior areas.
As such, to ensure that the development can continue, the BN should be given a fresh mandate in the next general election because the development required heavy expenditure and some time for implementation.
“We have to have a fresh mandate. If we can do so much in three years, we can surely bring about a major transformation in Sarawak over the next five years,” he said.
Najib, who was fascinated by the local song “Berkikis Bulu Betis”, said the song was unique in the sense that it portrayed the determination of the Sarawak people to rise up in the face of challenges.
As a form of recognition for the song, written by Andrewson Ngalai, Najib said he hoped that it could be turned into a national song and sung on Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day.
Also present at the event were Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president and Sarawak Social Development Minister Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom.
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