PM: Funds for Indians proves 1 Malaysia real
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today said his commitment to develop Batu Caves and Brickfields for the benefit of the Indian community showed that 1 Malaysia was not just talk.
Najib said the government’s RM6.9 million allocation to Batu Caves for landscaping and amenities upgrades as well as the Little India facelift in Brickfields showed that his administration “acknowledged and respected” Indian contributions to Malaysia.
“This is proof that the 1 Malaysia concept I introduced is not just a slogan [or] political rhetoric,” he said here.
The prime minister said his presence at Batu Caves today showed that Malaysia had gone beyond the first two levels of multiracialism — mere tolerance and then acceptance of diversity — to approach the third and highest level.
“If we are able to celebrate our diversity, we have reached the ultimate in terms of accepting diversity as a source of strength for our nation,” he said.
He called on the Indian community to ensure that Malaysia remained united, saying the country could only achieve greater success through firm belief in multiculturalism.
“If all races have one dream, one people, one nation, 1 Malaysia… we will be able to translate this into reality,” he said.
