KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged Malaysians to stay united and embrace diversity ahead of the Deepavali celebrations tomorrow, as he said the opposition was attempting to racialise development funding for the country’s minority communities.
Speaking to thousands at the Madani Deepavali Open House in Brickfields here, Anwar said the progress Malaysia has achieved would have been impossible without unity among its multiracial population.
“This multiracial, multireligious character is very fundamental. We take it for granted, we assume it’s part of our tradition and culture, but we would be wrong. This is unique to Malaysia, and we must do whatever is necessary to preserve this unity and the affection that we have for all races in this country,” he said.
“It’s not easy to navigate a multiracial country like ours. When we raise some funds for the Bumiputera, the Chinese will say something. When we give more projects to the Indians, the Malays will claim they have been abandoned,” the prime minister added.
He said such narratives could be heard from rural areas to cities, including in Parliament.
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