PROMOTE 'RACIAL-AND-RELIGIOUS HARMONY',

MALAYSIANS must continue to preserve and promote 'racial-and-religious harmony', at all cost, said Gerakan Sabah Chairman, Datuk Gordon Leong Vui Cheung.

This is absolutely crucial towards ensuring continuous peace, harmony and progress in a unique multiracial country like Malaysia, he stressed.

“Malaysia is a truly unique country where people irrespective of all races and religious beliefs can live together harmoniously in the true spirit of 1-Malaysia, with Sabah being a proud living example and role model, as acknowledged in several occasions by our YAB Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“The many festive celebrations celebrated by all Malaysians throughout the year in Malaysia, especially in Sabah and Chinese New Year, being one of them, clearly epitomize that multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-religious harmony is indeed a reality in Malaysia.

“Hence, we should all be proud of our nation’s multi-ethnic and multi-religious diversity, not least because such diversity is our strength rather than a liability,” he stressed.

He stressed this in his Chinese New Year message issued here today.

Acknowledging that moderation and inclusivity are keys to Malaysia’s success, he asserted that all moderate Malaysians from all religious beliefs and all walks of life, must stand together to jointly combat extremism and other social ills.

Gordon continued that Gerakan Sabah is hopeful that the lunar “Year of the Water Dragon” will be filled with positive and powerful energy and vibe of the mystical Water Dragon, for Malaysia to propel its economy and development to greater height, especially with the on-going transformation programs which the Prime Minister has introduced and spearheaded in his relentless quest to transform Malaysia into a high income developed nation by 2020.

He went on to stress that with the current gloomy global economy, Malaysians from all walks of lives should work ever more closely together towards achieving a more positive, energetic, vibrant and healthy economic development, to be steered by domestic and foreign investment and upward consumption through the various transformation programs under the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in order for Malaysia to be a resilient and progressive nation.

“Government leaders, the civil servants, the business community and entrepreneurs and the people should be united as one economic force to pursue the national agenda, seriously and aggressively, to ensure that these economic plans could take off the ground, and eventually yield great positive returns to the country and the people,” he said.

On behalf of Gerakan Sabah, he wished the people of Malaysia, Sabahans in particular, a "blessed-and-prosperous "Year of the Water Dragon.

“As the Chinese Lunar year of the Rabbit draws to an end, we look forward to an energetic vibrant and prosperous Chinese Lunar New Year of the Water Dragon which hopefully will bring abundance of blessings, wealth, good health, joy, success, love, and healthy economy for the people of Malaysia under the capable leadership of Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak,” he said.