KUCHING: Sarawakians have been urged to continue to preserve peace and harmony and avoid any racial and religious extremism among the multiracial and multi-religious people in the state.
The Head of State, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, said that the peace and harmony enjoyed by the people now is the result of tolerance and mutual respect among people of different races, cultures, and religions.
“This is our privilege in Sarawak and it is something we should be proud of. At the same time, we should express our gratitude to Allah SWT because Sarawak has become an example for the rest of our country, Malaysia, where everyone can celebrate our diversity and uniqueness in all festivals in Sarawak, whether it’s Hari Raya, Gawai Dayak, Christmas, Hari Wesak, or Chinese New Year,” he said in the Hari Raya 2023 message today.
Sarawak, he said, has also been an example as it is the only region in the country that has established a Unit for Other Religions (UNIFOR), where the religious needs of Muslims and non-Muslims are well taken care of.
“We should all be proud of what we have, and at the same time, we must appreciate and preserve this unique treasure, which is the unique spirit of unity of Sarawakians,” he said.
He also said that the harmony achieved can be seen through the close cooperation between all races in daily life, whether in terms of socio-economics, politics or in our public service.
“Therefore, I hope that the spirit of unity and harmony of the people of Sarawak will continue to be strong as we move towards a more advanced society by the year 2030,” he said.
Taib also called upon all levels of society to unite under the leadership of the Sarawak government led by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg so that the latter can continue to lead Sarawak to a more advanced and prosperous level.
“Under his leadership, we have successfully overcome the COVID-19 epidemic. And now, he and his Cabinet colleagues are taking us towards the status of a developed region by 2030.
“Therefore, I am very confident that by 2030, we will achieve our vision of having a high-income economy, where we expect our people to enjoy high incomes, better lives, and better levels of health and well-being through the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, which focuses on the digital economy, green technology, and sustainable environment,” he said.
Lastly, he called on celebrants to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri with full gratitude and joy to God for being able to celebrate it in a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere together with all the people of Sarawak.
