KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has and will continue to play a role in Malaysia’s success, with what the state deems as one of its greatest contributions to the nation – its practice of unity and harmony.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, in his National Day message, said he remained confident despite attempts by certain quarters to undermine the unity that Malaysians have built, and that the people will stand firm in putting their differences aside.
"In the last 60 years, Malaysia has transformed itself from a country that depended on just a few primary economic sectors, to one that has a broad based economy with diverse interests and undertakings in order to remain competitive.
"Standards of living and income levels have grown, and more Malaysians are now better educated and generally enjoy a higher standard of living.
"I wish to call on Malaysians in Sabah to uphold the unity that we have here and to reject efforts by certain quarters to sow hatred by using religion and race as issues to tear the people apart.
"It is worrying to note that such hatred is being spread through social media platforms, with certain stories taken out of context and shared repeatedly, creating uneasiness among those who read such news, which is often not verified," he said.
As unity in Sabah is one of its strength, he urged the people to not lose the faith by supporting calls that lead to disharmony.
"Taking to the streets, rallies and demonstrations are not part of our culture and are disruptive, divisive and can be destructive," Musa added.
He said such unity is reflected when Malaysians came forward in support of the country's athletes in the 29th Sea Games which saw Malaysia top the medal tally with the most number of gold.
"I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate all our athletes who have worked so hard to achieve great things and who have made our country proud.
"I also wish to call on us in Sabah to think as Malaysians and to work with one another to collectively take this country to greater heights.
"Parochial ways of thinking prevent us from striving to achieve more for this nation.
"As Malaysians, we all need to support each other and to instil mutual respect for our fellow countrymen, regardless of race, religion or which state they come from," he stressed.
He also expressed hope to see the development gap between Sabah and the rest of the nation narrow significantly with the current implementation of various plans and policies.
"These are plans and policies that should be embraced and not met with suspicion.
"I constantly remind the state's civil service to give its best in ensuring that all projects and programmes planned for Sabah can be implemented without delay or bureaucratic obstacles so as to benefit the people.
"Security is also a matter that we take seriously and a lot of efforts have been put into the strengthening the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) in order to ensure our sovereignty is not compromised," he added.