KUALA LUMPUR: Media agencies have urged the National Unity and Education Ministries to spearhead efforts in organising Unity Day celebrations in all schools across Malaysia.
Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai said the Unity Day programme initiated by Wesley Methodist School Kuala Lumpur, now in its fourth year, should serve as a model for promoting unity among schools.
He said the initiative has received positive responses from the media, which has been participating in the programme and making it a success.
"The Wesley Methodist school has been organising the programme for four years now, and I have been actively involved in this programme.
"As I mentioned earlier, it would be good if other schools follow suit and organise programmes like the National Unity Day celebration.
"We hope that the two ministries can consider adopting this proposal," he told a press conference today at the National Unity Day celebration.
Meanwhile, New Straits Times Press (NSTP) group managing editor Datuk Ahmad Zaini Kamaruzzaman affirmed the media's commitment to bolster such endeavours in fostering unity.
He also encouraged ministries to take concrete steps in implementing comprehensive programmes towards this goal.
"NSTP will fully support programmes like this, and we urge the Education and National Unity Ministries to organise more comprehensive programmes.
"The media will play its part in assisting ministries and the country in fostering unity within the nation."
Present at the event were Deputy National Unity Minister K. Saraswathy, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka board of director's chairman Datuk Dr Anwar Ridhwan and Datuk Tuan Asmawi Tuan Umar from Yayasan Prihatin Nasional.
Saraswathy also launched the school's unity-themed book, an anthology of poems titled "Let's Build, Never Destroy."
The book, compiled by Dr Sundarappandian Velusamy and Chloe Fong Tze Xuan, contains 109 poems contributed by 102 poets, including 69 students, 33 teachers, and 11 guest poets, among them being Wong and Zaini.