I FELT honoured that Sabah was picked to host the national-level Malaysia Day celebration over the weekend.
It signifies a major milestone for the country to be able to progress and set a path for the future generations to prosper and continue living in peace.
There were challenges and obstacles, but we surged forward with a strong sense of unity all these years since we agreed to the formation of the Federation of Malaysia on Sept 16 in 1963.
We have come a long way, saw our economy grow, our people making remarkable achievements in many fields, villages, towns and districts evolve, but yet retain our unique cultures and traditions.
People in Sabah fly the Jalur Gemilang with pride because it is with this nation that we embraced each other despite our diversities in the last 54 years.
When Malaysia hosted the 29th Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur recently, we celebrated its major success followed with the grand National Day that rekindled that sense of being an independent nation.
To make the Sea Games success more momentous, we had our athletes contributing medals to the country, including 10 gold of the 145 we won in the multi sports event.
They are now a symbol of what every Malaysian citizen in Sabah aspires to do for the country with all the sacrifices they go through, the hardwork, dedication and discipline.
There are people from this state who are in the armed forces, the police, teaching, civil service, healthcare, agriculture, innovators, entrepreneurs and much more, with dreams of making Malaysia a more successful and peaceful nation.
Sabah has and continues to play a role in Malaysia’s success. One of our greatest contributions is the unity and harmony that we practise in Sabah, serving as an example for Malaysia.
I wish to call on Malaysians in Sabah to uphold the unity that we have here and to reject efforts that 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, with certain stories taken out of context and shared repeatedly creating uneasiness among those who read such news, which is often not verified.
Despite attempts by certain quarters to undermine the unity that we have built, I remain confident that Malaysians will stay firm in putting our differences aside.
Parochial ways of thinking prevent us from striving to achieve more for this nation. As Malay-
sians, we all need to support each other and instill mutual respect for our fellow countrymen, regardless of race, religion or which state they come from.
The strong relations the Sabah government enjoys with the Federal Government has allowed for more development in the state. As we move forward, I hope to see the development gap between Sabah and the rest of the nation narrow significantly.
These are plans and policies that should be embraced and not met with suspicion. I constantly remind the state civil service to give its best in ensuring that projects and programmes planned for Sabah can be implemented without delay or bureaucratic obstacles.
Security is a matter that we take seriously, and a lot of efforts have been put into strengthening the Eastern Sabah Security Command to ensure our sovereignty is not compromised.
Such assurance is needed for locals to go about their day to day activities and instill confidence in investors as well as tourists.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak joined us for the Malaysia Day celebration in Likas, and that capped the event for me, as his presence showed how important the event was.
He was the one who made it more meaningful for all of us when in 2009 he made a decision to make Malaysia Day a national holiday from 2010 — giving recognition to Sabah and Sarawak as important partners in this federation.
The prime minister had just returned from a significant visit to the United States, where he met President Donald Trump, followed by a meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May.
Both meetings indicate how world leaders see Malaysia as a symbol of moderation and an advocate of peace, apart from a progressive nation that only wants the best for its people and to soar in the global arena.
Things can only get better with close international ties that are based on mutual economic interests and, more importantly, friendship.
The US and the United Kingdom have long been partners with Sabah in conservation efforts and educational development.
With all these in place and with the leaders of the nations sitting together fostering ties, we can look forward to future endeavours that aim to make this world a better place to live.
The writer is Sabah chief minister