DAP’s challenge is to ensure that Malaysia’s “masyarakat madani” under the Anwar unity government is one that will make Malaysia a first-rate world-class nation guided by democracy, the rule of law, good governance, anti-corruption, and a global economic and education system

I wish Kepong DAP happy and productive Chinese New Year.

We are in challenging times. We must ensure that the Anwar unity government can last five years, but even more important, we must ensure that Malaysia’s “masyarakat madani” under the Anwar unity government is one that will make Malaysia a first-rate world-class nation guided by democracy, the rule of law, good governance, anti-corruption, and a global economic and education system.

I have been in the DAP for 58 years, starting when I was a young man, with dreams for a fair, just, and united plural Malaysia.

When I was in school in the fifties, we were educated to be Malayans and then Malaysians, and not just to be Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, and Dayaks.

We will continue to be Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, and Dayaks, which is our ethnic identity. We will also continue to be Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or Christians, which is our religious identity. But we have a common national identity as Malaysians.

Malaysia can only be great if we can unite as Malaysians, combining the strength of our diverse ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural identities to make Malaysia a world-class nation for the good of the people and the world.

DAP must constantly adapt to the challenges of the times.

We must remain the party of all Malaysians who want Malaysia to find unity in diversity, where Malaysians whether inside or outside the country are proud to be Malaysians.

There was a time when it was an embarrassment to be a Malaysian in the world. We must make sure that this belong to the past, and such an embarrassing situation will never return in the future.

We want all Malaysians, with diverse ethnic, religious, linguistic, and cultural identities, to be Malaysian First, rather than Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak or Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian first.

This is what the Constitution and the Rukun Negara taught us. We must reset and return to these nation-building principles.

Let us not forget that the nation’s founding fathers want us to build a great Malaysian nation — and not a great Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak or Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or Christian nation.

This is why former Cabinet Minister, Rafidah Aziz, entitled her autobiography as “Malaysian First”.