Najib pointed out that national reconciliation did not belong solely to the government as it was no longer the era of "government knows best".
It was a concept, he said, that belonged to the people, hence all Malaysians must play a role if they wanted peace and harmony.
"Our grandparents understood this and have been doing this for decades but we appear to be paying less attention to this today.
"If you want a better nation, if you want to have your faith restored in one another, then take the steps needed to do it.
"Once you do this, it will not matter who says what or which group makes silly demands, because you will know how you, your neighbours and by extension, how most Malaysians feel," the prime minister said.
Najib drove home the point that if Malaysians felt united as a people, the extremists, regardless of who they were and what they did, would get no traction.
"Destroy them by having faith in yourself and your fellow Malaysians," the prime minister said.
He noted that since he announced the government's plan for national reconciliation, he had been touched by the reaction of the people who had expressed their very strong support and encouragement for a more cohesive and united Malaysia.
Najib said most people would recall that immediately after the 13th general election, he was the first to call for national reconciliation while others were only concerned with questioning the legitimacy of the elections, which had been proven to be completely baseless.
"It was not an idle call. After months of quiet work on it, we're now almost ready to implement our plan of action," the prime minister said.
He noted that the opposition and various groups had made suggestions on how to proceed and he thanked everyone for their input, which would be considered.
"The NRP will help steer the course of national unity in this country and I invite everyone to continue supporting the government's initiatives," he added. - Bernama
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