Bring back the spirit of 'muhibbah', says Lee Lam Thye

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Malaysians must bring back and promote the spirit of "muhibbah", or goodwill, which has been the identity of Malaysians before and after Independence, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

The trustee of the Malaysia Unity Foundation said that Malaysians should not emphasise on racial lines, or to look at every issue from a racial angle and drum up racial sentiment because all these will lead to uneasiness, tension and eventually will affect national unity.

He said that adopting a racial approach on everything is a recipe for disaster.

"We must not allow this to happen in our beloved nation. Put a stop to all racial approaches, don’t be ethnic heroes but be ethnic bridges to build inter-racial understanding and harmony.

"The ‘muhibah’ spirit will only flourish when people of different ethnicities and religions respect each other and are always conscious and aware of their religious and cultural sensitivities, ” he said in a statement Friday (Oct 25).

Lee’s statement came in response to the various racial issues that have cropped up of late, which could threaten the harmonious relations between people of various races and religions in this country.

"The most urgent task for all Malaysians at the moment, regardless of race, religion and political affiliation, is to maintain racial and religious harmony and to reject all forms of extremism that can undermine racial and religious harmony, ” he added. - Bernama