MELAKA: The Unity Week celcebration has proven to have a significant impact as a key platform for Malaysians of various races, cultures and languages to come together, relax and strengthen national harmony.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the signature programme, now approaching its third year, successfully created a space for people from diverse backgrounds to gather in one place.
"This year's Unity Week celebration was more distinctive as it was implemented by zones, with each zone involving states that showcased their own cultural and heritage strengths," he told reporters after officiating the 2026 Southern Zone Unity Week Celebration and the 2026 National-level Community Archives programme at the Independence Declaration Memorial Square in Banda Hilir here on Saturday (May 9).
He said his ministry continuously carried out post-programme studies and analyses to assess the effectiveness of the initiative, particularly in terms of public response and acceptance, adding that progress had been very encouraging with participation numbers rising every year.
The impact of national unity was not measured solely through physical programmes, he said, but was also assessed holistically through the Unity Index, which considered governance and socio-economic development as key indicators.
Based on the index, Aaron said Pahang recorded the highest unity score, driven by the state's strong economy and well-established social cohesion.
In comparison, he said Sarawak's level of social harmony was excellent and free of racial issues, although the region's index reading was also affected by gaps in basic infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity supply, as well as issues related to the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Meanwhile, commenting on the Community Archives Celebration, he said it aimed to bring archives closer to society by involving communities in documenting and preserving historical materials and the country's heritage.
"The purpose is to involve communities at the grassroots level in submitting or collecting their historical and heritage materials so that they can be preserved by the National Archives," he said.
He said that as of last March, the National Archives of Malaysia's community collection had reached 309,740 items, including documents, photographs, publications, audiovisual materials and personal artefacts.
For the period from January to December last year, he said 6,296 collection items were received from prominent figures, individuals, families and organisations.
Among the important collections received were a letter from Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles dated 1810, the Tengku Omar Ibni Sultan Ahmad Shah collection dated 1848 and the collection of language figure Za'aba from 1903.
Aaron said the largest collection received so far belonged to the late Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, involving 21,331 archival materials, while Tengku Omar's letter collection was also recognised under UNESCO's MOWCAP Regional Register 2024.
"For this year, we will focus on several programmes including documentation of Bajau cultural heritage in Semporna, Community Archives @ Kampung Warna-Warni in Perlis and documentation of Sarawak drums (bermukun) in Kuching," he said.
In a related development, he said the ministry had been entrusted with an important mandate under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) to drive a new direction, namely nation-building, following the success of various community-based programmes implemented.
He said various small-scale activities and engagement sessions had already begun to give the public a clearer understanding of the nation-building concept.
"We respect one another and this diversity of beliefs is upheld as a strength for us to remain united. It is not something new, but rather an effort to restore the original foundation of Malaysia's formation," he said. – Bernama
