Unity is a collective effort

THE Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s National Day Facebook posting rightly stressed that the collective duty to build unity must be always kept in mind by all citizens and institutions as, indeed, harmony is the key to stability and prosperity (“Collective duty to build unity”, The Star, Sept 1; online at bit.ly/star_all).

The government, its agencies, Parliament, and all our institutions must always be conscious of the need to defend the rights of all citizens as a means of fostering unity. In fact, I hope all Malaysians will heed the King’s advice that it is the joint responsibility of all of us not only to preserve unity but to also fuel it among ourselves. Perhaps the wise mantra that “Men build too many walls and not enough bridges” is something we must all keep in mind.

At the top, what is called for are leaders who recognise that good nation-building is not just about managing big economic infrastructure projects but also to soundly manage social infrastructure such as the level of harmony and unity. For ordinary Malaysians, moderation and tolerance are the key requirements.

SZE LOONG STEVE NGEOW

Kajang, Selangor