Hishammuddin: Unity comes first

KUALA LUMPUR: In a globalised and borderless world, the issue of unity must be given top priority, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. He said in this multi-racial and multi-religious country, the leaders must work hard to promote unity.
"This issue was close to my late father, Tun Hussein Onn's, heart," he said. "It was his priority in whatever post he held, not only as the Prime Minister but especially when he was the Education Minister."
Hishammuddin added that with the wide reach of social media, everyone, especially leaders, must take seriously the importance of reinforcing unity among the people.
He said the country risks chaos if it fails to protect what has been achieved through the hard work of former leaders.
He pointed out that today there are people walking around with a distorted view of religion and are ready to attack others at anytime.
Hishammuddin said his late father always believed that the post one holds is more important than the person himself.
"It was also a priority to put Malaysia on the world stage and this was successful because of Asean.
"As one nation, the countries in this region are small but 10 nations together they are a powerful force," he told reporters after witnessing the hand-over of the Tun Hussein Onn Memorial to the National Archives Department by UEM Edgenta today.
He said as the nation marches towards the TN50 goals the views held by his father on unity, commitment and honesty still remain relevant and important.
Hishammuddin, who is also the Special Functions Minister, urged the National Archives Department to hold displays of his late father's works and make them relevant to today's generation.
The minister also spoke about the threat faced in this region from returning IS fighters as they have been defeated in Syria and Iraq.
"They had attempted to set up an IS outpost in Marawi but were defeated by the Philippine army, this attempt shows that they pose a threat to this region," he said.
Hishammuddin said Asean defence ministers had a meeting in Philippines last week with their counterparts from the US, China, India, Korea and Japan on how to deal with these fighters.