Malaysia will become failed state if race, religious respect disregarded: Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will turn into a failed state the moment its citizens cast aside their respect and understanding among races and religions, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak (pix) said.
In stating this, Najib said the Federal Constitution was drafted by the nation's forefathers to allow people of diverse religions and races to live peacefully and harmoniously in the country.
He added the seed of unity had been planted by the founding fathers during the country's independence and the onus was on the future generation to ensure that the tree grown from it would not be brought down.
"If we cut down the tree, if we allow termites to destroy the tree, it will crumble and fall and all of us will lose our shelter. It means that Malaysia will become a failed state.
"But praise be to God, we are a success story and I am committed as your prime minister to continue this journey to make Malaysia even more successful," he said in his speech at the World Interfaith Harmony Week 2017 at Forest Research Institute Malaysia.
Najib said despite Islam being the official religion of the federation as stated in the constitution, adherents of other religions were guaranteed freedom to profess their beliefs.
He stressed that Malaysia would continue to be in the current state of peace and harmony if the citizens continue to preserve the spirit of unity enshrined in the constitution.
"We celebrate our moments of unity, we honour you from different faith, we honour your religion, we honour your culture and that is what Malaysia is all about," he said.
"There is no reason why we should be fighting among us if we are guided by the constitution," he added.
Najib also warned Malaysians not to sow the seed of hatred among other races, especially on their social media platforms.
"The constitution has stated that everyone can practice their faith peacefully, thus we should not insult them even on Facebook and Twitter," he said.