KUCHING, Feb 25: Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud urges Malaysian Muslim Chinese Association (Macma) Sarawak to recruit more educated Chinese so it will be relevant to the state’s development.
Speaking during Macma Sarawak’s Chinese New Year 2018 dinner at a hotel here on Saturday night, he said being a minority group did not mean that they could only play small roles in the state’s development plans.
In fact, he added, smaller groups were easier to manage and easier to work with, and when members consist of professionals and are highly educated, they could contribute more.
“You will have challenging times in the future because of the demand for members to get as many opportunities and access to the learning of Islam for younger members.
“Therefore I urge you to attract and bring in more educated Chinese Muslims to make the association more active and more Sarawakian in character, and to strengthen your relationship with other communities so that you, like any other group in Sarawak, can become an important member of the state,” said Taib.
He also acknowledged Macma’s contribution to the state through its liberal outlook and ability to bring the Chinese community and the Muslim community closer.
“It is a reflection of our peaceful attitude towards our people that can contribute towards a better society in our struggle to make Sarawak and Malaysia as a whole a better place.
“I’ve been lucky to serve Sarawak for some time as its chief minister, and this is one of Sarawak’s features that I regard to be the most valuable of all and I think it stands out as probably an example of how a state with nearly 30 racial groups can function together, meet each other, and participate in each other’s celebrations, which really brings about a much greater interaction among our people,” said Taib.
He also urge members to open up and work together with other non-Muslim communities to have collective ideas and wisdom that could contribute greatly not only to their respective communities but also the the state and the country in future developments.
“That is how we should look at Sarawak — a multi-racial multi-religious compilation of society that is able to build Sarawak to become the best, and I believe this year we can be the best in Malaysia,” said Taib. — DayakDaily
