KUCHING, Feb 9: The Society for Tolerance and Awareness Kuching (Softaa) is looking to work with the police in its outreach programme to curb social ills.
The society, in a statement, said it is looking forward to working with the police and other federal government agencies in curbing and reducing social illness activities pertaining to drug cases.
The association is planning to pay a courtesy call on Minister in Prime Minister’s Department for National Unity and Social Wellbeing, Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy, in due time to share the ultimate goal of working together with the ministry to promote, protect, represent and advance the interests of Sarawakian on multicultural society.
Its chairman Datuk Dr Tiki Lafe addressed members on concern over the issues of race and religion, as well as Malaysia’s current ethnic tensions that was rising in Peninsular Malaysia during the society’s annual general meeting recently.
“Malaysia is well known for being a multiethnic, multicultural, and multilingual society. There are many ethnic groups in Malaysia, which maintain separate cultural identities yet living together in peace and harmony.
“However, there are certain extremist group which has attempted to drive Malaysians apart using race and religion issues. There were also certain groups trying to divide the communities to garner political support,” he was quoted as saying at the meeting.
Although Malaysia is a multiracial country, Dr Tiki noted that there are few issues related to racism and religion that had happened in the past, as well as in the present.
Hence, the society is committed to preserve the culture of tolerance in a multicultural society under the spirit of the “New Malaysia”, he said.
Apart from Dr Tiki elected as Softaa chairman, the society also appointed eight new committee members who will lead the society for the next three years.
They are Mohammad Yusof Baharuddin as deputy chairman, Datuk Robert Jamal Yapik as vice chairman, Mark Murau Sumon as the secretary-general, who will be assisted Herbert Rayon, while Stanley Dingin is the treasurer.
Softaa said they will be joined by two ordinary committee members namely Datuk George Martin and Daisy Fruelin Nicholas Anyut. — DayakDaily
