KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — The state of peace and stability in Malaysia as well as the international arena must be upheld through integration, mutual respect and mutual understanding between different people, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Noting that it must win out over the fragmentation and isolation of minds, he cautioned that it would not happen by default.

“Every one of us has to be responsible for finding common space to share with others, in small, everyday ways as well as in the big ideas and aspirations that govern our lives.

“Each of us has to use our mind and actions to create a reality of openness. That’s our responsibility,” he said when closing the two-day Umno International Forum 2013 held in conjunction with the annual Umno General Assembly, here today.

Muhyiddin (picture), who is Umno deputy president, said he believed that the principle of moderation would continue to provide lasting peace, harmony and stability for Malaysia and the world community.

This required the coalition of the willing among the moderates of the world to persistently promote moderation as a global value, Muhyiddin said.

In the speech, which dwelt at length on the virtues of moderation, he pointed out that extremism was taking lives and crushing economic opportunities in many places around the world.

“We’ve seen how uneven economic opportunities cause alienation and instability. Poverty and inequality have a destabilising and corrosive effect on societies,” he said.

For peace to prevail, he said, all parties must set their minds towards levelling the field of competition and creating opportunities for people to realise their dreams, irrespective of their economic background.

“By committing to the cause of moderation, we can bring an end to the immediate suffering — be it in Syria, Palestine or in the wider world,” Muhyiddin said.

In the case of Malaysia, Muhyiddin said political moderation had been the pillar of Malaysia’s success in dealing with ethnic and religious diversity.

He said that despite being a plural society, the country had so far been successful in maintaining peace and averting conflict by promoting moderation as a national culture.

“We’ve learnt our lessons well in managing race relations in the country.  We’ve gone through some tough times but mostly good sense prevailed.

“While it’s true that we’re the poster boy of race relation in a multiracial country, we must work harder to manage that,” he noted.

Present were Umno vice-presidents Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, party secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Umno International Forum chairperson Datuk Dr Norraesah Mohamad. — Bernama