JANUARY 24 — Festivals, food, friendship and celebration of diversity just as much as football keep Malaysians united.
Last year was stressful, where we were forced to see heightened racism, play of religion on politics, political infighting and everything else that threatened to split the country down the middle.
But during festivals, we come together on a common ground to wish each other well and to hope for a new dawn.
We are set to celebrate Chinese New Year on Saturday where the spirit of friendship and camaraderie will, once again, help string us together as fellow citizens and humans.
And in celebrating unity in diversity, we learn to accept and respect each other just as we are and give thanks for the privilege to enjoy different cultures and festivities.
The year of the rat is symbolic of fertility as rats are known for reproducing large numbers of offspring.
So this year, let’s disengage with toxic politics and instead keep our minds fertile by coming up with creative ideas to engage with each other, to build the economy and share the country’s bounty amongst all of us equitably.
Gong Xi Fa Cai
* Charles Santiago is Member of Parliament for Klang.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
