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Malaysian PM Urges Muslims To Unite
KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad Sunday urged the Muslim nation to overlook their political differences and stand united for the well being of the country.
"Although we have various political parties whose members are Muslim - from the experience of Islam, there should not be any split," he said in a message marking the Muslim New Year on Monday, according to the Bernama news agency.
Mahathir noted that after the 1999 general elections separatist tendencies appeared on the national scene.
"Unity among the people is undermined by all sorts of pressures and extreme demands by certain groups," he said.
In the 1999 elections, the opposition Parti Islam Semalaysia (PAS) tripled its parliamentary seats to 27 and took control of a second state assembly, threatening the political dominance Mahathir's ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has enjoyed since independence in 1957.
The PAS is competing with the UMNO for support of Muslim Malays, who make up just over half the population. UMNO has called for unity talks with PAS, but the Islamic party has been averse and set conditions for talks.
Naming countries shattered by religious and racial conflicts, Mahathir said being divided would only threaten Malaysians
"As we celebrate this Maal Hijrah [Muslim New Year], let us renew our determination to improve and change ourselves towards attaining greater progress, success and most importantly, greater unity among us."
Unity, viewed as the key to the nation's strength, progress and stability, must be given due attention by all parties," he told reporters at the Islamic Center
"God willing, with solid unity we can build and develop the nation further and be a country to be reckoned with by our enemies," he added.
Five Indians and an Indonesian were killed during four days of ethnic violence that broke out March 8th in a poor area around Petaling Jaya town, west of Kuala Lumpur.
Fifty people were injured and some 315 arrested.
Although the majority of the population is Muslim, Malaysians also embrace Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Sikhism.
The Malaysian population is made up by various ethnic backgrounds, 58% of which are Malay, followed by Chinese with 26%, Indians at 7%, and other indigenous ethnicities at 9%.
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