KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 – The MIC has proposed that the annual Malaysia Day on Sept 16 be renamed 1 Malaysia Day to signify its importance of unifying all Malaysians, party president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.
He said it would also “institutionalise” the 1 Malaysia concept mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and make it a permanent feature on the Malaysian map.
“1 Malaysia is not only about unifying the various races in the country, but should also be about unifying the various states of Malaysia as one,” he said in a statement here today.
Last Monday, Najib declared Malaysia Day as a national public holiday from next year. The prime minister said Malaysia Day was celebrated annually on Sept 16 to commemorate the formation of the federation of Malaysia following the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak in 1963.
Samy Vellu also appealed to Najib to consider declaring Thaipusam a national public holiday. He said while some quarters might argue that Malaysia had too many holidays, the Hindus had been appealing for many years to have Thaipusam declared a public holiday.
Thaipusam is a public holiday only in a few states including Selangor, Penang and the Federal Territory.
“I hope the prime minister will consider granting the wishes of the one million Hindus in the country,” he said, adding that it would reflect the government’s seriousness in meeting the needs of the Indian community.
Samy Vellu said he had raised the matter several times with the government and would continue to do so “until Thaipusam is declared a national public holiday”. – Bernama
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