By Nur Shazreena Ali, Natasha Jee & Nazmi Suhaimi
KUCHING: A defence white paper will highlight the responsibilities of all Malaysians to preserve racial harmony and protect the country.
This was announced by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his speech during the 56th Malaysia Day celebration at Stadium Perpaduan here last night.
He said the white paper was significant in that it enables all Malaysians to contribute to the country’s defence.
“Protecting national security is not only the responsibility of the government, but indeed a collective one.
“By coming up with the white paper, every level of society would be able to understand the importance of their roles in preserving harmony and protecting national security,” he said.
The white paper, which Dr Mahathir said is still being processed, was necessary to address pertinent issues especially national maritime security.
“We are bounded by three main maritime passageways — the Strait of Malacca, South China Sea and Sulu Sea.
“Malaysia as a maritime country is not a new concept. History has recorded how we were selected as the gateway from East to West and West to East. And Malaysia has the potential today to become the gateway to the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean,” he said.
On the Shared Prosperity Vision 2021-2030, the prime minister said recent national economic policies would emphasise raising the skills of Malaysians so that they become more affluent and to reduce disparity between the states.
“We hope all states will continue to support our efforts for a greater Malaysia,” he concluded.
