1MALAYSIA PROVIDES FAIR STARTING POINT, SAYS PM

PUTRAJAYA, April 28 (Bernama) -- The 1Malaysia concept is aimed at, among
other things, providing a fair starting point for people with potential to
obtain government assistance regardless of their ethnic group or whether they
are from the urban or rural areas, Najib Razak said Tuesday.

The prime minister said a child from a poor family, regardless of ethnicity
and whether from the urban or rural areas, who has potential had the right to
obtain government assistance compared to children of the haves who would surely
have the best opportunities for an education.

"Meaning, we can offer a start by providing a level playing field but we, as
the government, are unable to guarantee the same outcome," he said at the 10th
Civil Service premier event at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre
here.

In other words, he said, the government could not play the role of parents,
family or the local community, and the government could not also stand in for
the need, want, effort and resolve of a student or trader or entrepreneur to
succeed.

"What the government can do is to provide a fair starting point. In short,
the main principles underlining 1Malaysia are togetherness and a sense of
belonging in one large family," he said.

Najib said that under the 1Malaysia concept, every Malaysian eligible for
and in need of aid would be helped.

"No one will be marginalised," he said, adding that no one should assume
that they were second-class citizens in this country.

He said this was because every Malaysian was a potential human capital
important to the country and that everyone of them should be helped as best as
they could be.

Every citizen, he said, had their respective rights and responsibilities as
enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

"Citizenship does not only underline rights but also demands responsibility.
Let not anyone be taken up with demanding their rights and forget their
responsibility as citizens," he said.

Najib said that under the 1Malaysia concept, the government had to ensure
that no Malaysian was left unattended.

"For the government, meritocracy does not mean being fair blindly. Moreover,
fairness means putting something in its rightful place," he said.

He said the concept did not ever deviate from what had been enshrined in the
laws of the land, such as the Federal Constitution, and the principles of the
Rukun Negara (National Principles).

"Like it or not, we have to acknowledge that the plurality of society is a
reality that should be accepted. This is the basis of the 1Malaysia concept,
acknowledging the reality and making it a platform to achieve success after
success," he said.

He said Malaysia had been successful because the plurality of society had
been turned into a source of strength although many countries had crumbled due
to the plurality factor.

Najib said the people had, in fact, experienced how mismanagement of the
plurality of society had almost destroyed the nation during the May 13 tragedy
of 1969 (racial riots).

He also said that the concept was not something new as it was a continuation
of what had been championed during the era of the first prime minister, Tunku
Abdul Rahman.
-- BERNAMA