Assalamualaikum and Salam Sejahtera. Happy New Year and welcome again to 1Malaysia.com.my.

I am delighted to be able to speak to you again as we say goodbye to 2008 and bid welcome to 2009. It is now nearly four months since 1Malaysia.com.my was launched and how interesting those months have been. Many of you sent in your messages and comments to me on various issues and whenever I go through them, I feel encouraged that so many Malaysians want to be engaged and are interested to participate in building this nation by sharing their thoughts and views.

Early in our dialogue, we established that the purpose of this site was the exploration of our unique diversity - the celebration of Malaysia's varied races, religions and pursuits - and to discuss the adjustments that we must continually make to accomplish our goal of creating a stronger, more unified Malaysia.

It is this diversity that enables Malaysia to both respond to change and create positive improvements through the power of our unified voices. And those voices are absolutely critical at this juncture as our nation faces significant challenges ahead.

The still unfolding global economic crisis remains our most pressing challenge. Although Malaysia is well-prepared to meet it, the reality is that the crisis began outside of our control and the depth of its impact will also be determined by outside forces.

To prepare for this economic challenge, we have introduced a number of initiatives, including a targeted stimulus package, income enhancement measures, guaranteeing your saving deposits and price reduction campaigns. This will also allow Malaysia to revisit and reengineer our capital market and financial landscape, where necessary, in such a rapidly developing global market. We stand ready to introduce additional stimulus measures if and when the need arises. Collectively, these represent a powerful boost to our economic engine.

Those are some of Malaysia's responses to this economic crisis. As the government acts prudently and vigilantly in managing this problem from a macro perspective, I ask each of us to reflect on ways we, as individuals, can better economically prepare ourselves, our families and our communities in ensuring our economic liveability comforts for the coming year.

But challenging though the prospects may be, a new year brings with it the promise of hope and renewal. God-willing (insya-Allah) various reforms and improvements in government will be implemented in response to the call of Malaysians for greater efficiency and accountability. 2009 will likely see various changes taking place all of which will be geared towards fulfilling our aspirations and taking Malaysia fully into the 21st century.

1Malaysia's call for engagement and dialogue continues to resonate and gain momentum. Our goal to eradicate racial and cultural prejudice and promote a society in which all our citizens are respected continues to expand. I will continue to foster this dialogue, gain your perspective, and use the power of your voices to ensure that Malaysia remains on the right footing as we stride confidently forward.

For many of us, a new year means a new beginning. The New Year will also bring more changes to improve 1Malaysia.com.my as a place to honour and explore Malaysia's rich diversity. I hope you like the new developments of the website, with more exciting elements to come. This website is available to you as an avenue to provide your views and insights on how to leverage our shared objectives of respect and unity towards strengthening the ties that bind all Malaysians as one nation. Please visit us often and continue to be an active participant in this important national dialogue.

Thank you, and from my family to yours, I wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Comment (29)

I am happy to be able to reach out through 1 Malaysia again today. At the moment, I am enjoying spending some quality time with my wife and children. This short break will also give me the opportunity to catch up on my latest reading, "Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency" as I take a bird's eye view... take a deep breath and reflect upon a perspective or two about the situational assessments on current issues in the country.

Our unique diversity is again strongly echoed this week. During this long school break, there is a hive of activity going on as Malaysians celebrate Christmas today and with Awal Muharram around the corner too. This is a great time to be with our families. I am sure many of us will make use of this respite to reconnect with our loved ones, after being apart due to work commitments, study or travel. I am doing exactly that at this very moment and I hope you surely are with your family too. At the end of the day, after a hard day's work, there is nothing like sharing our laughter with the family. Whether it is sitting together and watching television, having a long and memorable dinner or even enjoying a holiday together, the family bond is a key part of our lives. Naturally, it is a time to be thankful and jolly - let us share that with our loved ones. In this regard, we should also not forget to think of our police force, our soldiers and firefighters, relief officers, nurses and other emergency personnel who are on call, away from their family.

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Once again it is the time of Eidul Adha or Hari Raya Haji as many in Malaysia would call it. For Muslims the world over, this celebration revolves around two things of major significance in the Islamic faith. The first is the performance of the fifth pillar of Islam which is the pilgrimage to Makkah. The second is the ritual sacrifice or Qurban, which is symbolic of the Quranic story of the prophet Ibrahim who sacrificed his son Ismail on the command of the Almighty.

Both elements of the Eidul Adha hold particular significance for Muslims in Malaysia. For those on their pilgrimage, or having relatives who are performing the Hajj, the Eid will be full of prayers and hopefulness that their supplications and all their 'ibadah' will be accepted by Allah. For those performing the Qurban, the sacrifice is hoped to aid towards their spiritual cleansing, especially by giving meat from the sacrifice to the poor and needy.

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