UK wants to help Malaysia strengthen racial unity

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KOTA BELUD, Sabah: The United Kingdom (UK) is keen to work with Malaysia in strengthening unity among the people of various races.

Its Minister of Faith and Communities, Baroness Sayeeda Hussain Warsi said the key to achieving and preserving unity was to constantly strive to find values that united the people.

“People have many identities. They have religious identity, ethnic identity, citizenship, and now, for women, there is gender identity that is put on the table.

“But I think there should be a very clear sense of our nationality that is developing within us,” she told reporters after visiting SK Piasau, near here, yesterday.

Warsi, who is also UK’s Senior Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said the UK would be delighted to assist Malaysia in integrating its minority groups with the larger communities based on its experience in dealing with such a matter.

She said the UK had a successful history of working to unite different communities as they had come to the country, mostly through migration.

“I can say that we (UK) are better than most European countries, and than most western countries in doing this (integrating communities).

“Today, to be the face of the foreign office for the UK government shows how successful in many ways those integration programmes have been,” said Warsi, a British-born Muslim of Pakistani descent.

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said he would be informing
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that he would be working closely with Warsi on common issues that both countries faced regarding racial integration.

“In Sabah alone, we have more than 30 ethnic groups and some of the challenges that we are facing can actually be solved by just learning and understanding what she (Warsi) has been doing in the UK.

“Being the first Muslim woman to be made a member of the UK cabinet, she has the authority and respect from the UK people to push through this agenda,” he said. — Bernama