KUALA LUMPUR: The 2015 National Day celebrations should not be politicised, said Deputy Minister of Communications and Multimedia Jailani Johari.
He said all Malaysians regardless of political affiliation should celebrate the 2015 National Day themed ‘Sehati Sejiwa’ (One Heart, One Soul) together.
“For me an issue like this should not arise whereby Penang comes up with their own theme, because we already have the ‘Sehati Sejiwa’ theme which we need to promote nationwide,” he told reporters after attending the ‘Sehati Sejiwa’ Run at Padang Merbok here yesterday.
Jailani said this when asked to comment on the DAP-led Penang government’s decision to reportedly use the theme ‘Bersih’ for the National Day celebrations in the state. Following that, the Penang Education Department had issued a circular directing all schools in the state not to participate in any celebration or National Day parade organised by the state government until they received further instructions from the Ministry of Education.
Meanwhile, commenting on a blog which listed the names of 20 Barisan Nasional members of Parliament (MPs) it claimed were cooperating with the opposition to pass a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the Dewan Rakyat in October, Jailani said the MPs could seek the assistance of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) if necessary.
However, he said, the MPs should lodge a police report first, so that investigations can be carried out.
“We can help through the commission … if they are not involved, they need not worry,” he said.
In another development, Jailani advised all individuals, especially women, to be wary of using social networking sites, and stay away from the ‘Love Scam’ syndicate masterminded by Africans. He said the ministry, through MCMC, was working with various parties including police and the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) in raising awareness about the use of the Internet including self-regulation, to avoid syndicates like ‘Love Scam’.
The ‘Sehati Sejiwa’ Run organised by MCMC and MYNIC Berhad in conjunction with the 2015 National Day celebrations was attended by more than 5,000 participants from all walks of life. Divided into three categories – 10 kilometres (km), 5 km and 3 km, the main objective of the programme is to promote the spirit of patriotism and unity among Malaysians.
Among those present were the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad, MYNIC Berhad chief exective officer Hasnul Fadhly Hasan and editor-in-chief of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Datuk Zakaria Abdul Wahab. — Bernama