Sarawak’s senior minister James Masing warned Sarawakians that they could not assume themselves to be safe from racial bigots and religious extremists.

He said that although 2014 was a year of social-religious unrest and extremism, Sarawak was fortunate to have been shielded from such religious malaise.

“But we in Sarawak cannot assume to be safe from these extremists and religious bigots. Let us therefore in Sarawak stand hand in hand against racial bigots and religious extremists in whatever shapes and sizes they appear.

“We must stop them dead in their tracks,” he said, pointing out that in order to achieve that, leaders must be brave, honest, sincere, transparent and above all willing to walk the talk.

Asked by Malaysiakini of his wish and hope for 2015, Masing ( left ), who is the Land Development Minister and the president of Parti Rakyat Sarawak, the nation’s strength lies on the all Malaysians recognizing that Malaysia is a multi-racial and multi-religious society.

“Multi-racial society means that there is no race in Malaysia who can claim that they are more special than the others; and no group, no matter how small, should be made to feel that they are less important than the rest,” he said.

“In a multi-religious society it means that all religions are free to practise their religious beliefs within the ambit of our federal constitution.

“Therefore, no religion in Malaysia has the right to tell others how their religions should be practised,” he added, pointing out that  leaders must be transparent, honest and must be ready walk the talk."

He said that on the other hand, ordinary Malaysians must also understand that leaders were not miracle workers, asking them to give time and space for the leaders to discharge their duties in order to get things done.

Slamming leaders who were too afraid to lead and too scared to show Malaysians the correct path, Masing said that the coming year would be much better to ensure social and religious peace in the state and in the country.

The year 2015, he said, should be the dawn of a new era for the moderates and rational people of Malaysia.

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