Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has strongly defended the unity of the country as it marks 50 years as a nation this week, accusing critics of wrongly painting a bleak picture.

The premier said the "naysayers" were provoking confrontation and mistrust among Malaysia's many cultural and religious groups.

His comments at an awards ceremony late Monday came as the nation prepares to mark its half-century of independence from British rule Friday.

"There are many naysayers and detractors both within and outside Malaysia. They seek to paint a dark and bleak picture of Malaysia," he said.

"A Malaysia that is supposedly inefficient and lacking in integrity. A Malaysia supposedly torn at the seams and a Malaysia that is increasingly disunited and in decline."

Abdullah acknowledged Malaysia was "not a perfect country," and said that promoting unity should remain a goal, but insisted the nation had come a long way.

"We all speak Bahasa Malaysia. We all eat the same food and support the Malaysian team in sports. And most of us have friends from across the racial spectrum in Malaysia," he told the ceremony.

Creating division

Islam is the official religion here, but about 40 percent of Malaysians belong to other faiths including Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity.

Religious freedom is guaranteed in the constitution, but a series of court challenges and political statements have raised fears that minority groups are being pushed aside by creeping conservatism and Islamisation.

Abdullah earlier Monday accused opposition groups of taking advantage of free speech to create division in society, warning that the government would not hesitate to act.

The local media is largely state-linked and kept under tight control, and the government provoked criticism last week when it suspended a newspaper for printing a picture of Jesus Christ smoking a cigarette.