I would also like to congratulate the evangelical Christian community for your splendid efforts in raising the sum of RM700,000 for charity during your last national 40-Day Prayer and Fast last year. The funds that you raised were not only channeled to local charities but also to refugees of Afgha-nistan and Palestine, demonstrating the universal concern felt concerning the plight of the Afghans and Palestinians.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as an important segment of the Malaysian people, the Christian community has demonstrated civic mindedness, community leadership and an unfailing commitment to the ideals that this nation is founded upon. Your community has played a vital role in national development and your efforts tonight, once again, demonstrates the love and faith you have for this nation of ours.

Your commitment towards peace, prosperity, tolerance and spiritual development has helped Malaysia develop into a model nation of plurality and progress.

We are still a young nation consolidating our unique identity. The nation-building strategy that was envisaged in the Rukun Negara underpins our unity today and will be an integral guiding principle of nation development as we move towards meeting the challenges of Vision 2020. In this regard, what is most important in my mind is that we continue to live together in peace. We must be an example to the world that racial and religious diversity in a country is not a recipe for conflict. Instead, in Malaysia, it is celebrated and enriches the lives of all Malaysians.

With this in mind, I commend the leaders of the Christian community in Malaysia who have always rallied to support government efforts to maintain racial and religious peace and harmony. Your contributions, particularly in providing suggestions for national unity strategies, have been significant. Your participation has also been felt at the grass roots, community level.

However, more need to be done by all our communities at addressing some pressing social problems faced by our nation. We are all well aware of the problems moral decay has brought to our society. Globalisation and modernisation have brought negative trends that are influencing our youth.

Moral and ethical values that are universal to all Malaysians are increasingly brushed aside by many of our youth. We must therefore joins hands – Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and others – to reassert the primacy of ethical values in our society, values that are common to all our faiths and tradition. If we do not take responsibility in addressing this problem, our society risks great dislocations in the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in Malaysia, religious freedom is provided for constitutionally. Although Islam is the religion of the Federation, the Malaysian Government and People are committed to the principle of Freedom of Worship. This is a crucial principle in a multi-religious country like ours. Peace and stability have been achieved because of this policy and I am firmly committed to ensuring that we remain a tolerant society.

In this regard, let me reiterate what has been a consistent message for me during my political career: We will not tolerate any form of extremism or terrorism. Whether it manifests itself in racial, religious or ideological terms, there is no place in Malaysia for extremism or terrorism. This is the Government’s firm commitment to the Malaysian people.

However, in order to curb extremists and terrorists, the Government needs the continuing support of the Malaysian people. We need responsible citizenship that ensures the spirit of tolerance enlightens our nation. We cannot afford to have groups which incite racial or religious hatred for their own gains.

I appeal to the Malaysian people and to the Christian community, in particular, to continue to be model citizens, who reject and denounce those who seek to sow discord in our society. Moderation must prevail over bigotry and dogma.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our belief in God must illuminate our actions. It must be the basis for our development. Without faith in God shown by the Malaysian people, we would not be where we are today. Without faith in God we would not have been able to live peacefully with one another. Without faith in God, we will not be as confident of the future of our blessed nation.

Continue your good deeds and work. Continue being model citizens of Malaysia. Continue protecting our heritage and values. Continue building a united Malaysia for all races, religions and cultures. Continue making the Vision 2020 a reality.

Thank you once again for allowing me to address the pastors, Christian leaders and members of different churches at this special occasion of the Church. May God be with you all.