By Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong

I would like to wish all Christians Merry Christmas and all Malaysians a blessed holiday.

Contrary to widespread commercialisation of Christmas Day, the meaning of Christmas is more than that.

This Christmas, let not the discourse be dominated by hatred and discord. Let not voices of extremism drown out rationality and moderation.

This season, let the common values of compassion and humanity ring through.

Let us hold steadfast to the core principle of justice, of facing up to the might of brute power, and of championing the well-being of ordinary folks – you and I.

It has been a challenging year for our country with several natural disasters, the petrol price fluctuation, the government’s financial scandals, the sedition crackdown, the extreme stand taken by ultra right-wing groups, the national security threats, the tragic twin air tragedies that befell MAS, as well as much political bickering.

We must not give in to forces within our society that survive politically by dividing Malaysians into different ethnic and religious groups. We must not allow space for public discourse to be taken up by bigots to the extent that policy discussions on livelihood are totally ignored.

In this time of festivity, our prayers and thoughts are with those who are facing one of the worst floods, especially those in the East Coast of Malaysia; those who are living at the economic margins regardless of race and religion thanks to Malaysia’s highly unequal economic structure those who aspire to see a better and just Malaysia as they are the immediate victims of unequal development, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak.

I believe that hope is stronger than hatred, and peace is more powerful than poisonous words. Merry Christmas and let’s work towards a Malaysia that is a better place for all.