In a message to commemorate the event, Shafie said the nation’s strength “does not only lie on the height of skyscrapers, the might of the army or the size of our economy, but essentially in our diversity”.
Malaysia’s diversity, the former Sabah chief minister said, ranged from different religions, ethnicities and traditions to food and clothing.
“We cannot allow extremists to roam our airwaves and continue to poison the minds of our people,” he said.
“As Warisan embarks on its journey at the national level, widening its wings across the South China Sea, our aim remains the same.
“We are here to build a nation”.
With Warisan’s motto being “Our Nation, Our Heritage, Our Future”, Shafie said, Malaysians should not allow the “voices of bigots” to take over the “voice of reason”.
“Being diverse does not make us weak, it makes us stronger instead. It is our diversity that makes us unique and makes us strive for a better nation.”
However, in recent years, the tolerance towards diversity had been severely tested, he said.
“There are people who have been using our differences as a wedge to divide us. This is one thing that we absolutely cannot compromise.”
Later, in his speech at the Sime Darby Convention Centre here to launch Warisan’s nationwide campaign, Shafie said the party, founded in 2016, was setting a path to unite all Malaysians, and to be inclusive and multiracial.
“We cannot wait for tomorrow, next week (or) next year, we need to start today,” he said.
Present at the launch were Muda’s Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and Tawfik Ismail and Siti Kasim from Gerak Independent (Gerak), a joint initiative to promote independents for the upcoming general election.
Shafie said Malaysians must believe change could happen and it should be to unite the people and prosper economically.
“We are here to serve the country and to put Malaysia on the right path,” he declared.
“It is time for a political transition to be inclusive, to honour multiracialism with all races respecting each other. We should be able to eat at the same table.”
He said it had been more than 60 years since independence, and Malaysians were still divided.
“Malays will not die if there is no Umno. Muslims will not die if there is no PAS. And the Chinese will not die if there is no DAP,” he said to applause.
He said the Muslims and the Chinese were doing well even though there was no Umno in Indonesia, no PAS in Brunei and no DAP in China.
Shafie urged Malaysians to choose Warisan and Muda as “we cannot go to battle alone”. He said Malaysia needed a “multiracial party that should not be multiracial just in name”.
He also said Malaysia’s political leaders were fighting to stay in power and fill their pockets instead of serving the people.
“If Malaysians want to be competitive, they need to fight corruption and unite as one.”
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