Thaindian News

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 10 (IANS) Hindu revellers Monday greeted Najib Tun Razak who became the first Prime Minister in 30 years to visit Batu Caves that house the ancient Sri Mahamariamman Temple.
Malaysia’s third prime minister, late Tun Hussein Onn, had visited it in 1979.

Razak said he wanted to restart the long-suspended tradition by coming to the 1Malaysia carnival in Batu Caves and also attend the Thaipusam celebrations next year.

1Malaysia is the integration slogan of Razak that calls for unity among the different races which make up Malaysia’s 28 million population.

Ethnic Indians, a bulk of them Tamil Hindus, are about eight percent and the Chinese are 33 percent.

The entrance and courtyard of Batu Caves was packed with thousands of devotees and tourists to welcome the prime minister to the opening of the carnival organised by Sri Mahamariamman Temple Dhevasthanam and the Malaysian Hindu Council, Star Online said.

After a colourful choir and arts performance by the Temple of Fine Arts, a local singer pleased the crowd by performing several songs infused with jokes that displayed the 1Malaysia concept.

Najib said in his speech that the 1Malaysia concept was meant to remove the mentality of the “zero-sum game” where someone must lose in order for someone else to win.

“If we help the Indians, it does not mean that we are depriving the Malays of their rights or leaving the Chinese to fend for themselves,” he said.

He added that his government wanted to make the 1Malaysia concept a part of the Malaysian psyche to “change the mindset from mere tolerance to total acceptance of our plural society as a political reality”.

“It is our strength, not our weakness. Our asset, not a liability,” said Razak, who gave a RM500,000 ($174,000) allocation to the Divine Life Society to build an orphanage.

He also said that the government would pump more funds to improve Batu Caves as a major tourist attraction.