Dancing to the rhythm of nation's various races

By WANI MUTHIAH

UNITY IN DIVERSITY...the dancers who performed a special dance showcasing the unity of the various races in Malaysia taking a bow before they leave the stage in Kuala Lumpur.

KUALA LUMPUR: The performance was poorly choreographed and it was difficult not to notice the glitches as the adults and teenagers danced to the tune of Japanese new age musician Kitaro's famous composition Silkroad.

However, to all those who attended the World Peace Day event organised by the Bahai Community of Malaysia, the short performance sans gilt and glitter was without doubt the best they had ever witnessed.

Kicking off with two Chinese women dressed in Indian garb followed by a couple of Indian women dressed in samfoo, it showcased a collaboration which represented the various races in a truly unified manner while epitomising the rich diversity which was unique to Malaysia.

In a speech read out by National Unity and Social Development Ministry secretary-general Dr P. Manogaran, ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk S. Veerasingam said the Government had always adopted peace among the races as the permanent agenda item in most of its programmes.

He added that the Government was an active promoter of peace and aggressively propagated communal harmony through its various agencies and departments.

"The Government is also encouraging many social organisations and non-governmental organisations that play their part in promoting unity," he said.

According to Veerasingam, the current global climate has made peace more meaningful.

Unfortunately, said Veera- singam, the global human society appears to be bankrupt of ideas to promote peace and added that people were slowly concluding that war cannot be eradicated from the face of earth.

The resident co-ordinator of the United Nations in Malaysia, Maxine Olson, and India's High Commissioner to Malaysia Veena Sikri were among the VIP guests at the event.