Some months ago I met with two highly-respected members of our Malaysian society, Dr. Chandra Muzaffar and Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye for a purpose: to discuss the establishment of an independent organisation that would epitomise the spirit of 1Malaysia.
Yesterday, I was happy to hear that Yayasan 1Malaysia and its Board of Trustees were officially presented to the media. I was invited to become the patron of the Yayasan, an honour I am proud to accept.
I have good faith that under the guidance of Dr. Chandra, Tan Sri Lee, and the other Trustees (Dato' Sri Idris Jala, Prof. Dato' Dr. Ismail Ibrahim, Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, Emeritus Professor Dato' K.J. Ratnam, Dr. Mahani Zainal Abidin and Dato' Sri Tony Fernandes) – all of whom are prominent and respected representatives of the Malaysian community – the Yayasan will be able to serve the public well in communicating the message of 1Malaysia. I look forward to participating in the initiatives they will implement and hope you will give your support to the Yayasan in their efforts to promote national unity and advancement of civil society.