KUALA LUMPUR, April 11- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has expressed his gratitude to the Telugu community for their continued trust in the government. In his Ugadhi or Telugu New Year message, the prime minister said the trust had helped to uplift the quality of life and preserve the culture of the Telugu community in Malaysia.
“On the occasion of the Telugu New Year, or Ugadhi, it gives me great privilege to call upon all Malaysians to join me in greeting our Telugu friends ‘Ugadhi Subhakanshalu’.
“In the spirit of 1Malaysia, let us continue to join hands and work towards bringing real transformation for the community and for our country,” he said in a statement today.
Najib also called upon the community to continue working together with the government towards bringing real transformation for them and also for the country. Ugadhi is celebrated tomorrow. There are about 300,000 Telugus, who trace their origin to India’s Andhra Pradesh state, in Malaysia.
In a similar message, MIC president Datuk Seri G.Palanivel expressed hope that the Telugu community would remain united to face the many challenges ahead. Noting that Ugadhi was a major celebration in that community, he said it was a time for families to come together to mark a new beginning.
“The start of the new year means setting new goals, new energy and new spirit to ensure the Indian community’s survival and future,” he said. Wishing ‘Ugadi Subhakanshalu’ to all Malaysian Telugus, he said that Malaysia was blessed to have a multi-religious and multi-cultural society which had learned to respect the expression and practice of all religions.
MIC deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam in a similar message said tolerance and acceptance must be made part of life in multi-racial Malaysia.
“The government understands the needs of the Indian community, including the Telugus,” he said. The Telugu Association of Malaysia (TAM) will hold a Ugadhi celebration at the Batu Caves temple at 7 pm tomorrow.
BERNAMA
