Malaysia Day celebration of unity among multi-racial community - Salleh

He said this was because on that date, all the racial and ethnic groups in the country united to celebrate the establishment of Malaysia

"As citizens, we are proud of what our country has achieved. This is the date Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore came together with Malaya to form the Federation of Malaysia.

"After Singapore split from the Federation on Aug 9, 1965, our country rapidly developed and we are more stable politically," he said in a post on his official blog today.

Salleh said the key factors in the success of Malaysia were good leadership, healthy federalism politics and close people-to-people relationship despite being separated by the South China Sea and diverse ethnicity.

He said that the fact that Malaysia was capable of maintaining political stability and security as well as its sovereignty was a shining example of the success of the nation.

"We are no longer a local or regional political player. Politically we have stepped into a bigger role in the global world.

"Just recently our leader returned home from the United States and London after meeting (US President Donald) Trump and (British Prime Minister) Theresa May to discuss economic development and world security," he said.

In this regard, Salleh called on all the people to close ranks so that Malaysia could become an even better country in the future.

"Today, we have become a great nation because we can stand tall and be counted with other developed nations in the world. Congratulations Malaysia," said Salleh.