National Unity Week in May aims to boost spirit of patriotism

PUTRAJAYA: The week-long Unity Week celebrations nationwide in May is one of the high-impact programmes planned by the National Unity Ministry to boost the spirit of patriotism and love for the country.

National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang said the programmes would be based on the theme of "Unity in Diversity", involving various activities expressing love, friendship and brotherhood.

"These programmes will not only be implemented at ministries and departments but will also involve the communities at the grassroots level," he said when delivering the New Year 2023 Message to the ministry at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here, today.

Meanwhile, Aaron said the increase in the value of the National Unity Index (IPNas) from 0.567 in 2018 to 0.629 in 2022 showed that the level of unity among Malaysians is satisfactory, but with room for improvement.

Last year, he said the Happiness Index Study, which looks at 13 components such as family, housing and environment, social participation and health, registered a score of 6.48, showing that Malaysians were at a happy level.

"Of course, these components are also related or contribute to the level of unity among the communities. So, the results of this study can be further refined in scrutinising issues that influence the level of community unity," he said.

Also at the event, National Unity Ministry secretary-general Datuk Indera Noridah Abdul Rahim led ministry members to sign the Corruption-Free Pledge declaration, which was then handed over to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Community Education Division director Datuk Razim Mohd Noor.

-- BERNAMA