Gerakan National President, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon today extended Deepavali greetings to all Hindus’ and Malaysians. He said Malaysians should use celebrations like Deepavali to further strengthen and promote the harmonious relationships that we enjoy as Malaysians based on the spirit of 1Malaysia.

“Deepavali is also known as the festival of lights and signifies the triumph of good over evil. This Deepavali, we must rekindle the “inner light” inside all of us and give meaning to our inner nature by focusing on love, compassion and understanding in order to further consolidate unity amongst Malaysians,” said Dr. Koh, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of National Unity and Performance Management.

Dr. Koh added, “Malaysians are bound together by a common destiny and shared ideals. We must move forward in a cohesive fashion to tackle the many challenges facing our nation. Malaysia was founded in the spirit of mutual respect which is an essential ingredient to ensure our continued success as a beacon of multi-ethnic and multi-cultural harmony. In line with the “1Malaysia” concept, we must make our diversity an integral and a distinctive asset of our nation.”

Dr. Koh also said that this joyous occasion must be made even more memorable with visits to the homes of our Hindu friends and extended an invitation to all Malaysians to attend Gerakan’s Deepavali Open House at the Gerakan Headquarters in Jalan Pudu Ulu, Cheras from 10am till 1pm on Sunday, 18th October 2009.