PUTRAJAYA, July 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the National Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang celebrations are meant to remind Keluarga Malaysia of their independence to administer the country after being freed from the clutches of colonialism.

Launching the National Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang 2022 celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya here today, Ismail Sabri said although no longer controlled by colonialists, Keluarga Malaysia (The Malaysian Family) were constantly faced with challenges originating from outside the country which could undermine their long-established harmony.

He said Covid-19 was the biggest challenge faced by the country and the whole world in the past two years but Malaysia had managed the pandemic well because of the firm actions and measures taken by the government.

"Now, we are in the transition to endemic phase and signs of economic recovery are visible, with Keluarga Malaysia beginning to enjoy the goodness of life like before,” he added.

Ismail Sabri said the National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations this year themed "Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama” were most relevant to the determination and concept of harmony of a big family living together in unity with a sense of gratefulness.

"This spirit of ‘Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama’ should be instilled in and embraced by the community in our efforts to improve the people’s well-being at a time when the country and the world are facing challenging economic times,” he said.

"I am confident that when we do it together, no one can undermine the strength of Keluarga Malaysia. Just like the saying, ‘segenggam lidi sukar dipatahkan berbanding sebatang lidi’ (unity is strength),” he added.

Ismail Sabri also wants Keluarga Malaysia to strengthen their spirit of patriotism to further enhance unity, prosperity and well-being for the sake of their beloved country.

He urged Keluarga Malaysia to enliven the National Day celebrations this year by decorating their premises with Jalur Gemilang to show their love for the country.

Apart from flying the Jalur Gemilang, he said, other ways to show love for the country included practising noble values, working together and showing tolerance, supporting all government initiatives and adopting the habit of sharing authentic news.

He said the issue of spreading fake news especially through social media should be checked before it became a practice that could destroy the well-being of Keluarga Malaysia.

"Use social media wisely to enliven the National Month celebrations by conveying noble messages to your friends, employers and own families,” he said.

Earllier, Ismail Sabri and Cabinet members including Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa joined more than 15,000 members of Keluarga Malaysia in a 2.7km walk under the ‘Berjalan Teguh Sama’ programme.

On the programmes held in conjunction with the launch of National Month and Fly the Jalur Gemilang, Ismail Sabri said the presence of big crowds was proof of the togetherness of Keluarga Malaysia.

"Truly, I am very happy this morning ... congratulations to Keluarga Malaysia who are here together this morning. The presence of so many people in walking together shows our togetherness as Keluarga Malaysia.

"These are actually the conditions and characteristic that enabled the people of Malaysia to stay together and remain strong in defending the country,” he said. — Bernama