JOHOR BARU, Sept 16 — Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin today said that Malaysia’s diversity which has its own national identity is the real strength of this country.

He said these privileges must be preserved and continued for the sake of the country’s identity.

"Today we celebrate the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. The diversity that our country has, from Perlis to Sabah, is Malaysia’s true strength.

"We must continue to celebrate Malaysia’s differences in harmony as part of the nation.

"Our national identity is not about uniformity, but about having the understanding in managing the diversity of this country together,” said Mohamed Khaled in a statement here today.

Mohamed Khaled, who is also the former Johor mentri besar, explained that what unites Malaysia is when its people accept each other.

He hopes that Malaysia will be a country based on multi-racial understanding and will continue to be prosperous and strong.

"On this happy day, let’s renew our ambitions to make Malaysia the best country for all,” he said.