PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 — Minister of Communications and Digital Fahmi Fadzil said there should be no differences in the National Day celebration at the Federal and state levels, as it was a national event.

Commenting on the statement of Perikatan Nasional (PN) Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari that the four states under the PN administration may use a different National Day logo and theme for state-level celebrations from the one announced at the Federal level, Fahmi said the difference would create an atmosphere of disunity.

"I urge for this matter to be looked into and we want to unite, put all this aside, as the time for politics is over with the completion of the state elections,” he told the media after launching the Astro #DemiNegaraku campaign and Home of Kids here today.

According to reports, Ahmad Fadhli said Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu under the PN administration were likely to use an alternative logo and theme launched by the PN Youth today, namely ‘Teguh Muafakat Malaysia Sejahtera’ (Strong Consensus for a Prosperous Malaysia).

Fahmi previously announced ‘Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan, Penuhi Harapan’ (Determination in Unity, Fulfilling Hope) as the theme of the 2023 National Day and Malaysia Day celebrations.

Meanwhile, Fahmi said that if prior to this, people had raised the flags of their respective political parties in conjunction with the state elections on August 12, they should now close ranks to raise the Malaysian flag in conjunction with the National Day,

"Now we focus on developing Malaysia, being united and putting aside other agendas for the time being. Wait for another four years,” he said while inviting Malaysians not only to wave the physical Jalur Gemilang, but to change their avatars and display pictures online to reflect the spirit of the national day celebration.

Fahmi said the media also played an important role in enlivening the National Day spirit.

The highlight event of the National Day 2023 celebration will take place in Putrajaya on August 31, with a target of about 100,000 visitors. — Bernama