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STATEMENT BY

MR. SOFIAN AKMAL ABD KARIM

DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS

 

AT THE COMMEMORATION OF THE

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF VESAK 2023

 

Mr. Co-Chairs,

Venerable monks,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

At the outset, please allow me to take this opportunity to wish ‘Happy Vesak’ to all celebrating this holy day.

 

2.         I also join other speakers before me in expressing gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Mohan Pieris and Mr. Suriya Chindawongse, Permanent Representatives of Sri Lanka and Thailand, and Co-Chairs of this Vesak Day commemoration, as well as to all committee members for organising today’s event.

 

Venerable monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

3.         Today, we join our Buddhist friends to honour the birth, enlightenment, and passing of Gautama Buddha. In his Vesak Day message to the nation this year, our Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, recognised that the philosophy of fighting and eliminating greed, hatred and evil, towards the attainment of the highest level of happiness or Nirvana, is a universal philosophy that can be emulated to cultivate love, human dignity, peaceful coexistence, respect and living in peace and harmony. This is especially important now, in the face of an increasingly challenging and polarised world.

 

4.         As a multicultural and multireligious country, Malaysia has embraced the diversity of faiths, beliefs and religions among its people. Approximately 20 percent of the 32 million population of Malaysia practise Buddhism. As a sign of respect and to honour our Buddhist population, the holy day of Vesak is celebrated in Malaysia and has been declared a public holiday since 1962. This is testament to Malaysia’s long history of tolerance, respect and close interaction among peoples of different faiths and cultures.  

 

5.         We remain convinced that celebrating our diversity is key, not only in promoting mutual understanding, harmony and unity, but also in ensuring inclusivity and sustainable development among our people.

 

Venerable monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

6.         This commemoration of Vesak serves as a reminder to all of us on the importance of promoting understanding among people of different cultures, religions and civilisations, in the spirit of peaceful co-existence and international cooperation, in pursuing our common agenda towards achieving a better and resilient world for all.

 

I thank you.