Kuala Lumpur: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says he is open to hearing hopes, concerns and ideas that members of the Christian community may have.

"Although Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, Christians do play a full and welcome role in society, especially in Sabah and Sarawak.

"Some people may not realise that around one in 10 Malaysians count themselves as Christian. The root of this can be found in our country's rich and varied history," the prime minister said in his latest posting entitled ‘Merry Christmas To All Malaysian Christians' on his www.1Malaysia.com.my blog yesterday.

Najib said since becoming prime minister, he had placed a lot of emphasis on the unifying concepts of 1Malaysia and the Global Movement of the Moderates.

"These concepts are partly about establishing a dialogue, which is important, but I am also determined that they lead to real actions too.

"That's why I visited Pope Benedict XVI last year, and Malaysia formally established diplomatic relations with Vatican City. I very much enjoyed meeting Pope Benedict XVI in person, and now look forward to following his tweets," he said.

Najib said another step forward came last week as the government announced that it would ensure that any Malaysian Christian who wished to travel to Jerusalem for a pilgrimage would be able to do so.

"As Christmas comes in the last week of the year, it is also a good time to reflect on what has been and will be.

"I will come on to this subject in my next blog," he said while wishing all Malaysian Christians a very Merry Christmas. - Bernama

--Courtesy of The Borneo Post Online