PETALING JAYA, Jan 8 (Sin Chew Daily) — Chinese New Year celebration has nothing to do with religion and the government should not give in to the demands of extremists.

Foreign minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah tweeted today that Malaysia's strength is its people — diverse in race, culture and religion, living in peace and harmony.

“CNY has nothing to do with religion. We have celebrated together for decades. This tradition must continue.”

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Ng Kor Ming also wrote on his Twitter that the school is the place to teach our children interaction with others, to build understanding of different culture and appreciate festive seasons celebrated by our Malaysian “brothers and sisters”.

He asserted, “The government must not give in to these extremists and bigots.”

Meanwhile, women, family and community development deputy minister Hannah Yeoh also agreed that the school should be a place to educate young ones about interaction with others, tolerance and mutual respect.

“Parents and teachers need to ensure that these lessons are consistently done at home and in schools, be it on pages of books, on the walls of schools or in their exam questions,” she tweeted.