I am very glad to have this opportunity of talking to you at the beginning of a new programme series which Radio Malaya have launched specially, in order to keep you fully informed of action and progress on rural development.
It can be said with confidence that since achieving Independence1 both the Government, and you, all of us, the people of Malaya, can take credit, without boasting, that our country has progressed considerably; and we can, with pride in our hearts, give thanks to Almighty Allah, that our nation, young though it may be, has made the fullest use of its liberty since the day that we ourselves became responsible for the management of our own National affairs.
Let us, therefore, take every step to make sure, that each year and each day of the future, we do everything that lies within our power, to make Malaya a strong, stable and progressive nation of which our children and our descendants may well be
proud, wherever they live, in town or in kampong.
Your Government, as you already know, is determined to ensure that as the commerce and industry of our country develop, and as the standard of living in our towns and cities improves as a result of progress and prosperity, so also will the people in our rural areas benefit from such prosperity and be given their fair share to enjoy progress.
You will hear in future broadcasts, details of each and every aspect of our National Rural Development policy and programme, so therefore, I do not intend to discuss details now.
All I wish to say is this: that your Government, the Alliance Government cannot succeed in its drive to develop the rural areas without the fullest co-operation of all of you. There are many ways in which you can co-operate, but today, I will only mention
one, the most important one.
Your best contribution is, to understand to the full, what are our aims in rural development, what are our plans, and how these plans can be achieved.
One of the best methods of obtaining this understanding is to listen to future broadcasts in this series.
Let us, therefore, resolve and determine, that we will give our best to making the year 1961 a year which will be recorded in the history of our nation. A year in which, the Government and the people of the rural areas, advanced, with complete mutual
understanding, in the task of building a better and happier Malaya.
- 31hb Ogos, 1957.
