“We must never allow the past to bury the future. If necessary, the future must bury the past. The year-long Covid-19 pandemic has wrought such disaster, not only in the lives of Malaysians but the whole world.

“This episode reminds me of two truisms. That is no one is safe until everybody is safe and no country is safe until all countries are safe,” he said in his message to Malaysians in conjunction with his 80th birthday yesterday.

He said regardless of race, religion, region or class, Malaysians are all from the same race — the human race.

He said there is a lot of dejection, depression and even a sense of hopelessness among Malaysians but urged them not to yield to these negative sentiments.

“Although we do not want ‘positive’ results in Covid-19 tests, we must always stay positive and never give up hope and dare to dream big dreams for ourselves and the country,” said the Iskandar Puteri MP.

Recalling a poem he wrote when he was in Form Three on his dream for a truly united Malaysian nation which spoke of all being for one and one for all instead of “prolonging silly racial quarrels”, he said it was still relevant today.

“Let us renew our dream that while Malaysians will have multiple identities – ethnic, religious, linguistic, cultural – they have one common overriding identity as Malaysians.

“Nobody is asking any Malaysian to forget that he or she is a Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban or Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, but everyone is first and foremost a Malaysian. That is my dream. That is your dream,” he said.

Lim said in his 55 years with DAP, the party had fought for a non-communist, social democratic and just multiracial Malaysia for all and would continue to do so.