World Speech Day : Unity is the Way of the Future

Thank you to World Speech Day Kuala Lumpur and CV+ for the opportunity to speak and share my thoughts.

My name is Amirah. I'm from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I’m a singer-songwriter on a mission to unite people through music.

Regarding the theme of "Humanity at a Crossroads", I would like to speak about the importance of unity, especially with the current global pandemic, political and racial turmoil surrounding the globe, from the largest strike for equal economic opportunity in India to the cries for racial equality with Black Lives Matter in the US. These events hold similar universal challenges to what we have been going through in Malaysia.

Equality is the key to unity. And unity is the way of the future.

It is more important now than ever for us to unite.

If we cannot unite and deal with the current global pandemic, how can we hope to face other future global challenges coming our way?

It saddens me greatly when I see people hurt and fight with each other because of the differences in the color of their skin, religion, race, status, nationality, gender, and sexual orientation.

We should all be equal. Equal under the constitution, equal to love and marry who we love regardless of our religion or race, equality in freedom of speech, and to be given equal opportunity in education, government leadership, health, and economics.

Without equality, unity is only lip service.

We all built this country. We all bleed the same color. There is only one race: the human race. There is only one God.

When we see ourselves as separate from each other, it is easy to give in to power, greed, and war. We are not separate. This idea of separation is an illusion. We are all connected to each other and to the planet. We are all one.

This belief is why I was greatly compelled to release my songs "You Are My Land" and "Tell Me" recently. I felt that the message of unity could not wait any longer. In my song "Tell Me", I pose the questions: "Are we our face? Our name? Our religion? Our race?" Do these things define you and me?

At the end of the day, we all want the freedom to be accepted for who we are without hiding any part of our true selves. We all want to live a life of dignity, with equal opportunity and respect as, first and foremost, human beings.

We must remember to always speak up and stand up for the truth no matter how much our voices may shake and our hands may tremble. Always choose to take action and stand up in peaceful ways. Violence cannot extinguish violence. Only peace can defuse violence. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Nonviolence is the weapon of the strong".

Exercise your power to vote, always. It is not a luxury or a right, as many may try to convince you. It is a required responsibility and obligation as a citizen of a country. As we saw in the recent election in the USA, every vote counts, and the choice to not vote causes devastation to people's lives in the USA and worldwide and our only planet. The power to vote does not exist in some countries today. Please do not ever take your power to vote for granted.

Let us unite and stand together as ONE to build a future that our children can be proud of.

Let's remember that there is no separation between us. When we hurt each other, we hurt ourselves.

Let's help each other through our hardships, regardless of our race, religion, nationality, gender, status, or sexual orientation. Let us subscribe to the religion of love not hate. Unity, not separation.

Let's address climate change once and for all. When we hurt our planet, we destroy our only home. There is no duplicate of planet earth. Our mother planet has given so much to us. No amount of profit on any balance sheet can ever amount to the abundance and wealth she has given us. What is good for our planet and humanity, is what will bring us long-term success. People and planet first over culture and profit.

We walk in the same sweet sunlight
Sleep under the same bright stars
Our wounds leave the same blood spilling
Our wars leave the same cruel scars

Let's take responsibility and lead by example. Let's take action, no matter how small.

I believe in our Humanity.

Let's inspire unity together, and may music unite us all always.

Happy World Speech Day.