KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 1 -- Selamat Hari Kebangsaan and Selamat Hari Malaysia, my dear fellow Malaysians.

For the past five years, I have shared my thoughts with you around National Day.

Each year, I reflected on the many challenges facing our beloved nation; our economy, education, corruption, political reforms, climate change, artificial intelligence and the rapidly changing world around us.

These challenges remain relevant and important. This year, I would like to speak about something even more fundamental - who we are as a people.

I often ask myself a simple question. What do all Malaysians have in common?

Before we are Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans, Orang Asli or Eurasian and before we belong to different political par...