KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 20 -- As his 80th birthday wish, veteran politician Lim Kit Siang expressed his desire to see Malaysia develop towards being a world-class nation, and a country for all Malaysians regardless of race, religion, creed.

The DAP lawmaker revealed how he has held on to these hopes of a Malaysia for Malaysians since his early schooling days, and all the way throughout the last 55 years he has spent in the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

"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, Budd...