Kuala Lumpur: The Government has decided that the celebration of nationhood is only on Aug. 31 to show that the country is together as a nation, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said, Monday.

However, this does not mean that Malaysia Day, which falls on Sept. 16, is not important, the Deputy Prime Minister said.

"Malaysia Day is an important day but we have decided that there should be only one day of independence because that is to show that we are together as a nation," he said when asked to comment on Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon's statement regarding Malaysia Day.

The Gerakan Acting President had called for more recognition to be given to Malaysia Day to celebrate the founding of the Federation of Malaysia.

Dr Koh had said that while there had always been emphasis on celebrating Merdeka Day on Aug. 31, the celebration of nationhood should also cover Malaysia Day.

"There is no harm in remembering Malaysia Day but the apex of our celebration will still be 31 August," said Najib.

Najib told reporters this after launching the environment-friendly rehabilitation of the Taman Beringin landfill and its leachate treatment plant in Jinjang.

Koh had said that Sept. 16 should be included as one of the country's celebrations to enable the younger generation to remember the significance of the day.

"There is no need for Malaysia Day to be a public holiday. There are already too many public holidays," Koh said.

Speaking after launching the "Pameran Merdeka" at Berjaya Times Square shopping mall here, he said he noticed that Malaysia Day was not really celebrated despite its significance in the country's history.

Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore came together on Sept. 16, 1963 to form Malaysia.

It was originally planned for Aug. 31, 1963 but technical issues forced postponement. Singapore left the Federation two years later.

Koh, who is also Acting Gerakan President, opened the exhibition, organised by the party and National Youth Association of Malaysia, which showcased 28 panels to depict the historical timeline from the Malacca empire to independence as well as Malaysia's achievements throughout the years. The exhibition is held until Sept 30.

In his speech, Koh said Malaysia's diversity was its strength as the multilingual and multiracial communities worked together and lived in harmony.

He said they even managed to do business together to penetrate international markets such as China, India and western countries.

He added that the diversity must be preserved at all costs to ensure unity among the races continued to be enhanced.

Earlier, about 100 universities and college students gathered to have an open discussion ranging from national unity to urban poverty.

They latter submitted Koh their suggestions on the new direction for Malaysia in the next 50 years.