Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 01/08/88
Tajuk/Title : THE DINNER HOSTED IN HONOUR OF HIS
EXCELLENCY MR. PREMADASA, THE PRIME
MINISTER OF SRI LANKA
Your Excellency Mr. Premadasa,
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka;
Madame Premadasa;
Members of the Sri Lankan Delegation;
Honourable Ministers;
Excellencies;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure that I, on behalf of the
Government and people of Malaysia, welcome Your Excellency,
Madame Premadasa and the distinguished members of your
delegation to Malaysia. Indeed your visit is to us evidence
of your Government's desire to strengthen our bilateral
relations and expand the dimensions of cooperation between
our two countries.
2. I recall with fond memories my first meeting with Your
Excellency when you made your first official visit to
Malaysia in 1981. I was privileged to play host to Your
Excellency and had the opportunity to have some very useful
discussions on matters of importance to both our countries.
I also recall the warmth and hospitality that the Government
of Sri Lanka had extended to me and members of my delegation
when I visited your country in 1983.
Your Excellency,
3. Malaysia and Sri Lanka have many things in common.
Both were colonised in succession by the Portuguese, the
Dutch and the British. As Your Excellency well know, many
Malay soldiers were recruited by the British to form the
Ceylon Malay Rifle Regiment. From Sri Lanka, many Ceylonese
Tamils and Sinhalese were recruited to serve in the civil
service in Malaya. Many of these pioneers had opted to stay
back in the land of their new homes. Today we have about
50,000 Malaysians of Sri Lankan origin who have greatly
contributed to our national development. I understand that
in Sri Lanka, there are now some 10,000 Sri Lankans of Malay
origin who are descendents of the original pioneers of the
Malay Rifle Regiment.
4. After independence, both our countries have pursued the
democratic system of government best fit to fulfill our
national aspirations and a free enterprise economy that
would ensure the attainment of our social and economic
development. Given the geographical proximity and the
historical ties, the bonds of mutual friendship between our
two countries have strengthened and expanded over the years,
particularly since Your Excellency's first visit to Malaysia
in 1981.
5. Malaysia and Sri Lanka have since entered into close
cooperation in the cultural field, air and sea
transportation, and the volume of trade have also vastly
expanded. This is only the beginning. Malaysia stands
ready and welcome further expansion in exchanges and
cooperation with Sri Lanka. We in Malaysia cherish these
bonds of friendship with the people of Sri Lanka, and are
always prepared to render any assistance and cooperation we
can towards your development efforts.
Your Excellency,
6. Both our countries share identical views on a number of
international and regional issues. We are very satisfied on
the efforts at coordinating our positions on such issues at
the various fora including the Non-aligned Movement, the
Commonwealth Conference, the South Commission and, of
course, the United Nations. We are both staunch supporters
of the concept of the Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality.
We both agree that the peaceful resolution of the
Afghanistan and the Kampuchean problems are vital steps
towards the early realisation of the Zone of Peace in the
Indian Ocean and South East Asia.
7. Malaysia and Sri Lanka also shares identical views on
drug abuse. We firmly believe that it will take the
concerted effort of the international community to fight the
menace of drug abuse. It is towards this end that Malaysia
had played a modest role in the convening of the
International Conference Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking in Vienna in 1987. We hope that the guidelines
adopted at the Conference will contribute positively in the
eradication of drug abuse.
8. On the international economic scene, though the adverse
conditions have somewhat ameliorated, the developing
countries efforts, however, continued to be hamstrung by the
'rich-mans' club of the developed countries. The developing
countries seek more trade and not aid; yet the walls of
protectionism are constantly being erected against our
exports. Such an instance is the insidious and underhand
campaign being launched against Malaysia's palm oil and
other tropical vegetable oils. In our quest for economic
development, the developed countries should not attempt to
obstruct us by constantly erecting protectionist walls under
various guises. The principles of fair trade initially
enunciated by these developed countries should be upheld and
not merely paid lip service to. The beggar thy neighbour
policy of some developed countries does not serve the
interests of the international economic system. Instability
in the system is bound to have serious effects detrimental
to the well-being of the community of nations. Developed
countries must appreciate that the prosperity of the
developing countries must have beneficial effects on their
exports and sales of their manufactured products.
Your Excellency,
9. I am confident that your visit will contribute towards
further strengthening the existing close ties of friendship
and cooperation as well as fostering greater goodwill and
understanding between our two countries.
10. I would like once again to express our pleasure in
welcoming you and Madame Premadasa to Malaysia and I hope
that your stay here will be both enjoyable and memorable.
11. May I now invite Your Excellency, distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen to rise and join me in a toast to the
good health and happiness of His Excellency J.R.
Jayawardene, the President of Sri Lanka and to the continued
progress and prosperity and friendship of the peoples of Sri
Lanka and Malaysia.
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