Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 02/05/89
Tajuk/Title : THE DINNER IN HONOUR OF HIS
EXCELLENCY NOBORU TAKESHITA THE
PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN
His Excellency Mr. Noboru Takeshita;
Madame Takeshita;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Your Excellency
and Madame Takeshita and members of your distinguished
delegation to Malaysia.
2. Your visit is most timely as it marks a new mood in
Japan with regard to its relations with Malaysia and ASEAN
in general. Although Malaysia and Japan enjoy close
relations, opportunities to play host to such visits are
rare. It is our belief that your visit demonstrates the
importance that Japan attaches to Malaysia and to the ASEAN
countries and it indicates a desire on Japan's part to hold
consultations with us on both bilateral and international
issues.
3. Since the last visit by a Japanese Prime Minister to
Malaysia in 1983, I am glad that relations between Malaysia
and Japan have continued to develop positively. The cordial
relations have been enhanced further through the close
contacts and consultations between the leaders and officials
of our two countries.
4. Malaysia highly values the important contribution which
has been made by both the Japanese Government and the
private sector towards strengthening our bilateral
relations. However, we do think that there is still room for
enhancing bilateral co-operation particularly in the field
of trade, industry and the transfer of technology. Although
this depends to a large extent on the private sector, the
role of the government is quite crucial.
Distinguished guests,
5. In our efforts to develop our country Malaysia
continues to look to the countries of the East including
Japan for improving management techniques, positive work
ethics, and the correct approach to economic development.
In other words Malaysia still believes in the efficacy of
its Look East Policy which has yielded tangible results.
We are gratified that this programme has enjoyed the support
and encouragement of the Government and people of Japan. I
would like to record here the appreciation of the Government
of Malaysia for the support and co-operation that has been
provided by the Japanese Government and private sector to
our Look East Policy.
6. It has been eight years since the launching of our Look
East Policy and we are proud of its success. A number of
agencies in the public and private sectors have benefited
from the exposure and training provided by Japan under this
policy and it is clear that Japan can contribute even more
towards upgrading Malaysia's capacity to achieve rapid and
systematic economic growth.
7. I am also pleased that all our trainees under the Look
East Policy have secured employment and it is our hope that
Japanese firms would continue to employ our graduates. It
is hoped that such recruitment would not be confined to the
Japanese firms operating in Malaysia only.
8. The positive results and success which have been
achieved under the Look East Policy will justify an
expansion of the programme to include such fields as
agriculture and tourism where greater management skills are
needed.
9. In this regard we also hope Japan would consider
'Looking to The South' in the context of tourism and
investment. We understand the need for Japan to invest in
Europe and America and the desire of Japanese tourists to go
there. But South East Asia has always played an important
part in Japan's economic growth and development and our
economies are very closely inter linked. A prosperous South
East Asia will always be an asset to Japan.
10. As a major regional and world economic power Japan has
an important role not only to provide Overseas Development
Assistance and encourage overseas investment but also to
assist and promote the overall growth of the Asia-Pacific
region. In this context Malaysia welcomes Japan's plans to
open its markets to imports from countries in the Asia
Pacific region, and to assist in the economic development of
the region by providing funds, expertise and other
resources. This role that Japan assumes will be of
tremendous importance as we approach the 21st Century which
has been described as the 'Asia Pacific Century'.
11. We view the agreements recently reached in Geneva as
being momentous and full of opportunity. We value the
openhandedness of Japan to provide facilities and priority
for agricultural and tropical goods. We also hope Japan
would consider importing more manufactured goods.
12. Further I wish to state that we welcome Japan's
"kokusaika" or internationalisation programme which
represents a new phase in Japan's relations with the outside
world. The opening up of the Japanese market to foreign
goods has resulted in increased world-wide trade. We
believe that Japan's pre-eminent economic and financial
status requires a greater role for Japan in the worlds
economic and political future. There is much that Japan can
do to maintain stability in the international economic,
financial and political fields.
13. Finally I would like to draw attention to the fortress
mentality that seems to be spreading among the rich
countries of the world. We have been reassured that
economic unions of the rich are not intended to keep out
exports from developing countries. But then we remember how
tariff barriers were erected when our trading partners
joined such economic communities. We notice how Japan is
making adjustments in anticipation of protectionist policies
by economic blocs. We the developing countries will not be
able to make these adjustments. We hope that Japan will
use its wise counsel to prevent the world from being broken
up into economic blocs ranged against each other. Japan as
No. 1 must help ensure a more just and equitable world.
Distinguished guests,
14. May I invite you all to join me in a toast to the good
health of His Excellency Noboru Takeshita, the Government
and the people of Japan and to Malaysia-Japan relations.
Thank you.
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