Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 21/09/93
Tajuk/Title : DINNER IN HONOUR OF THE BRITISH
PRIME MINISTER THE HONOURABLE
MR. JOHN MAJOR
On behalf of the Malaysian government, and on my wife's
and my own behalf, I bid you and Mrs Major as well as
members of your delegation a very warm welcome to Malaysia.
I hope your presence here today brings pleasant memories of
your previous visits to Kuala Lumpur.
2. I am pleased that bilateral relations between Malaysia
and Britain have remained close and cordial. Links that
were established since the colonial days have over the
years, been nurtured and expanded into a network of
interaction between our countries, encompassing cooperation
in the fields of education, trade and investment, tourism as
well as defence.
3. As for trade and investment, I am happy that two-way
trade between Malaysia and Britain had registered a 10
percent increase in 1992 despite prolonged economic
recession globally. In Malaysia we still enjoy economic
growth and this is achieved not only through pragmatic
economic policies and hard work, but because of free trade
and the still largely unrestricted access to world markets
for our exports. The importance and value of the early
conclusion of the Uruguay Round is therefore all the more
compelling, not only for Malaysia, but also for Britain and
other trading nations. Britain is a leading member of the
European Community (EC) and I hope that you will influence
the EC towards a successful and early conclusion of those
negotiations before the end of this year.
4. The British private sector has always been active in
Malaysia. I believe that their interest and participation
in the Malaysian economy will be a catalyst for the
continued expansion of our bilateral cooperation. Moreover,
as Malaysia undertakes further industrialisation, new
opportunities will also be created for economic cooperation
between us. Lower Malaysian cost will contribute towards
the competitiveness of British products, as of course it has
contributed towards the products of other countries.
5. I understand that tomorrow, you will be visiting our
national car factory. I am told that our Proton cars are
popular in Britain and with the introduction of our new
Proton models we hope to secure a bigger slice of the
British car market. We will be producing more new models
and new makes and we hope the British market will accept
them. I would also like to invite British companies to
avail themselves of the facilities in our offshore financial
centre in Labuan. I am gratified to know that when this
facility was launched in London in February this year, the
response was very encouraging.
6. As you are aware, we have just commemorated our 36th
year of independence. Being a young nation, Malaysia's
future lies with its youth and children. We cannot
over-emphasise the importance of education to maintain and
sustain the country's growth and development. Education has
always been a strong component in our bilateral relations
with Britain and there are currently more than 10,000
Malaysian students pursuing their studies in your country.
Malaysia is grateful that British institutes of higher
learning have been able to accommodate this large number of
Malaysian students but the progressively higher cost of
education in Britain requires new initiatives. In this
context, the 'twinning' of British universities and colleges
with Malaysian counterparts is indeed a partial way out. We
look to other ways to continue our educational cooperation
without too high a cost for Malaysia.
7. Given the healthy state of relations, let us focus our
attention on issues and problems elsewhere; where we can
individually as well as collectively, contribute to
international peace and stability. Both our countries have
deployed soldiers as well as civilians to various troubled
parts of the world in support of United Nations
peace-keeping activities. We have also jointly, through the
Commonwealth in particular, encouraged the dismantling of
apartheid in South Africa and its transition to a
democratic, united and non-racial state. Britain is in a
unique position to play a positive role in influencing
events in the rapidly changing international political
environment today.
8. In this context let me turn to an urgent issue that
weighs heavily on our minds. I refer to the ethnic
cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnia-Herzegovina is at
Europe's very own doorstep. This brutal conflict and crisis
in the post Cold War period expose the limitations of
European political cooperation as well as shame the vaunted
Western advocacy of democracy, justice and human rights. I
sometimes wonder if I can ever adequately express the extent
of Malaysia's anguish and distress at the continued genocide
and ethnic-cleansing conducted by the Serbs against the
Bosnian Muslims. One story is worth recounting. It is the
story that caused a staff member of the U.S. State
Department to resign in protest over the passivity of U.S.
policy in Bosnia. It is the story of how a six year old
child was repeatedly raped by Serbs in front of her mother,
and the mother was not allowed to help her child for two
days until she died. What kind of people are we to accept
this kind of behaviour without raising a finger to prevent
its recurrence. Yet this is not the sole instance. This is
being repeated hundreds of times as Serbs, and now Croats,
expand their territories by force of arms.
9. While Malaysia can understand Britain's concern that
recourse to large-scale air strikes might jeopardise the
United Nations humanitarian efforts and could escalate the
fighting in Bosnia as well as precipitate retaliation upon
British and other U.N. soldiers, our heart cries out to the
tragedy of an entire race being wiped out in total disregard
for even elementary decency. Malaysians may be once again
over-reacting. But we cannot accept that it is right and
just and democratic to sit by and watch while such brutish
acts are committed.
10. May I take this opportunity to appeal to you, Mr. Prime
Minister, to reconsider Britain's position before the
situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is forever cemented in
history as the blackest catastrophe of the modern world and
a dark page in the annals of Europe and European
civilisation. Given the British tradition of upholding
respect for the rule of law and principles of international
relations as well as its decisiveness, we hope and trust
that your leadership in Britain and among the EC would bring
influence to bear in meeting the challenge and putting an
end to this ongoing holocaust. Eloquent speeches, noble
declarations and appeals are not enough. There must be
political will translated into resolute and credible action.
Already there have been several threats made against the
Serbs, but when they arrogantly ignored the threats, the
Europeans backed down. Only action now will correct this
loss of credibility. You are sending the wrong signals to
certain countries east of Yugoslavia, countries with a past
history of violent acquisition of other peoples'
territories.
11. Before concluding, I wish to register my observation
of the flurry of activities involving significant visits
from Britain to Malaysia in the last couple of months.
The momentum in both directions will continue till the end
of the year and culminate with the state visit of the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong to Britain in November. They are indeed
a reflection of the healthy and positive state of our
relations. It is my sincere hope that the existing strong
framework of cooperation would be continuously developed
between our two countries.
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