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.