Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
Tarikh/Date : 29/04/94
Tajuk/Title : THE JOINT BUSINESSMEN MEETING IN
BULAWAYO, ZIMBABWE
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to have the opportunity to address this
distinguished gathering of Zimbabwean business and industry
leaders and their Malaysian counterparts. This meeting
between leading members of the commercial sectors will
undoubtedly help to strengthen the economic linkages between
both countries.
2. I am encouraged to note that greater effort has been
made to promote closer cooperation since my last visit here
in 1991 to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government
meeting.
3. Malaysia has carried out an active programme of
promotional activities and has participated several times in
the Zimbabwe International Fair. We are currently
participating in the International Fair that is now being
held here. I am pleased to note that Malaysian businessmen
have made regular visits to Zimbabwe, either individually or
as members of trade missions, so as to identify
opportunities for participation and to enhance trade.
Similarly, many Zimbabwean businessmen have also visited
Malaysia to evaluate the economic opportunities there.
4. Such two-way promotional efforts demonstrate the
commitment of the business communities of both countries to
raise the level of bilateral cooperation. It is hoped my
visit will generate greater flow of trade and investments
between our two countries.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
5. Despite the intensification of efforts by both
countries, the level of trade is still small. Bilateral
trade amounted to only US$8 million in 1993. This could be
due to the narrow range of products currently being traded
and the limited information concerning market opportunities.
While Malaysian exports to Zimbabwe comprise mainly rubber,
palm oil and cocoa, Malaysian main imports from Zimbabwe are
tobacco, asbestos, iron and steel.
6. However, I am confident that there is a big potential
to expand further the scope of joint cooperation considering
the immense opportunities available in trade, investments,
services and other economic sectors. Towards this end, it
is important for the business sectors of both countries to
expand the composition of products currently being traded.
7. It is for this reason that I have brought with me a
delegation of leading businessmen and entrepreneurs to
enhance contacts and to explore new business opportunities.
8. Zimbabwe is a developing economy with good
infrastructural facilities. It is also rich in natural and
mineral resources, with agriculture, mining and
manufacturing constituting major economic activities.
9. As for Malaysia, its rapid economic growth means also
that it has a substantial market for imports. In 1993, for
instance, total imports amounted to US$45 billion accounting
for 1.2 per cent of total world import trade. According to
the GATT 1993 International Trade Report, Malaysia is the
19th largest import market in the world. Yet, Zimbabwe's
share of the Malaysian market for imports is almost
negligible. Given Malaysia's liberal import policies and
the increasing affluence of the population, the Malaysian
import market is expected to grow in importance.
10. Since market prospects in Malaysia for major Zimbabwean
exports such as gold and copper, iron and steel, maize, beef
and dairy products, tobacco, fruits, cotton, yarn and
textiles are favourable, I wish to invite Zimbabwean
suppliers to come to Malaysia to see for yourselves the
tremendous opportunities available. Our business community
will no doubt be prepared to give its full cooperation to
Zimbabwean exporters looking for markets for their products.
11. In return, Malaysia can offer a wide range of
manufactured products at competitive prices. They include
processed food, clothing, footwear and electrical
appliances, building materials and intermediate products for
the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
12. Malaysia's robust economic performance can be
attributed to, among other things, a judicious blend of
vigorous private sector entrepreneurship and cautious
government intervention. Conducive environment for growth
is created through development planning which allows private
enterprise to play its full role in development. This has
been achieved through careful nurturing of strategic
partnership between the public and private sectors,
initiated more than a decade ago through the Malaysia
Incorporated (Malaysia Inc.) concept.
13. Malaysia Inc. fosters shared values and a common sense
of purpose. It puts into place the processes that promote
efficient and quality service in the public sector to
provide the necessary support enabling the private sector to
be the engine of growth.
14. To strengthen Malaysia Inc., we established in February
1991 the Malaysian Business Council (MBC). The MBC is a
forum where leaders in government, service and the corporate
world, including trade unionists, meet on a regular basis
for creative consultation and meaningful dialogue. The
objective is to facilitate information flow, promote
productive cooperation and generate consensus for national
economic direction and strategies.
15. It was during the inauguration of the MBC that I first
presented the vision of Malaysia becoming a fully-developed
nation by the year 2020. It is hoped that Malaysia will by
then become "a developed country whose society, infused by a
strong moral and ethical values, is democratic, liberal and
tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable,
progressive and prosperous, and competitive, dynamic, robust
and resilient".
16. I am pleased to say that Vision 2020 has caught the
imagination of the whole nation, become a rallying point and
a focus for national development effort. It is the basis on
which Malaysians have doubled their efforts in all their
activities.
17. Making Vision 2020 The Agenda of Action for the MBC
gives it full national ownership and not just a government
decree. Therein lies the value of strategic partnership
between the public and private sectors.
18. Since then several manifestations of such partnerships
at operational levels have come into being. One such is the
Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC), which
has 30 per cent government and 70 per cent private sector
equity. MTDC is a venture capital company that promotes the
start-up of technology-driven enterprises, as part of the
strategy to widen Malaysian's manufacturing base in meeting
the industrial target of Vision 2020.
19. Another example is the Malaysian Industry Government
Group for High Technology (MIGHT), a company limited by
guarantee, and without share capital. MIGHT has membership
from some 60 Malaysian companies and 20 government agencies.
Its main activities are `prospecting', a process for
identifying business opportunities through technology
exploitation, for jump-starting innovation and for
identifying and proposing technology-related policy options
to Government. MIGHT is part of the mechanism to realise
Vision 2020.
20. The presence in Zimbabwe today of Malaysian business
leaders, some of whom are members of the MBC, is a result of
our public-private sector partnership. Many companies
represented here are shareholders of MTDC and members of
MIGHT.
21. I understand that the embryo of a strategic
public-private sector partnership (The Zimbabwe Consortium
of Industrialists for Technology) is in existence and that
there is a strong desire to formalise the group into an
entity that can play a rightful role in the development of
Zimbabwe. I am sure it will do a lot for the development of
Zimbabwe.
22. I am glad that the Commonwealth Consultative Group on
Technology Management (CCGTM) and its Private Sector
Partnership has been helping in the formation of The
Zimbabwe Consortium.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
23. Malaysian businessmen have acquired much experience in
a number of areas through their involvement in the
development of the Malaysian economy. In this respect,
Malaysian companies are prepared to share their expertise
by cooperating with interested Zimbabwean companies on a
mutually beneficial basis in the development of the
Zimbabwean economy.
24. Sectors of the Zimbabwean economy of interest to
Malaysian companies are mining, plantation management,
downstream processing of agricultural and mineral and
natural resource sectors and the services industry such as
infrastructural projects, construction, telecommunications,
engineering consultancy and tourism-related projects. Our
companies are already participating in these sectors in
several South countries. These companies can certainly make
positive contributions to the growth of the Zimbabwean
economy. It is my hope that discussions between the
businessmen will lead to the conclusion of concrete projects
and ventures which will strengthen and diversify two-way
economic relationship.
25. Our two Governments will continue to strengthen the
existing institutional arrangements, where necessary, to
give confidence to the private sector to undertake business
on a sustained and expanded basis.
26. Malaysian effort to strengthen bilateral relations has
been facilitated by favourable developments in Zimbabwe and
the region. The Zimbabwean Government has taken action to
deregulate the economy to stimulate economic activities and
promote foreign investments. Measures have been taken to
liberalise foreign exchange control and the import licensing
system and reduce import tariffs. Similar liberalisation
measures have also been taken by other countries in the
sub-continent to promote development.
27. I congratulate the Zimbabwean Government for its
initiative to liberalise the economy. This would contribute
positively to a free and open multilateral trading system
and will definitely facilitate the expansion of the
Zimbabwean economy which would have beneficial impact on
international trade.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
28. Given the tremendous potential for cooperation in
various economic sectors, as well as the enthusiasm shown by
the commercial sectors, I am confident that the business
communities of our two countries will succeed in expanding
bilateral economic relations.
Thank you.
|
|