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Oleh/By : DATO SERI DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : CASABLANCA, MOROCCO
Tarikh/Date : 17-04-2002
Tajuk/Title : THE MEETING WITH THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Versi :
Penyampai : PM
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to
address this distinguished group of business people of
Morocco. We are here to explore and share with the
business community in Morocco how Malaysia and Morocco
could further enhance bilateral economic and trade
relations. A delegation of leaders and representatives
of the Malaysian business community who are here with
me today are keen to meet and discuss with potential
partners on a wide range of business possibilities.
2. Bilateral economic relations can be strengthened, and
trade and investment linkages enhanced, through exchanges
of visits and business meetings such as this, as well as
through participation in trade fairs and exhibitions. I
hope the individual business meetings that were arranged
between members of the Malaysian business delegation and
their Moroccan business partners since yesterday have
identified good opportunities and opened new areas for
business collaboration between the business communities of
our two countries.
3. Over the years, the Malaysian economy has
undergone a transformation from being agriculture-based
to a modern manufacturing based economy due in large
part to the substantial inflows of foreign investments
into the manufacturing and related services sector. I
believe, Morocco too has taken the same path in the
last few years. Your effort is bearing fruit and your
traditional agriculture and mining-dependence economy
has been supplemented by manufacturing and services,
notably tourism.
4. Malaysia has achieved a strong level of economic
growth averaging more than 8% per annum over the period
1988-1997, prior to the East Asian financial crisis.
While Malaysia has experienced an economic contraction
in 1998 of 7.4% due to the impact of the crisis,
Malaysia has recovered quickly to register growth rates
of 6.1% in 1999 and 8.3% in 2000.
5. In 2001, despite the effects of the global
economic slowdown, particularly in the USA and Japan,
Malaysia registered a real GDP growth of 0.4%.
Malaysia has continued to attract a substantial level
of foreign investments even during the difficult
periods and has fared better than most other countries
in the region. Investors have continued to look upon
Malaysia positively as an attractive investment and
business destination. The Malaysian economy is
expected to strengthen in 2002 and beyond, in tandem
with sustained demand and improved global economic
conditions. The GDP growth for 2002 is forecast at
3.5%.
6. The process of industrialisation has taken
Malaysia through import substitution to export-
oriented; from labour intensive to capital-intensive
and value-added industries and now into the knowledge-
based industries. The future lies in the knowledge and
idea-based economy where the key to wealth and job
creation are the extent to which information, ideas,
innovations and technology are embedded in all the
various sectors of the economy.
7. To be more resilient to the vagaries of the global
business cycles and the uncertainties of the world
economy, we are further diversifying our economy.
Greater emphasis has been given to the services and
back again to the agriculture sectors. In recent
years, we have successfully marketed services including
construction, healthcare, education and tourism to many
parts of the world. As you know biotechnology will
revolutionise agriculture and we do not want to miss
out on this.
8. Malaysia is the 18th largest trading nation in the
world and total trade amounts to 200% of the country's
GNP. The country's total global trade in 2001 was
US$161.9 billion with exports totalling US$88 billion
and imports US$73.9 billion. Trade between our two
countries however, is still small. Bilateral trade for
2001 amounted to US$17.3 million, with exports from
Malaysia to Morocco valued at US$15 million and imports
from Morocco US$2.3 million. Major exports to Morocco
were telecommunications equipment and parts,
semiconductor devices, palm oil and furniture. Main
import items from Morocco were semiconductor devices,
office and automatic data processing machines and
cotton. Certainly, trade between our two countries can
be enhanced in terms of volume and range of products
traded.
9. Malaysian products are competitively priced and
are produced to meet the quality standards of the world
markets. Products that could be further sourced
competitively from Malaysia include food products,
automotive components, electrical and electronic
products, wood and rubber-based products, medical
products, telecommunications equipment, machinery,
plastic household products and paper and stationery,
and construction materials such as plywood, windows and
doors, sawn timber and interior decoration products.
10. It is Malaysia's aspiration to have a stronger
presence in the West Asian and Northern African region.
Towards this end, the Malaysia Trade Centre was
established in Dubai in May 2001. The Centre is
managed by the Malaysia External Trade Development
Corporation (MATRADE). The Centre provides Malaysian
exporters the opportunity to explore and familiarise
themselves with the emerging markets, particularly
those in the West Asian and Northern African region.
11. The Malaysia Trade Centre provides up-to-date
information on Malaysian products and services and
provides opportunities for buyers to view, inspect and
make enquiries on the samples of Malaysian products
that are available on display for exports purposes.
The Centre has been useful in promoting trade with the
Gulf region.
12. Businessmen of both our countries can collaborate
and work together in accessing the EU and the African
markets. As Morocco is just a doorstep to the EU (just
15 kilometers to Spain) and a key entry point to the
rest of the African continent, there are numerous
business avenues for us to jointly venture for mutual
benefits. Morocco could optimise its close linkages
with the EU and at the same time collaborate with
Malaysia in sourcing quality products at competitive
price or enter into joint ventures in manufacturing, to
serve the EU market, as well as other markets in the
region.
13. Similarly, Malaysia can serve as the competitive
springboard to the ASEAN and East Asian markets.
Moroccan investors can use Malaysia to tap the ASEAN
Free Trade Area (AFTA), a regional market with a
population of more than 500 million people and a
combined GDP of US$750 billion. AFTA is well on track
and will be fully realised by 1 January 2003. Intra
ASEAN trade had increased 4 1/2 times since AFTA was
operationalised in 1993. In 2000, total Intra ASEAN
trade stood at US$175.4 billion, and for the first half
of 2001, Intra ASEAN trade totalled US$76.2 billion.
Malaysia is the second largest contributor to Intra-
ASEAN trade, accounting for over 26%, a clear sign of
the country's competitiveness and effectiveness as the
gateway to the region.
14. Malaysia provides a cost competitive environment
for foreign investors. The Malaysian Government
remains business friendly and has put into place the
necessary infrastructure, incentives and administrative
support to provide a conducive and cost-competitive
environment for both foreign and local investors.
Moroccan companies, including small and medium
enterprises, are welcome to explore business
opportunities available in Malaysia. Priority
industries identified by the government include higher-
end electronic products, machinery and equipment and
components, medical devices, engineering supporting
industries, automotive components, biotechnology,
pharmaceuticals, manufacturing-related services such as
research and development, product design and
development, marketing, distribution and logistics,
international procurement and other regional support
functions.
15. In line with efforts to develop a knowledge-based
economy, Malaysia is actively promoting the development
of the information and communication technology (ICT)
industry. To provide further impetus to the ICT
industry, the Malaysian Government has established the
Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) for companies wishing
to develop creative IT and multimedia products and
services.
16. The MSC is equipped with high-capacity global
telecommunications and logistics infrastructure built
on 2.5-gigabits to 10-gigabits optic fibres. The MSC
offers opportunities to companies wanting to create,
distribute and employ multimedia products and services
within the 15 x 50 km "Greenfield Corridor" developed
for the purpose. Malaysia has put into place the
broadband infrastructure, the necessary incentives,
policies and cyberlaws to facilitate investors in the
corridor.
17. As of 29 March 2002, there are 657 MSC-status
companies, already exceeding the target of 500
companies to be attained by 2003. Of these 657
companies, some 30 are world class and 32 per cent are
foreign-owned, with many serving the regional and
global markets.
18. Members of the Malaysian private sector could also
participate in Morocco's industrialisation
particularly, in agro-industry, chemical,
pharmaceuticals, fabrication of steel and alluminium
structures, building materials and automotive
components. Aside from the manufacturing activities,
Malaysian companies are also competitive in the
services sector particularly education and training,
healthcare, construction, infrastructure development
and tourism.
19. Export of services is becoming increasingly
significant for Malaysia. Of particular relevance to
Moroccan companies would be the skills and experience
that Malaysian companies have developed in the
construction of infrastructure facilities, housing,
seaports and airports, roads and railways, water
treatment plants, power plants and telecommunications.
Malaysian companies have successfully implemented
construction projects in many parts of the world,
including in Africa, West Asia, East Asia, the Indian
Sub-continent and Eastern Europe. Moroccan companies
should explore the possibility of partnering Malaysian
companies to bid for projects not only in Morocco but
also elsewhere within the region.
20. For education, Malaysia offers quality education
at affordable fees. A number of Malaysian colleges
also provide twinning programmes with American, British
and Australian universities. In 2001, a total of
20,384 foreign students studied in institutions of
higher learning in Malaysia, of this 602 were from West
Asia and 1,482 from Africa. Only 15 students from
Morocco are currently studying in Malaysia. We welcome
more Moroccan students to pursue their higher education
in Malaysia.
21. Like Morocco, tourism is an important revenue
generating economic activity for Malaysia. Facilities
and infrastructure support for the tourism industry
including eco-tourism are well developed in Malaysia.
In 2001, a total of 12.8 million tourist arrivals were
recorded, registering an increase of 25% from 2000.
Malaysia is a shoppers' paradise and Kuala Lumpur has
also been rated as one of the cheapest cities in Asia
for hotel accommodation and shopping. Tourists can
obtain a broad range of duty-free products such as
cameras, fountain pens, cosmetics, sports equipment,
electronic products and leather goods.
22. There is no better way to truly assess the
opportunities in Malaysia than to see it with your own
eyes. Apart from business we would also like you to
experience our hospitality and culture. Being a
multiracial country, Malaysia is a colourful
destination with its diversity in food, festival, arts
and crafts. Within a single destination you will be
able to experience a potpourri of Asian cultures.
23. On behalf of the Government and people of
Malaysia, I would like to express the hope that our
mission during these challenging times will result in
stronger friendship and partnership between Malaysia
and Morocco.
24. Finally, let me once again express my sincere
appreciation to the Government and the people of
Morocco for the very warm welcome and hospitality
extended to my delegation and I. I am hopeful that
the useful contacts made by the Malaysian business
delegation members during this visit would be
translated to beneficial business ventures soon.
Sumber : Pejabat Perdana Menteri
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