Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : TREVESZAAL, BINNENOF, NETHERLANDS
Tarikh/Date : 04/12/96
Tajuk/Title : THE OFFICIAL DINNER HOSTED BY H.E.
MR. WIM KOK, PRIME MINISTER OF
THE NETHERLANDS
1. The members of my delegation and I are
delighted to be here in The Hague. We appreciate
the warm welcome and the hospitality that has been
extended to us. We are also very impressed by the
goodwill that has been shown to us and struck by the
remarkable contributions made by the people of this
land of dikes and dunes to various fields of human
endeavour, particularly in the areas of the applied
science, technology and computerisation.
2. Netherlands has also contributed so much to the
betterment of mankind. My present visit is a
demonstration of the importance that Malaysia
attaches to its relations with this country. Our
two countries can draw satisfaction from the
excellent relations that exist between us. It is by
no means a new relationship as it has a history of
more than three and a half centuries. From this long
experience it is not unrealistic that there is good
mutual understanding and appreciation of each other.
3. Over the past four decades Malaysia and the
Netherlands have had good cooperation on a
comprehensive range of subjects. The research and
cooperation on primary commodities provided by the
Netherlands Government and its people is widely
acknowledged. Primary commodities were the mainstay
of our economy in the initial stages of our nation-
building efforts.
4. In the past decade manufacturing activity has
become the mainstay of our economy. Malaysia is
also placing increasing emphasis on the services
sector, construction, infrastructure and research
and development. As we face an acute shortage of
labour in our construction, plantation and
manufacturing activities we have made a deliberate
policy choice of going into hi-tech non-labour
intensive industries. Our previous stress on labour-
intensive industries has already achieved its target
so much so that we now have to depend on foreign
labour. Changes in demography and the availability
of better educated and skilled Malaysians have given
us the confidence to embark on a major switch in the
industrialisation programme.
5. We welcome the participation of both the public
and private sectors of the Netherlands in these
programmes. With Malaysia's highly trained and
trainable population and the state-of-art technology
that the Netherlands can justly be proud of, I
believe there is good complementarity between our
two countries. We would like companies from the
Netherlands to follow the example of Unilever, Anglo-
Dutch Shell and Phillips which have been good
corporate citizens in Malaysia.
6. It is also Malaysia's desire to realise more
networking and co-operation between the services
sectors, the ports, research organisations and the
universities of our two countries. I am accompanied
on this visit by Government officials as well as
businessmen to underscore the enthusiasm with which
we approach the Netherlands.
7. Malaysia has an economy that is highly
dependent on foreign trade. For this reason the
Netherlands and its major ports serve as pivotal
gateways for our products not only for West European
destinations but also for other destinations. We
hope the Netherlands will provide the necessary
underpinnings and encouragement to build Malaysia's
own merchant navy and our ports. On our part we
will continue to provide the necessary services for
the transhipment of Netherlands products in the
Southeast Asian region.
8. As regards people-to-people relations, Malaysia
would like to see that it is developed further. For
Malaysia, Europe including the Netherlands continues
to be an attractive place for business, education,
technology as well as recreation.
9. At the regional level we are pleased that our
two countries continue to cooperate closely within
the ASEM process and with respect to the development
of the riparian states of Southeast Asia. We value
the continued participation of the Netherlands in
these and other regional fora. We are optimistic
that the Netherlands' role in the Asia-Europe
Foundation will continue to further enhance the
relations between our two regions. In the WTO we
hope you appreciate that our economies are not of
equal strength.
10. I would like once again to express my sincere
gratitude for the warm reception and hospitality
that has been given to my wife and I, and to the
members of my delegation. I hope this visit will
contribute to a major upswing in our bilateral
relations and it will generate more interest on the
part of the people of the Netherlands to visit and
do business with Malaysia.
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