Fiesta Malaysia 2015 in Melbourne, 9/5/2015. The Speech by Dr Rameez during the officiating event this morning at 11.30 am:-
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SPEECH BY
DATO’ DR. MOHAMAD RAMEEZ YAHAYA
ON FIESTA MALAYSIA
9 MAY 2015
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Bismillah hir Rahman NiRahim…
Culture is the shared knowledge and schemes created by a set of people for perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social realities around them.
Kalai Vanikam, Chou San, Zhao An, Selamat Pagi, Good Morning and last not least Salam 1Malaysia.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I also wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the Kulin Nation, a place now known by its European name of Melbourne.
At the outset allow me to express my sincere thanks to the organizer of today’s auspicious event, an event which has repeatedly been held at Federation Square, Melbourne, Victoria. To MASCA Victoria many thanks for making today’s event a success.
‘’Life is like a box of chocolates’’, you never know what you are going to get until and unless you taste all of it. It is a simple yet powerful philosophy. Truly, if you don’t expose yourself to the reality of the world; if you don’t expand your horizon; and if you don’t change the way and whom you deal with! You will be stagnant and opportunities will be wasted. That’s why, I truly believe that today’s event held at this beautiful ample open space is the best venue for all of us to intermingle and to get to know each other better, what more to taste Malaysia as the saying goes to know Malaysia is to love Malaysia!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fiesta Malaysia has always held an important place in the calendar of the year and in this most liveable city of the world for the fourth time i.e. Melbourne. It is true that the internet, email, skype and video conferences have reduced the need for face to face meetings and discussions but, at the end of the day, technology cannot replace the meaningful bonds cultivated through personal contacts and intermingling while enjoying the beautiful spread of cultural activities and Malaysian cuisines. And today’s event reflects the importance of personal interaction between all of us after tireless work efforts.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I can sincerely say that the strength of a Nation is not in its material infrastructure which we are blessed to have in Malaysia. We are also very blessed to have a rich, colourful, multicultural diversity which has developed over many centuries due to Malaysia’s strategic geographical location in the middle of ancient trade routes.
To me, Malaysia’s rich multicultural diversity is in itself a unique culture. Our people have developed a unique sense of cheerful communication which can be identified no matter where we are. We, Malaysians are also very adaptable, respectful and tolerant of different beliefs and faith due to years of living together in harmony and peace.
One of the main beneficiaries of Malaysian’s multi and colourful cultural melting pot is not only our people but also our unique cuisine and delicious food which are recognised worldwide. The blend of spices, colourful flavours and curry powder that originated from Malaysian’s cuisines have uniquely evolved over hundreds of years due to the melting pot that Malaysia created.
The fact that we can have access to Ipoh Chicken Rice, Laksa Sarawak, Penang Nasi Kandar, Taiping Char Koay Teow, Roti Canai, Satay Kajang, Roti Jala, and most of all Nasi Lemak worldwide and also here in Melbourne is a testament that our rich culinary culture is mutually appreciated through-out the world. Don’t forget our famous teh tarik!
To me, we need to continuously appreciate and embrace our nation’s strengths, our diversity which unites us Malaysians, which is also essential for the continuous survival, stability and prosperity of our beloved Malaysia.
To drive the point further, the fact that our colourful cuisines and tourist destinations are appreciated worldwide is a crucial testament that our colourful culture is a positive and powerful brand for our nation.
To my fellow Malaysians, I believe that we all have the duty as cultural ambassadors of Malaysia to promote our country’s strengths no matter where we are. To achieve this, we should continue to embrace, appreciate and commercialise what Malaysia positively has to offer no matter where we go.
Other than promoting our food, Fiesta Malaysia 2015 will also expose the essence of Malaysian diverse culture via our Malay, Chinese and Indian traditional dances, as well as other performance created by the many different ethnic groups of Malaysia, and not to forget the truly Malaysian colloquial language.
I am glad that events such as today’s initiative is one such event which does this, and to our ‘Australian Mates’’, I also hope that with today’s event you can sample the colourful flavour of Malaysia, and that you too will be as excited as I am with regard to Malaysia.
Guests,
May I also take this opportunity to convey on behalf of H.E Dato’ Zainal Abidin Ahmad, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Australia, his words of appreciation and salam (regards) to those who have put up a lot of efforts in making today’s event a success.
I also wish to acknowledge Tourism Malaysia, the City of Melbourne, related companies and organisations, Malaysian Student’s Council of Australia, Victoria (MASCA-Victoria) and the organising committees of Fiesta Malaysia that have all assisted and contributed in ensuring that we continue to have Fiesta Malaysia in this city of Melbourne. Without their enduring support, the normal motto ‘to know Malaysia is to love Malaysia’ will not become a reality.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I conclude by quoting Dale Carnegie “It is tragic when we put off living. We dream of a magical rose garden over the horizon and miss the roses blooming outside our windows’’ . To that I say, welcome Fiesta Malaysia 2015, and to the city and the people of Melbourne, do overwhelm your senses in the best way possible. So please enjoy this Fiesta, and do taste the good food, do watch the different cultural shows, do listen out for the different music and slangs, do feel the atmosphere of a mini Malaysia, and do smell the fragrance of Malaysia’s cuisine at this Square.
