ADDRESS BY
H.E. DATO' KU JAAFAR KU SHAARI,
AMBASSADOR OF MALAYSIA
TO THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE
56th NATIONAL DAY OF MALAYSIA
GRAND NILE TOWER, CAIRO,
12 NOVEMBER 2013
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bismillahirahmanirrahim.
Assalamualaikum and a very good evening,
1. Alhamdulillah, with the grace of Allah, we are able to celebrate Malaysia's 56th National Day Anniversary which is observed on 31st August. Allow me on behalf of all Malaysians, extend our warmest welcome 'Selamat Datang' and 'Ahlan Wasahlan' to all of you, especially our guests for your presence here this evening.
2. May I take this opportunity to specially and warmly welcome His Excellency Prof. Hossam Eissa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education of the Arab Republic of Egypt who has graciously accepted our invitation to be our main "Guest of Honour" tonight. I also would like to acknowledge the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ali Abdul-Rahman Youssif, the Governor of Giza and the senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Let me, on behalf of all present here express our heartfelt gratitude to Their Excellencies, for your presence will no doubt add glitter to our event tonight and bring more joy to us all.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
3. As we celebrate this auspicious occasion, let me say that Malaysia now stands proudly as an independent, sovereign, democratic, peaceful and harmonious nation.
4. Looking back at the pages of history, the tale of Malaysia's journey is indeed colourful. From a low income agricultural nation, today, it has emerged as a moderately high income industrial nation. The journey does not end there as it continues to embark on charting new policies and strategies through systematic planning and sound implementation, to achieve a developed and a high income nation by the year 2020.
5. To reach the target, among others, the Malaysian government initiated and implemented the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). While the GTP aims to transform the Malaysian civil service into a dynamic, innovative and people-focused administration through the 7 National Key Result Areas, the ETP works on driving the development of 12 key economic sectors along with 6 strategic reform initiatives. The concurrent execution of both plans will ensure the development of a robust infrastructure that will create and support the development goals of the country for all. Looking ahead towards 2020, we realize that the challenge is great but we believe we can achieve it with the existence of national unity, peace, stability and harmony, Insha'Allah.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
6. Over the years, Malaysia and Egypt have maintained warm and cordial relations. We have instituted cooperation in various fields, and established special relations at a personal and an informal level. Our relations and cooperation began even before our countries had achieved our independence, particularly in the field of education where Malay/ Muslim students have traditionally pursued their studies at the prestigious Al-Azhar University.
7. Today, I am proud to inform you that there are more than ten thousand Malaysian students pursuing their tertiary education at 7 universities across Egypt. Malaysia has the largest number of foreign students which contribute more than USD7 million a year to the Egyptian economy. These students are pursuing their studies in several fields such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and Islamic studies. Alternatively, Malaysia too provides a high quality of education in English, as well as an excellent and modern living environment. We warmly welcome Egyptian students to pursue their higher education in Malaysia.
8. In terms of trade, Egypt is our largest trading partner in the North African region. Trade between both countries are consistently growing each year. Total trade volume last year was worth USD1.3 billion. As of July this year, we have achieved USD700 million.
9. Within the African continent, Egypt remains the number one importer of Malaysian Palm Oil Products (MPP), and last year it imported about 416,768 tons.
10. While PETRONAS is currently active in both the upstream and downstream areas in the oil and gas sector.
11. We are confident that the excellent political and trade ties between our two nations will continue to grow and flourish.
12. In terms of technical assistance, Malaysia remains committed to South-South cooperation and will continue to invite Egyptian officials under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) which has proven beneficial and relevant to many developing countries. As of 2012, a total of 506 participants from Egypt had participated in various short-term courses conducted under the MTCP such as in diplomatic relations, engineering, technology development, palm oil familiarization and banking.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
13. As a final note, Malaysia is looking forward to strengthening and deepening our relations with Egypt and we are enthusiastic that our bilateral ties will embrace an even brighter future.
14. On behalf of all Malaysians, we pray to Allah S.W.T. to bless the Arab Republic of Egypt and its people with peace, stability and success.
15. With that note, I thank you once again for joining us to celebrate the 56th National Day of Malaysia.
Assalamualaikum.