Malaysian Charity Bazaar Announcement and Promotion on Pink Television - Interview

25 May 2012 - As a part of efforts to promote Malaysia on occassion of the upcoming Malaysian Charity Bazaar 2012, Mr. Yubazlan Yusof, Charge d'Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade gave short live interview for Good Morning Show of RTV PINK on 25th May at 8:45 am, which was broadcasted nation-wide and received huge audience being the most popular morning show in Serbia.  

RTV PINK Host: When it comes to social responsibility and humanity, it appears that charity fundraising events have become more frequent recently.

The Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade has decided to organize charity bazaar to help the children of one Belgrade special school. My guest this morning is Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade, Mr. Yubazlan Yusof. Good morning,

1. Whom do you want to help with this charity bazaar and why have you chosen this particular school?

 - Although I have come to Serbia relatively recently, I am familiar with the social responsibility campaign launched last year. As a part of the embassy effort to make its contribution, I have visited several places that could use donations. One of them was the Home for the Abandoned Children “Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj”. I find the original design and concept of the institution very impressive, and the staff also very kind and professional. I believe the school is a place of great potential and that there has to be something we could do to help them.  Of course, I have visited some other similarly interesting places as well and we are looking forward to our cooperation in the future.

2. What is the concept of your charity bazaar and who are the participants? 

- The Malaysian Charity Bazaar is a fundraising event, aiming to gather diplomatic corps, socially aware companies and individuals around the common cause of charity. At the event, our visitors will be presented the opportunity to sample some of the finest of Malaysian food and other national cuisines and to be entertained by traditional dance performances and an ancient art of batik (hand painted silk) fashion show. The video showcases include Malaysian movies, which will enable the audience to get acquainted with Malaysian culture.

3. You said you invited other embassies, companies and individuals to join this event. Who else is going to come? 

Actually this event is a part of our public diplomacy initiative and one of the main goals is to attract as many Serbian public as possible. Being also a part of our social and cultural  diplomacy, we believe that such events could bring our two countries closer together.

4. Several big local tourist agencies offer travel packages to Malaysia. How would you describe your country and inspire our audience to wish to travel there? 

Malaysia is a place of great contrast and that is why most of people who visited Malaysia usually come back. What is unique about Malaysia is its cultural and geographical diversity that makes my country a very special and unique tourist destination in Asia. It is also home to some of the most beautiful beaches and resorts in the world. With its equatorial climate, the white sandy beaches of Malaysia attract tourist from all over the world the whole year round. Besides that, Malaysia also has one of the oldest rainforests in the world, amazing coral reefs, but also a home of the highest mountain peak in south East Asia, standing at 4200 meters above the sea level.

But what makes Malaysia truly special is the mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indigenous culture, influenced over the last five centuries by west European countries such as Great Britain, Netherlands and Portugal. The different races practice different beliefs. Islam, being the official religion is the most widely practiced religion in Malaysia. Other religions that are quite widely practiced are Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism. The cultural diversity reflects the rich and specific historical heritage, which can be seen in abundance of cultural monuments and traditional architecture.

As the contrast, Malaysia is home of the most prominent modern structures in the world. The Petronas Twin Towers are still the world’s tallest twin towers and second and third tallest singular towers standing at 452 meters high, are one of the structures that has helped put Malaysia on the world map. There is also a KL tower, standing at 421 meters high, ranked as the tallest tower in Asia, Sepang Formula 1 grand prix circuit and many more.

Another thing that makes Malaysia special and worth visiting is its food. Malaysian food represents unique mixture of Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisine, with a touch of Japanese and Western influence. From what I have been able to hear during my time here,  Malaysian food suits Serbian taste very much and all locals I have met were very interested in trying our specialties. Of course, we have plenty of 5-star western food restaurants everywhere in Malaysia, but I believe that you would be missing a lot if you stick to your old food habits.   

Another pleasant thing about Malaysia is its peacefulness. First of all the country has no serious army or military confrontations. It does not have any terror or people who are seeking independence from Malaysia. In a smaller scale, you don’t come across people fighting or even quarreling. Our government has launched “Malaysia, My Second Home” program for foreign pensioners to move to Malaysia and enjoy the benefits of affordable and peaceful living.

For all those reasons, foreigners in Malaysia feel at home. People are open, warm, friendly and always willing to help and socialize. What most visitors find very convenient is the fact that almost everyone in Malaysia speaks English. I am also proud to inform that Malaysian government put a lot of effort in developing tourism to make Malaysia a tourist destination equally attractive to young people, students and backpackers as well as to the middle and high class families.

Believe me, with so much to see and so much to do, one will never complain about feeling bored in Malaysia.