M'sian PM's UK Visit Strengthens Bilateral Ties

By Nor Faridah Abd Rashid LONDON, May 23 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's recent working visit to the United Kingdom may have been brief, but it paved the way for strengthening of bilateral ties. During the visit, Najib said the already long-standing relationship between Malaysia and the UK needed to be nurtured, like any relationship, thus summing up the healthy state of relations between the two nations. "The relationship needs to be encouraged so that it can develop and blossom into something that will bring much mutual benefit to both countries," the prime minister said at the launch of the 'Friends of Barisan Nasional UK'(FBNUK). Najib's remarks -- which described Malaysia's achievements, its transformation programmes and its aim to become a fully developed country earning a high income by 2020 -- were well received by the audience, comprising around 100 British and Malaysian personalities. The prime minister also discussed why Britain should prioritise Malaysia and other countries in Asean (a grouping of Southeast Asian nations) and East Asia. "The sad truth is that Malaysians feel that with the importance given to Europe in the recent past, we feel that countries like Malaysia should be given greater priority and attention. "We believe there is very strong justification for it because, when we talk about growth, where is the growth coming from? Where is the future? The future lies in Malaysia, in Asean and East Asia," said Najib, who emphasised that Britain should focus on these countries because such a move would have an added advantage. "You have that goodwill. That goodwill that you should leverage for our mutual benefit," he remarked. Najib also expressed the hope that FBNUK's launch, which was hosted by Lord Sheikh at the House of Lords, would act as a significant milestone in promoting bilateral ties. The FBNUK will actively seek to promote closer ties with the UK and disseminate reliable, timely and accurate information to the Malaysian diaspora in Britain. It will serve as a platform for promoting friendship, goodwill and understanding between the business communities of the UK and Malaysia. Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK, Zakaria Sulong, said the club was established by Malaysians in the UK and those in Malaysia in an effort to reach out to other Malaysians and relay to them the various programmes that the prime minister had launched. Najib's visit to Britain came only a month after British Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Malaysia, reflecting the close relationship and strong historical ties between the two countries. Zakaria said the two prime ministers had developed a very good personal rapport, which is essential for taking the relations to a new level. Najib had visited Britain in July last year. During the recent visit, Najib also witnessed the signing of two agreements between Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGVH) and two renowned commodity companies to allow the soon-to-be-listed FGVH to emerge as one of the world's biggest and most respected commodity companies. FGVH entered into a strategic joint-venture agreement with Louis Dreyfus Commodities Asia Pte Ltd (LDCA) and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vitol S.A. on the supply, international trading, marketing, logistics operations and risk management of various commodities, excluding oil and fats. Najib's visit, however, was not exclusively about business as he and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, also attended an informal event called 'An Evening with the Prime Minister'. It was at this event that the prime minister showed his cool and calm side even though some hecklers chanted pro-Opposition slogans as he was starting his speech. Najib calmly addressed the hecklers and told them to meet him after his speech. The 1,500-strong audience which, according to observers, was the biggest ever gathering of Malaysians at one place, had braved London's heavy traffic to meet with the prime minister at the 02 Arena in Greenwich, East London. When Najib described the behaviour of the hecklers as 'unMalaysian and very, very rude', he received resounding applause from the overwhelming majority of the audience. Najib rounded off his visit by attending a reception hosted by Prince Charles in conjunction with the granting of the Royal Charter Award to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to which Malaysia had made significant financial and material contributions. In describing Malaysia's contributions to the centre, Najib said the country needed to project the real image of Islam and demonstrate its success as a progressive and modern Islamic country that also looked after the rights of non-Muslims. -- BERNAMA