Malaysian Ambassador Dato' Abdul Malek bin Abdul Aziz interview with The Jordan Times
2009-06-14
Malaysian students to experience Jordanian life
through home-stay programme
Dato' Abdul Malek Bin Abdul Aziz (Photo courtesy of the
Malaysian embassy)
AMMAN - Malaysian students in the country's universities will have the
chance to live with Jordanian families and learn local traditions and customs
through a new initiative, according to Malaysia's
top diplomat in Amman.
Under the "home-stay" programme, to be
launched by the Malaysian embassy in cooperation with Mutah University in July,
Malaysian students will not only live with Jordanian families but also be
involved in community service activities, Malaysian Ambassador in Amman Dato'
Abdul Malek Bin Abdul Aziz said in an interview Thursday.
"The programme will help Malaysian students be
more interactive with Jordanians… it is about people-to-people contact and we
want them to stay with bedouins and with Jordanians across the country,"
the envoy told The Jordan Times.
Currently, there are up to 769 Malaysians enrolled in
several public and private universities in the Kingdom majoring in medicine,
dentistry, Islamic jurisprudence, Arabic, Islamic theology and Islamic
economics in addition to information technology and computer sciences.
Haji Sulaiman Bin Ismail, director of the student
department at the Malaysian embassy, said there are plans to enact the
programme with other universities, adding that Malaysian students will be
involved in a social work programme starting June 18 to help the elderly at the
White Beds Society.
"Our government is interested in increasing the
number of Malaysian students in Jordan
due to the vast expertise Jordanian universities enjoy, the high standard of
facilities and the excellent approach in teaching," the ambassador said.
However, he noted, the number of Malaysian students
is limited by a quota system, which he said is mainly due to "limited
teaching facilities and staff in local universities".
The diplomat said the Ministry of Higher Education
decided this year to increase the quota of Malaysian students in medicine from 60
seats to 80, predicting the number of Malaysian students to reach 1,000 by the
next scholastic semester in September.
One major challenge Malaysian students face while
studying in the country, the ambassador said, "is the medium of
instruction used in the classroom, as colloquial Arabic is more widely used
than the standard Arabic, which Malaysian students are more accustomed
to".
The Malaysian diplomat also called for facilitating
visa procedures for the students, adding: "It takes them two weeks sometimes
to complete the procedures."
Some potential measures that would help increase the
number of Malaysian students in Jordan
include standardising fees charged to Malaysian nationals and Jordanians at the
Kingdom’s universities and providing scholarships for Malaysians, he said.
Cooperation between Jordan
and Malaysia
in the field of education started in 1995, and 27 memoranda of understanding
have been signed between higher education institutions in both countries.
According to embassy figures, there are 676
Jordanians studying in Malaysia
as of December 2008. Those enrolled in public universities are postgraduate
students specialising in science, information technology and engineering, while
those in private universities are mostly undergraduates.
"Jordan
and Malaysia
have shared visions and we want to complement each other... there is great
potential for cooperation in this sector," said the ambassador.
MALAYSIA AND JORDAN TO ENHANCE COOPERATION IN TOURISM SECTOR
2009-06-10
Minister of Tourism
and Antiquities of Jordan Maha Khatib and
Malaysian
Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malek bin Abdul Aziz
Malaysia and Jordan
are set to enhance greater cooperation in promoting the tourism sector of both
countries. Malaysian Ambassador to Jordan Dato’ Abdul Malek bin Abdul Aziz who
called on Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ms. Maha Khatib on June
2 said that both countries should encourage players in the tourism sector such
as tour operatorsand hoteliers to form
greater cooperation in promoting visitors from Malaysia and Jordan to visit the
countries. Malaysia is also
ready to share its experiences and expertise with Jordan in developing the country’s
tourism sector. The number of tourist arrivals from Jordan
to Malaysia
has increased over the years from 2,657 in 2006 to 7,087 in 2008. They also
exchanged views on means to enhance bilateral cooperation in tourism. Ms. Wong
Chia Chiann, Head of Chancery of the Embassy was also present during the
call.
WORKING VISIT OF MALAYSIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS TO JORDAN
2009-06-10
Deputy Speaker of
Malaysian House of RepresentativesDatuk
RonaldKiandee, MPs from Malaysia and Jordan and Malaysian HonoraryConsulwith Malaysian Ambassador
A Malaysian Parliamentary delegation led by Deputy
Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee made a three-day working visit to Amman, Jordan
from 27-28 May, 2009 to participate in the Second Sub Committee Meeting on the Global
Financial Crisis. The Deputy Speaker was accompanied by MPs Datuk Hj Yussof Hj.
Mahal (Labuan) and Datuk Wira Ahmad Hamzah
(Jasin) including three accompanying officials from the Parliament. In conjunction
with the visit, Malaysian Ambassador
Dato’ Abdul Malek bin Abdul Aziz hosted a dinner at the residence attended by Jordanian
MPs as well as Malaysian Honorary Consul in Aqaba Dato’ Abdul Hai Majali. In
his remarks, the Ambassador welcomed more visits of parliamentarians from Malaysia and Jordan for creating better
understanding of the countries and their people. Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald
Kiandee and Jordanian MP Mr Nasser also spoke at the dinner praising the warm
and good bilateral relations between Malaysia
and Jordan
in many areas of cooperation which had been developed over the years.
AMBASSADOR CALLS ON SPEAKER OF THE JORDANIAN SENATE
2009-06-02
Malaysian Ambassador to Jordan Dato’ Abdul Malek bin
Abdul Aziz called on Speaker of the Senate the Hon.Zaid Al. Refai on May 27 at the Parliament
building. They exchanged views on means to bolster the existing good relations
between Malaysia and Jordan and
welcomed more exchange of visits between parliamentarians of both countries.
MALAYSIAN TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME ALUMNI JORDAN HELD A GET TOGETHER RECEPTION
2009-05-31
MTCP Alumni in Jordan and the Malaysian Embassy held a get-together reception on Saturday, May 23
at the Residence of the Ambassador in Amman.
Over 80 guests attended the inaugural reception including 40 members of the
MTCP Alumni. Malaysian Honorary Consul in Aqaba Dato’ Abdul Hai Al-Majali also
attended the reception which was made lively with tarian inang and joget performed
by Perwakilan Ladies and HBS of the Embassy.
They were also delighted with Satay kajang and other
sumptuous Malaysian food served at the reception.Welcoming the MTCP Alumni, Malaysian
Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malek bin Abdul Aziz hoped that the Alumni would set as
a platform for networking among members and help to promote Malaysia’s image as
they are considered friends of Malaysia in Jordan. He then launched the logo of
the MTCP Alumni, Jordan. In his remarks,Mr Mohammed Kokash, President of
the Alumni thanked the Malaysian Government for organising the MTCP that had
given them the opportunity to learn and exchange development experiences with
Malaysians and other foreign course participants useful for building human
capital in Jordan.
Since the MTCP programme was instituted in the 1980s,
over 240 Jordanian government officials have benefited from various MTCP
courses and seminars in Malaysia.
MALAYSIAN AMBASSADOR MEETS CHIEF EDITORS OF JORDANIAN MEDIA
2009-05-27
Mr Ramadan
Rawashdeh, Petra News Agency, Mr Sameer Barhoum, Jordan Times, Mr Fuad Abu
Hijleh Al Ghad Newspaper , Mr Lokman, Indonesian Embassy , Ms. Wong Chia Chiann
and Ambassador of Malaysia at luncheon meeting
Chief Editor and Editors of Jordanian mainstream
newspapers – the Jordan Times, Al Ghad and Petra News Agency met with Malaysian
Ambassador to Jordan, Dato’ Abdul Malek bin Abdul Aziz on May 21 over lunch hosted by the Embassy.
Appreciating the newspapers for their positive and objective reports on Malaysia and
support of the Embassy, the Ambassador also welcomed greater exchange of news
reports and articles between mainstream newspapers of the two countries.
Therefore, he welcomed local newspapers to forge cooperation with Malaysian
newspapers. Thai Ambassador HE Isinthorn Sornvai and Mr Lokman of the Indonesian
Embassy also attended the lunch meeting. They briefed the editors on ASEAN and
hoped that they would support ASEAN missions here to project ASEAN’s image in Jordan.