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62nd National Day of Malaysia message by H.E. Amb. Datin Sarah Albakri Devadason, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Federal Republic of Germany
SPEECH BY H.E. AMB. DATIN SARAH ALBAKRI DEVADASON ON THE OCCASION OF RECEPTION OF THE 62ND NATIONAL DAY OF MALAYSIA, 17 SEPTEMBER 2019
H.E. Ambassador Petra Sigmund
Deputy Director General for East Asia,
Southeast Asia and Pacific
Federal Foreign Office
Mr. Alexander Kullitz
Deputy Chair of the German-ASEAN
Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Bundestag
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome, or as we say in Malay, "Selamat Datang" to the Embassy of Malaysia to celebrate the 62nd National Day of Malaysia. We are honoured to have your presence on this auspicious occasion. As we celebrate the 62nd anniversary of our independence which was gained on the 31st of August 1957, we also celebrate the 56th anniversary of Malaysia Day, which is celebrated on 16 September to commemorate the joining of states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The starting point of Malaysia-Germany bilateral relations was on the auspicious day of our independence in 1957. Germany became one of the first countries to established bilateral relations with Malaysia, then known as the Federated Malay States. Since then, the bilateral relations have grown from strength to strength across political, economic and socio-cultural spheres.
Political Security
In terms of political outlook, Malaysia and Germany share many similar positions in pursuing a world order that advances fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. We are firm believers of multilateralism and have been in close cooperation with each other at international bodies. Malaysia and Germany are also steadfast in our pursuit for peace and security, culminating in our respective presence in the UN Security Council as non-permanent members, as well as participation in numerous peacekeeping missions around the world. We commend Germany for its exemplary leadership at various international fora, including during its recent presidency of the United Nations Security Council.
That said, Malaysia looks forward to further strengthening political cooperation with Germany. Our officials would continue to work together and pursue opportunities for high-level visits between the leaders of our countries which would act as a catalyst towards enhancing our bilateral relations.
People to people Connectivity
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Although there is a vast geographical distance between Germany and Malaysia, improvement in flight connectivity has resulted in an increase of German tourists to Malaysia. In 2018, Malaysia recorded approximately 130,000 German tourist arrivals compared to about 110,000 in 2017, an increase of 17 percent.
Visitors would find Malaysia as a multicultural melting pot of Asia, with strong influences from the Malay Archipelago, China, India and the rest of Southeast Asia; hence the tagline Malaysia, Truly Asia. Malaysia hosts five UNESCO World Heritage sites; Lenggong Valley, Mulu National Park, Kinabalu Park, Georgetown and Melaka. These sites are known for their biodiversity, archaeological, historical and cultural value.
With Visit Malaysia Year 2020 next year, Germany is envisioned as the top five target markets, along with ASEAN, China, India and the United Kingdom.
Economic Relations
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For the greater part of the new millennium, Germany is Malaysia’s largest trading partner, export destination and source of import from the European Union. In 2018, Malaysia’s total trade with Germany increased by 3 percent from €11.19 billion in 2017 to €12.29 billion. Malaysia’s exports to Germany increased by almost 6 percent from €5.63 billion in 2017 to €6.35 billion. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s imports from Germany increased by 0.4 percent from €5.55 billion in 2017 to €5.93 billion.
Germany is our largest investor from the European Union. Between 1980 to 2018, there were 589 manufacturing projects with a total investment worth €9.1 billion. These projects continue to generate close to 70,000 jobs in Malaysia.
I believe the main facet which stimulates investor confidence in Malaysia is its dexterity in addressing challenges to its economy and its ability to adapt to evolving global economic complexities. This is also centered on its business friendly policies and infrastructure. From a country dependent on agriculture and primary commodities, Malaysia has transformed itself to become an export-driven economy spurred on by high technology, knowledge-based and capital-intensive industries. Currently, we are working towards Industry 4.0 as the next phase of evolution in the manufacturing sector. Our efforts are also focused on building human capital to enhance Malaysia’s position as a hub for high value services in the Asia Pacific region.
Malaysia had launched its National Policy on Industry 4.0 (Industry4WRD) in October 2018. This policy is based on the outcome of studies on best practices by countries including Germany. Industry4WRD aims to strengthen Malaysia’s capabilities as a destination for high-tech investments. The policy envisions Malaysia as a strategic partner for smart manufacturing, a primary destination for high-technology industries and a total solutions provider for the manufacturing sector in the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Government is committed to ensuring that the Malaysian economy remains on a sustainable growth trajectory by providing a conducive and favourable environment to attract investors and businesses to invest in and trade with the country. Quality foreign direct investment continues to assume an important role in the development of Malaysia due to its multiplier impact on the economy.
In addition, Malaysia has adopted a more focused and targeted approach in attracting quality investments in high technology, capital intensive and knowledge intensive industries; high value-added industries; R&D activities as well as in new growth areas, which is also in line with the strategies and capabilities of German companies.
Therefore, the opportunities for partnerships between German and Malaysian companies are tremendous especially in taking advantage of Germany’s underlying expertise in R&D and knowledge technology driven industries. Such partnerships offer collaboration opportunities through technology transfer and joint ventures including in the technology drivers of Industry 4.0. We welcome more German investors to leverage on Malaysia’s competitive and comparative advantages. As Germany is also one of the leaders in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), further collaboration in this area would certainly benefit both sides.
Malaysia as Gateway to ASEAN
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As one of the founding members of ASEAN, Malaysia is steadfast in its efforts to ensure the development of the region. We firmly believe that economic integration in the region forms the core of building a strong, resilient and vibrant ASEAN Community. With sound economic fundamentals and developed infrastructure and quality workforce, Malaysia offers itself as a hub for investors that wish to tap on the immense potential of the region. Last year, Bloomberg had rated Malaysia as the most attractive emerging market in Asia and 5th in the world while the World Bank ranked Malaysia as 2nd in ease of doing business in ASEAN.
With a population of more than 600 million people, ASEAN is currently the 7th largest economy in the world, and is projected to be the 4th largest economy by 2050. Realising huge potential, it is only natural that major German companies have made Malaysia its strategic launchpad in the region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
While my speech has illustrated the aspects of Malaysia-Germany relations, I believe that it is of utmost importance that we do not rest on our laurels, especially in light of the current global challenges facing the world. Malaysia remains committed to maximize the potential to elevate Malaysia-Germany relations to greater heights.
On that note, I have the pleasure to warmly invite H.E. Ambassador Petra Sigmund to deliver her remarks.
Thank you.