Golden Anniversary Congratulations
Golden Anniversary Congratulations
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  • 승인 2007.10.22 17:24
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The following article is a contribution by Mr. Dato' M. Santhananaban, Malaysia Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, on the occasion of the Golden Anniversary of Malaysia's Independence this year -- Ed.

On the auspicious occasion of the Golden Anniversary of Malaysia's Independence, it gives me great pleasure to extend the warmest greetings of the people of Malaysia to the people of the Republic of Korea and to the esteemed readers of Korea IT Times.

Malaysia has come a long way from the uncertain days before August 31, 1957 when the country proclaimed independence under the leadership of the young nation's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj. Today Malaysia is an important force for peace, dynamism, leadership and stability in Southeast Asia. The country and its people are united and focused on enhancing national competitiveness and resilience.

In March 2006 Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tabled the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the five-year period up to 2010. The theme of the Plan - Towards Excellence, Glory and Distinction - encapsulates the high aspiration of the government and people of Malaysia. Although Malaysia's per capita income of US$6,000 may not seem spectacular yet with that kind of a median income Malaysians can live a somewhat comfortable life. Rents and living costs in most of the country are relatively low and in keeping with the norms of a caring society, the Malaysian government subsidizes education, health and social services substantially. In the current five-year plan poverty would be halved to 2.8 percent and hard-core poverty eliminated altogether, a considerable achievement considering that 51.8 percent of the population was in hard-core poverty in the 1957-63 period. The expectation is that growth would be in the 6-7 percent range in the next four years, laying a strong foundation for the achievement of the country's 2020 Vision of becoming a developed nation.

Within the country, in order to enhance national competitiveness, attention would be focused on infrastructure development and maintenance, on fostering greater unity by closing inter and intra-ethnic disparities, the rural-urban gap and the gap between different regions of the country. Particular emphasis is being given to developing the South Johor Economic Region, Northern Development Corridor, the Eastern Corridor and the States of Sabah and Sarawak. The plan also aims at enhancing national integrity and transparency in the public and private sectors by incorporating good governance principles. Malaysia is currently rated as Asia's sixth most competitive economy after Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Republic of Korea.

The Malaysian government also places high priority to fostering an environment of peace, stability and growth in the Southeast Asian region. Enhancing relations with the ASEAN Nations is by far the main pillar of the country's foreign policy. Beyond ASEAN Malaysia has sought to build enhanced cooperation with the countries of Northeast Asia, South Asia, the Australasian region and other ASEAN dialogue partners. Malaysia also values her close ties with the Commonwealth countries, the OIC group and the Non-aligned Movement.

Bilateral relations with the Republic of Korea continue to acquire greater depth, range and significance. The two countries continue to maintain a regular exchange of visits at all levels and can draw satisfaction from the excellent state of bilateral cooperation. This year, in March, Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Dato' Sri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak made an official visit to the Republic of Korea to affirm the abiding ties between the two countries.

Bilateral trade reached the US$12.5 billion mark in 2006 and continues to grow. The Republic of Korea has invested almost US$2 billion in manufacturing operations in Malaysia. An estimated 300,000 people travel between the two countries annually while more Korean families are availing of education and second home options in Malaysia. Malaysia is encouraged by the confidence that the Samsung Group, Daewoo, LG, Hyundai, Kia, Elentec and Kiswire have shown in Malaysia's business climate.

Given the IMF's optimistic global outlook of 5.2 percent growth for 2007/8, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea can look forward with confidence to greater growth prospects for overall bilateral cooperation.

With my warmest regards,

Yours sincerely

Dato' M. Santhananaban

Malaysia Ambassador to the Republic of Korea


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