Issued by: SA Communication Service
SPEECH BY PRESIDENT NELSON MANDELA AT THE STATE BANQUET IN MALAYSIA
Kuala Lumpur, 7 March 1997
Your Majesties; Excellencies; Distinguished guests; Ladies and gentlemen.
My last visit to your beautiful country took place over six years ago. Yet it feels like yesterday. The warm embrace of the people of the crescent has remained deeply etched in our hearts.
And today, you have once more embraced us as friends.
Through the trials and tribulations of a difficult struggle, through the joy of the moment of freedom, and through the exciting times of the beginnings of transformation, your warm had of friendship has remained always firmly extended across the oceans, providing support and comfort.
For this we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
History decreed that a segment of the Malaysian soul should reside in our country - through a buoyant ad creative community that is a full part of our rainbow nation. The vagaries of fate dictated that in pre-colonial times, we should share bustling trade between Southern Africa and Southeast Asia; and that, subsequently, we should share successive colonial authorities.
Therefore, many, many things make the common bond between us a natural one. In your company we feel we are among brothers and sisters - friends in need and friends indeed.
Many years ago, at government-to-government level, South Africa and Malaysia parted ways for very good reasons. But the relations between our peoples never faltered.
You were among the leading countries in the global struggle against apartheid, keeping strong links of friendship and solidarity with the democratic forces of our country. This became even more evident in the build-up to the historic 1994 general elections in our country.
Today, South Africa is free. And our nations share common objectives in matters political, economic ad social. Not least among these is your rich experience in uniting a diverse society on the basis of equity and social advancement.
We both carry this same conviction through into the wider world, by promoting the role and aspirations of the developing world in various forms, such as the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth of Nations.
In this context, we welcome Malaysia's recent entry into the Indian Ocean Rim initiative, and we look forward to further joint actions in this forum. We are certain that cooperation between our respective regional organisations, SADC and ASEAN, will grow from strength to strength.
We wish to congratulate Malaysia on the election of its representative as President of the 51st session of the UN General Assembly last year - a certain indication that your country is willing and rady to assume greater responsibility in global matters, not least of which is the challenge to restructure this world body.
Your Majesty;
Malaysia is also demonstrating its faith in and commitment to South Africa and the African continent in the economic field.
Within the short space of 3 years, our bilateral trade has more than doubled. And even more significantly, Malaysia has become the 4th largest investor in our country - overtaking many long-established countries in the process. Direct foreign investment has already boosted our property and hotel industries with permanent positive consequences for many other areas in our economy.
This has laid the basis for more intensive co-operation in areas such as infrastructure development, the petrochemical industry and defence, as well as technology transfer and technical assistance.
We in South Africa admire your country's sense of purpose ad commitment, its inspired leadership and quality of entrepreneurs - all embodied in your Vision 2020 programme.
Indeed, it is natural that part of that vision should be the leadership role that Malaysia is playing in promoting the countless positive attributes that Southern Africa possesses as a trading partner and a safe destination for investments. It is natural too, that our own business community should express keen interest in becoming part of the exciting projects in your country.
Your Majesties, Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen;
Everything I have said tonight can be summed up into one single statement: that our mission is to reaffirm and strengthen the historical ties that bind us.
It is in this spirit that I now ask you all to join me in a toast to the health and happiness of our gracious hosts, their Majesties the King and Queen of Malaysia, and the growing bonds of friendship between our nations.