In a grand celebration of Malaysia’s 66th Independence Day on Wednesday, Acting High Commissioner Dato Dr. Mohamad Rameez Yahaya welcomed dignitaries, diplomats and friends of Malaysia at the High Commission of Malaysia in Windhoek. The event focused on strengthening bilateral ties between Malaysia and Namibia.
The theme for this year’s celebration, ‘Malaysia Madani: Tekad Perpaduan penuhi harapan’, embodies the nation’s commitment to unity and progress.
Roughly translated into English, the theme means ‘Madani Malaysia: Unity’s determination fulfills hope’.
Yahaya highlighted Malaysia’s geographical and demographic aspects, emphasising its diversity. “Malaysia is composed of two non-contiguous regions, Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia on the Island of Borneo, separated by the South China Sea. The Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur lies in the western part of the peninsula, about 40 kilometres from the coast. The country’s combined area is around 329 847 km2, making it somewhat 30% the size/area of Namibia. Malaysia has a population of about 37 million, with three main ethnic groups - Malay, Chinese and Indian. The main spoken languages in Malaysia are Malay (official language), English, Chinese and Tamil.”
Recognising the 27th anniversary of the High Commission of Malaysia in Windhoek, Yahaya said “bilateral relations between Malaysia and Namibia have existed before 1990, and Malaysia had provided strong political support to Namibia during its struggle for independence. After Namibia’s independence in 1990, the relations were further strengthened by close political cooperation, particularly in the context of South-South cooperation”.
He also highlighted the educational cooperation between the two countries, particularly the establishment of the Limkokwing University in Namibia in 2019, offering various courses for the youth of Namibia.
Yahaya underlined Malaysia’s commitment to technical cooperation through the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP), which focuses on human resources development in crucial areas such as agriculture, economy, finance, science, technology, health, diplomacy and more.
The acting high commissioner called for increased cooperation between Malaysia and Namibia in various sectors, extending an invitation to the media and investment sectors of Namibia. He expressed Malaysia’s commitment to enhancing trade and investment in Namibia.
In closing, Yahaya extended warm wishes to all attendees, and invited them to enjoy the feast prepared by the Perwakilan Ladies of Windhoek. His parting words resonated with the spirit of the occasion, “Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!” (“Freedom, Freedom, Freedom!”) - marking Malaysia’s independence with a resounding call for freedom and unity.
Earlier this month, the embassy celebrated the 56th ASEAN Day with New Era staff to create awareness among Namibians about Malaysia and ASEAN.
ASEAN stands for Association of South-East Asian Nations, of which Malaysia is among the five founding members.
A video on Malaysia was presented as well as a slide show on ASEAN, which showed how ASEAN remains the cornerstone of Malaysia’s foreign policy.
The establishment of the ASEAN community in 2015 has significantly elevated Malaysia’s approach and engagement at the regional level, concurrently strengthening bilateral and multilateral aspects of Malaysia’s engagement with the world,which will continue to be an important focus. The nation’s well-being is founded on strong and friendly relations with other countries and its commitment to the multilateral system.
Afterwards, New Era staff were treated to a Malaysian lunch comprising Nasi lemak, Ayam Masak Merah, Sambal Ikan Bilis and Teh Tarik prepared by Perwakilan Windhoek.