DINNER FUNCTION ON THE OCCASION OF THE 31ST ANNUAL MEET OF SENIOR OFFICIALS PUBLIC SERVICES OF MALAYSIA – SINGAPORE

Your Excellency Peter Ho,
Head of Civil Service of the Republic of Singapore,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased that we are able to meet again, this time in Singapore, for the Annual Meet of senior officials from the public services of Malaysia and Singapore.

2. On behalf of the Malaysian delegation, I would like to thank His Excellency Peter Ho, and the Government of Singapore for the warm welcome and generous hospitality accorded to me and members of my delegation.

3. This is the third time for me to participate in this meeting, and the second time as the Chief Secretary, and I believe the third time for His Excellency Peter Ho as the Singapore Head of Civil Service.

4. I find this Meet extremely useful in cultivating the spirit of camaraderie and fostering friendship between senior members of our respective civil services. I am glad that we have devised a mixed format for the golf game tomorrow that would provide the occasion for each side to collaborate effectively to obtain the best scores.

5. I believe that when we meet in our official capacity, we have shared memories of the games we played. This would certainly raise the comfort level, instil trust and confidence as we move forward the various areas of bilateral cooperation for mutual benefit.

Colleagues,

6. Clearly, the continuation of these games year after year, and this is the 31st meet, reflects our desire for nurturing an enduring relation between our two countries. The Games have provided a foundation to build friendly relations, cultivate networking and strengthen ties in a warm and informal atmosphere between the officials from Malaysia and Singapore public services. And the players in both Singapore and Malaysia are changing: That is why we have to continue with the game, because they are new players. I firmly believe that this informal gathering between us have contributed towards building long-lasting friendship; maintaining and improving the cordial relation between our two countries.

7. I am also pleased and encouraged to see the ‘widening’ of the Games to include other bilaterals, Ministries or agencies over the years, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Security, the police force, MATRADE and so on. The fact that numerous agencies have also adopted the Games illustrates the usefulness and the success of the Games in achieving its objectives. I would be more happy and nothing pleases me more if there are more of such bilaterals to come in the future.

8. So Peter and Singapore colleagues I wish to thank you once again for graciously hosting this dinner and the Games. I wish all players the best of luck for the games tomorrow and happy golfing. For non-golfers, I hope you will enjoy the shopping and sightseeing. Look forward to receiving you in Malaysia for the 32nd meet next year.

Thank you.