A Year of Tragedies, Triumphs and Togetherness

I wanted to write a blog looking back on 2014 from the High Commission’s perspective but I have to admit that it’s been difficult to get the words right. 2014 was by any measure a challenging year for Malaysia and the High Commission.

The nation has had to deal with an unprecedented number of large-scale disasters. These have understandably tested its fortitude and scarred its psyche.

The loss of Malaysia Airlines MH370 in March was an extraordinary event which would have tested the resources of any government. I was proud that the UK helped to identify MH370’s likely flight path and deployed a submarine to assist with the search effort. I know that we are all desperately hoping that the plane will be found soon so that the families may have some closure.

If the loss of MH370 was tragic, the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in June by a missile fired from Ukrainian territory controlled by Russian-backed separatists was a disgrace. The loss of 298 lives including 43 Malaysians and 10 British nationals was avoidable. As Prime Minister Cameron wrote at the time, ‘…this is a direct result of Russia destabilising a sovereign state, violating its territorial integrity, backing thuggish militias and training and arming them.’ Let’s hope the perpetrators are soon brought to justice.

If this wasn’t enough, Malaysia has also dealt with devastating mudslides in the Cameron Highlands and the worst flooding to hit the country in a generation. Over half of the peninsular is currently underwater and over 200,000 people have been displaced.

And, of course, just after Christmas, the region had to deal with yet another airline tragedy following the loss of Air Asia QZ8501. As I write this, news is breaking that some bodies have been found. It’s hard to imagine what the families of those onboard must be going through at this time.

What struck me throughout this year was the positive way in which Malaysia responded collectively to the events. It was as if people said that these events transcended boundaries and affected all Malaysians regardless of religion or ethnicity. This for me was the true meaning of One Malaysia.

In the High Commission, we have had to come to terms with the tragic passing in August of our former High Commissioner Simon Featherstone. Simon was an outstanding diplomat and a great friend of Malaysia.

At his thanksgiving service in Kent, Gail, Simon’s wife, said that he had the happiest memories from his time in Malaysia. She said that one of Simon’s career highlights was the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and played the video inviting the public to come and meet the couple in KLCC. She said that this video really captured Simon’s playful personality – even though he had a fantastic career, Simon never took himself too seriously.

Despite these sad events, the bilateral relationship between the UK and Malaysia has continued to grow across all sectors. Whilst the acquisition of Battersea Power Station was the single biggest Malaysian investment in the UK, there have lots of others. And in the opposite direction, companies like Weir Group and BT have expanded their footprints in Malaysia.

One area where we have seen huge expansion is in the education sector. Education securely binds our countries together. There are up to 15,000 Malaysians studying in the UK and more UK qualifications are taken by students in Malaysia than in any other overseas market. Our Chevening scholarship programme is one of the largest per capita in the world. We have seen a 40% increase in eligible applications for the 2015/16 academic year and have up to 50 scholarships available.

I thought I would pick out my highlights of the year.

2014 started with the visit of HMS Daring, the most advanced warship in the British Navy. This visit was a visible demonstration of the UK’s commitment to the Five Powers Defence Arrangement.

The following month, in partnership with the Razak School of Government, we sent five of Malaysia’s ‘rising talents’ within its civil service to London for a week-long familiarisation trip. The visit offered the participants a unique insight into the UK government’s policy making process.

In March, we launched the GREAT debate series. We wanted to provide a platform for Malaysians to discuss and debate the issues that really matter to them with politicians and experts from civil society.

The debates were organised in partnership with Nottingham University and BFM radio and took place in front vibrant, enthusiastic and youthful audiences. The first debate focused on the issue of cutting economic subsidies. In June, we hosted a lively debate on media freedom featuring Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the Minister for Urban Wellbeing and Rafizi Ramli MP. Our final debate of the year took place in Penang in November and looked at whether Malaysia’s historic legacy was a hindrance or benefit to its development. Look out for more GREAT debates next year!

Former FCO Senior Minister of State Baroness Warsi visited Malaysia for a second time in April. She met Prime Minister Najib and gave an impassioned speech at the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation on the importance of religious tolerance. Baroness Warsi also promoted the UK’s expertise in Islamic Finance and opened our new High Commission office in Menara Binjai.

For me, May will be remembered for the tragic and untimely death of Gareth Huntley on Tioman Island. I spent the best part of a week with Gareth’s mother and got a glimpse into what a loving son Gareth was. In August, our consular team had another horrific incident to deal with after the murder in Kuching of Aidan Brunger and Neil Dalton, two Newcastle University medical students. Our thoughts continue to be with their families and friends.

A personal highlight for me in June was being awarded an OBE in HM The Queen’s birthday honours list. The award was deeply humbling and was as much a recognition of the talented people that I’ve worked with as it was my own achievements. It was fantastic that another colleague in the High Commission, Helen Paterson, was awarded an MBE.

In June we also had an event-packed visit by the Royal College of Defence Studies to Sabah and KL.

One area of our bilateral collaboration that seldom gets attention is science and innovation. So, it was particularly pleasing to announce in August the signing of an £8m MoU to jointly fund research and development.

In September, we held our second GREAT Week in Malaysia. The first one last November was a resounding success but this one was even better! This time around we focussed on the retail, food and drink, and experience economy sectors. We were very fortunate to have Minister Grant Shapps in attendance.

We were also pleased that Ping Coombes, the Malaysian-born winner of UK Masterchef 2014 was able to join us for the week. She delighted shoppers at our food and drinks fair with her fish and chips with a Malaysian twist. She also gave two lucky winners a private cooking masterclass.

That month, the High Commission and the British Council also hosted Graduation UK – an event which gave an opportunity for 120 Malaysian alumni of UK universities to graduate in front of their families and friends. Some of the graduates had completed their studies 15 years ago!

In October, we were delighted to welcome Vicki Treadell, our new High Commissioner. Vicki arrived with a ready-made fondness for Malaysia – she was born in Ipoh and served in the High Commission in the late 1980s. One her first tasks was to host the British contribution to KL Fashion Week which featured the first ever Zandra Rhodes-Karyaneka collection.

In November, Vicki delivered a landmark speech on the challenges faced by diplomats and journalists of remaining relevant in the digital age and the fantastic opportunities presented by social media.
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the year was the visit of Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London in December. The Mayor was accompanied by a large business delegation and met over 2,500 guests in just 48 hours. He took a walkabout in downtown KL, a bicycle ride and a trip on KL’s Light Rapid Transport train. He even enjoyed a banana leaf breakfast with the Mayor of KL.  It’s anyone’s guess how many selfies were taken with the Mayor!

At the end of his visit, the Mayor delivered the prestigious Khazanah Global Lecture to an audience of over 1,000 senior figures including PM Najib, the Sultan of Perak and live streaming into four universities in Malaysia. He spoke passionately about our shared history, and our shared opportunities. He also made a strong case for Malaysia to be open to ideas as well as opening its services sector to UK companies without the need for a local partner.

Our final big event of 2014 was a football match between a joint High Commission/German Embassy team and a Malaysian youth team to commemorate the Christmas truce in 1914. The match was played in a fantastic spirit and highlighted the camaraderie that now exists between the UK and Germany. In case you’re wondering, the final score was 2-4 to Malaysia!

So what can we expect in 2015?

I think it’s going to be another fantastic year for bilateral relations with a real opportunity to work together on global issues. We are looking forward to Malaysia joining the UN Security Council and see lots of overlap on our priorities including the fight against ISIL and global extremism. We will also support Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship and will encourage greater economic, social and cultural integration.

Vicki has already said that she want us to focus more on youth, gender and diversity issues so look out for more initiatives like the GREAT debate series. We are also planning to take the High Commission (or at least parts of it) on a roadshow to other parts of Malaysia. Our first stop is likely to be Sabah in February/March.

All that remains for me to say is best wishes from everyone in the High Commission for the New Year.