Honouring 34 Years of Loyal Service

Ah Lin has been working as Head Cook in the Residence of the British High Commissioner for 34 years. When she retires at the end of July, she will have worked with eight High Commissioners and their wives.

he has served HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh (twice!), HRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex, HRH The Duke of York, countless members of the Malaysian royal families, Malaysian Ministers and literally tens of thousands of other guests.

I recently had the honour to present Ah Lin with an Honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) in recognition of this loyal service. Let me quote what some of my predecessors have said about this remarkable lady:

 

• She is an excellent and efficient cook, who gets a meal to the table at the appointed time whatever the circumstances

• Her human qualities are as superlative as her professional ones

• She has a wide repertoire of international cuisine; we never reached the end of her store of recipes

• her kitchen is the real heart of the household and the Residence staff are lucky to have such a warm heart and stout champion to turn to in times of stress or trouble

• Ah Lin is quite the best cook in Kuala Lumpur…I will miss her very much indeed; she is irreplaceable.

My wife and I agree wholeheartedly with this final comment. We too will be leaving Kuala Lumpur soon and will miss not only Ah Lin’s cooking, but also the friendliness of her smile and the warmth of her heart.

We wish her all the best for the future and trust she will have a long and happy retirement. She certainly deserves it!

Engaging With Civil Society

One of the great things about my job as High Commissioner is that I get to meet people from all walks of life. Not only in government and the business sector, though both are very important, but also with civil society, or what are often known as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). We in the High Commission work with a wide range of NGOs dealing with everything from human rights through wildlife protection to climate change. Engagement takes a variety of forms, but it often involves some sort of inter-action with British entities such as the sharing of relevant experience, collaborating with the High Commission for an event and/or capacity building.

This week a group of about 25 people from 15 NGOs came to my residence to thank me for the support we have been able to offer over the last four years. I was happy to tell our guests that we had been delighted with what we had been able to do and hoped they had also derived benefit. We wanted to maintain our engagement and to build on what had been achieved so far. It was encouraging that civil society appeared to be making an increasingly important contribution in Malaysia, as had been the case for many years in the UK.

Some of the collaborative projects I and my guests highlighted were:

• a project with the Centre for Independent Journalism to produce a draft legislation framework on Freedom of Information, which may soon be reflected in state law in Selangor

• assistance with the establishment of Reef Check Malaysia and the Responsible Tourism Initiative/Annual Award show (both now a sustainable annual effort)

• development with WWF Malaysia of Malaysia's first High Conservation Value Forest national toolkit

• support for British and Malaysian scientists working to improve the understanding of tropical forest ecology in Danum Valley, Sabah, under the auspices of the Royal Society

• organization of annual climate change forums in conjunction with the Chevening Alumni Association, and panelists from broad sectors of society.

• contribution towards the establishment of the ASEAN Regional Action Plan on Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora (2005-2010) and ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network

• support for Transparency International’s national conference on political financing and recent work on reforms in political financing

• work with Sisters In Islam (SIS) in organising a visit to the UK of a Malaysian delegation consist of a Syariah Court Judge, syariah lawyer, state mufti and imam to forge a greater understanding of Islamic law and practices in the UK.

• support for the Chevening Alumni Malaysia, which is one of the most active such groups of Chevening scholars anywhere in the world

• organization with KOMAS (communications centre for Human Rights) of a training workshop on lobbying.

A common theme in many of these projects is good governance. I was delighted to hear from our guests that they much appreciated our support. Even though the sums of money involved were modest, they had often helped to achieve something that would not otherwise have been possible. Reef Check said expressly that:” if it had not been for the British High Commission’s assistance, we would not be active in Malaysia today!”

Bearskins, Bagpipe and British Weather

In the second week of June each year British High Commissions and Embassies around the world celebrate the official birthday of HM Queen Elizabeth II. I say official birthday because The Queen’s real birthday is in April! But June is usually nicer weather! This year she was 84 and still going strong!

These celebrations are universally known as the Queen’s Birthday Party, or QBP for short, and is effectively our National Day. There is no set format for the party, except that it is required to mark the occasion in an appropriate way and to toast the good health of Her Majesty. In Kuala Lumpur, the High Commissioner has traditionally held a large reception in his official Residence, attended by all the main contacts of the High Commission. This is an opportunity to say thank you to all our Malaysian friends for their help and support during the year.

 

This year, we decided to combine the QBP with UK Armed Forces Day, which also falls in June and to bring in a touch more military flavour than is normal. A local airline kindly agreed to fly out two Grenadier Guardsmen, who looked splendid in their bright red uniforms and black bearskin hats (they really are made of bear’s skin!), as they mounted guard outside the house. Many of the ladies attending the party were happy to have their photographs taken alongside these two hunky young men! We also had the services of two Gurkha bagpipers, who are currently serving in Brunei with the Sultan.

Guest of honour for the evening – and proposer of the toast to The Queen - was Dato’, Mustapa Mohamed Minister of Trade and Industry, a good friend and someone I have very much enjoyed working with during my time in Malaysia. In response I was delighted to propose a reciprocal toast to HM The Yang di-Pertuan Agong. All 750+ guests raised their glasses, and we were entertained to the singing of the British and Malaysian national anthems by a local schoolgirl with a beautiful voice. Traditional fish and chips and a selection of delicious British cheeses were also served. A Liverpudlian member of my staff was particularly pleased to see that one of these was “Creamy Lancashire”!

Among the guests were Ministers and senior officials, MPs, captains of Malaysian industry, representatives of civil society, British businessmen and other members of the large British community. No-one seemed too put off by the fact that it rained throughout the party, prompting me to remind everyone of a saying in my home country of Northern Ireland: “If you can’t see the hills, it’s raining…If you can see the hills, it’s going to rain!” Typical British weather!!!

God's Little Acre

Col. Jacques Lemay, UK Defence Advisor and WO Chris Hardman, Assistant

Defence Advisor at the plaque to commemorate the fallen in "God's Little Acre"

Each year for the last four years, I have spent the second week-end in June in Perak. Why? To attend a memorial service held in Batu Gajah to commemorate those who lost their lives during the Malayan Emergency. Why Batu Gajah? Because it is there, in a small cemetery near the Church of the Holy Trinity that are to be found the graves of first three planters to be killed in June 1948. That cemetery is known as “God’s Little Acre”.

For me this has become a very special week-end. It is an opportunity to remember not only the planters who died, but also the miners, policemen and soldiers who fell to defend Malaya. Many of these men were British, Australian or New Zealanders. And increasing numbers of Commonwealth servicemen and their families come each year to participate in the ceremonies. But it was neither the Brits, nor the Aussies, nor the Kiwis who are responsible for organising these memorial services. They were initiated by Malaysians who wanted to honour the dead and protect their memory.                                                      I lay a wreath at "God's Little Acre" memorial

So the week-end is also a chance to say thank you to those Malaysians: to the Malaysian Palm Oil Association - Perak, who have a special Little Acre Sub-Committee and to Dato’ Thambipillay, former Chief Police Officer Perak, who has been a prime mover in Batu Gajah for thirty years.

Gurkha bagpipers and buglers with standard bearer from the

Royal British Legion in Thailand

Services are also held over the week-end to mark other events when Commonwealth forces came to the aid of Malaya/Malaysia:

- at the Cenotaph in Ipoh outside the main railway station, which was re-dedicated three years ago, which commemorates those lost in the First and Second World Wards, the Emergency and the Indonesian Confrontation;

- at the Malaysian Rangers regiment camp at Suvla Lines, which contains the graves of 28 Gurkha soldiers who died during the Emergency and Confrontation; and

- at the Sikh Community Centre, which commemorates the Battle of Kampar in 1942, when British and Indian Army soldiers fought a valiant holding action against the attacking Japanese Army.

My week-end was made this year by meeting Arthur, a former British serviceman, who fought with the Royal Marines in Crete and the Western Front. On being de-mobbed after the end of the Second World War, Arthur joined the police in Palestine, where he saw further action. In 1948, like many of his colleagues, he moved pretty much straight from the Middle East to Malaya, at the outbreak of the Emergency. I found Arthur chatting away animatedly to Dato’ Sri Yuen Yuet Leng, former Chief Police Officer Perak, author of “Nation before Self” and one of Malaysia’s heroes from that period. They were both looking at photos from another mate from those days, who had with him an album with lovely sepia photographs of the three of them in the days when they fought the “CTs” (Communist Terrorists). It was a privilege listening to their memories.

Col.Jacques Lemay giving speech at the Sikh Community memorial service

to honour in particular those who fell in the Battle of Kampar.

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the Emergency in 1960. It is good to know that these memories are still being preserved. To quote the words read at British memorial services across the world:

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn;

At the going down of the sun and in the morning;                                                             

                                                          

We will remember them. 

Writer's Cramp and Chevening Scholarships

I signed my name about fifty times today!  Why?  Because I was signing the certificates for the many Malaysian recipients of Chevening Scholarships and Fellowships. “What is Chevening?”, you might ask.  Well, it is the name we have given to the range of opportunities the British Government offers to young Malaysians to go to the UK to study.  A scholarship is normally for a one year taught Masters programme for Malaysians below 35.  A fellowship is usually to support a 3-4 month stint for those in their mid career, who see benefit in gaining new insights from an academic experience in the UK.  Candidates are chosen not only for their excellence in their field, but also for their leadership qualities.  More details are given on our website: http://ukinmalaysia.fco.gov.uk.

I am a great believer in Chevening.  It demonstrates our commitment to Malaysia in a unique way, seeking out young people at an early age who are going to be leaders of this country in the future, in a wide range of disciplines.  And we have a strong track record in selection: Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Head of Khazanah is a Chevening scholar.  But so too is Bernard Chaudry, one of Malaysia’s brightest young film makers.  And Dina Zaman, author of the influential book “I am Muslim”. And Nithi Nesadurai, a well-established environmental commentator, who also heads the Chevening Alumni Malaysia group (website: http://www.cheveningalumni.org.my). There is also Rafidah Abdullah, a scriptwriter, TV host, actress, columnist and lyricist and Edmund Bon, a lawyer and the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of the Malaysian Bar Council.

To date, a total of 1200 Malaysians have studied in the UK under the Chevening programme.  I must say there is a rich crop of talent!
 
One way in which we keep the scheme running is by taking partners, from British business and academia, who co-fund the scholarships.  My final two signatures today were on new partnership agreements with Cranfield and Queen’s University Belfast (my own alma mater).  These universities  see this scheme as one of the ways in which they can underpin their growing engagement with Malaysia.

World's No.1 Badminton Player Comes to Tea!

Today Lee Chong Wei, World No 1 in badminton came to tea.  I invited him to congratulate him on his recent victory in the Gentlemen’s Singles Champion at the All England Badminton Championship, the world’s oldest and still one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit.  It predates by decades the World Championships.  So it is a good title to win.

I am a former badminton player and a real fan.  So it was a great pleasure to meet Chong Wei.  His coach of many years, Misbun Sidek, himself a former All England Runner-up , also came.  And it was a marvellous opportunity for me to talk through the final at Birmingham and the qualities of Chong Wei’s exciting young Japanese opponent, whose net play and composure were remarkable.  I even got to hit a few rallies with Chong Wei in the garden of the Residence, as did a number of colleagues from the High Commission, who had come to meet their hero.

Chong Wei obviously has to be very careful with his diet, but tucked in nevertheless to cucumber sandwiches, fruit cake and curry puffs (a specialty of the house!).   He also took the time to answer questions and to sign autographs on racket covers brought along by one of the High Commission staff for his badminton-playing friends.  (We will hopefully be able to auction one of these off for charity!).  

When the time came to break up the party, I was delighted to be able to wish Chong Wei all the best for the Thomas Cup (to be played in Kuala Lumpur in May), the World Badminton Championships (to be hosted by England next year) and of course the 2012 Olympics in London, where I sincerely hope he will be Malaysia’s first ever gold medal winner!

Trade and Investment: A Win-Win for the UK and Malaysia

I read with interest the reports in this week's press about a seminar in Birmingham featuring Malaysia's energetic Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.  The aim was to persuade British companies of the benefits of investing in Malaysia.  The last time Datuk Seri Mustapa did an event like this was last April in London.  And I was there to support his message. 

Malaysia is an excellent country for British companies to consider when they are looking to move into the dynamic Asia-Pacific region, the real power-house of today's global economy.  We already have several hundred firms here, operating in fields as diverse as financial services (eg HSBC, Standard Chartered, RBS and Prudential), oil and gas (Shell, Petrofac, AMEC), petrochemicals (BP), pharmaceuticals (Astra-Zeneca, Glaxo) and retail services (Giant, Tesco, Guardian).  But the Minister is right to focus on new areas like advanced engineering and life sciences. 

Dyson is one UK manufacturer which has made a new home in Malaysia.  They now make all their modernistic (and highly successful) vacuum cleaners in Johore and are looking to locate further operations in the Iskandar region.   A recently launched new product is the "air multiplier", a revolutionary bladeless fan (see photo).  One of the things Dyson have found since being here is that they have been able to move to Malaysia not only manufacturing, but also design, thanks to the quality of local design engineers.

Lotus (see separate Blog entry) is also an example of a UK high-performance engineering company which can bring valuable expertise to Malaysia, thus helping to strengthen the country's engineering base.  Aerospace is another, with one major company already established in Subang and doing very well.   We also see real opportunities in green technology and biotechnology, where the UK is a world leader.  I have a large team at the High Commission working on the trade and investment agenda.  As Malaysia's New Economic Model is unveiled,  We will be continuing to work with Datuk Seri Mustapa and his colleagues to identify further opportunities for UK-Malaysian co-operation.  I am convinced that this is a win-win for both sides.

LOTUS Returns to F1

Another big sports event this week-end was the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Bahrain, the opening race of the new season and the first outing for the brand new Lotus.  Lotus were of course no match for the Ferraris and McLarens.  But these are teams that have huge amounts of money and vast experience stretching over many years.  Lotus has done a fantastic job putting a team onto the grid at all in only six months, starting from scratch.  And for both cars to finish the race was a terrific result.  Speeds and performance are bound to improve as the season goes on.

I am not actually a great fan of F1.  So the reason why I am excited by Lotus is that it is a true UK-Malaysian joint venture.  The colour of the car is British racing green, the engine is a Cosworth and the construction and testing were done in Norfolk.  But the team principal is Malaysia's own Tony Fernandes, there are Malaysians in all key management roles and the car proudly bear the "One Malaysia" slogan in its side.  A perfect example of the best of British teaming up with the best this country has to offer.  As Tony said in his comments to the press after the race: "This is a British-Malaysian collaboration that is working very well.  But it is a Malaysian team.  When we do win, Negaraku will be played."  Well done to all involved!


*Photos adapted from Google Images.

Malaysia BOLEH!!

Like many millions of Malasians I sat up late last night to watch the final of the All-England Badminton finals.  The major event was of course the Men's Singles.  Surely this time, at his seventh attempt, Chong Wei could take the coveted title.  And he did: 21-19 21-19.  Today's papers show a delighted Penangite holding aloft the silver cup.  And the record books will say that Lee Chong Wei won the 100th All England, the oldest and most prestigious tournament in the badminton calendar.  And there could not be a more popular or a more worthy winner. 

Chong Wei has been a tremendous Ambassador for Malaysia.  The crowd in Birmingham gave him a fantastic reception: not just the Malaysians present, but everyone in the stadium.  He has won so many titles over the years.  But this was "the big one", the one that had eluded him so far.  His opponent was not after all Lin Dan, his nemesis, but a young qualifier from Japan, Kenichi Tago, who "fought with the spirit of a Bushido warrier" (NST) and will, I am sure be a future star of the game.  

My interest in badminton goes back to my own playing days, when I represented Northern Ireland.  Rudi Hartono was All England champion then and the great Malaysian names were Ng Boon Bee, Tan Aik Huan and the Sidek brothers.  Early on in my time here, I got a call from someone who had heard about this interest and invited me to come along and "hit with a visiting English player", who was currently training in Malaysia.  I turned up at the KL Rackets Club to find myself lined up with Andrew Smith, England's top singles player (knocked out in one of the early rounds of the All England) and playing against a number of Malaysian team players including several Commonwealth Games medallists and other tournament winners.   Needless to say, my game was not quite up to their standard.  But I really enjoyed the experience, which gave me a sense of the importance of the sport to Malaysia and the sheer talent available in this country.

At future sessions I got the chance to meet Hafiz (All England Single's champion in 2003) and even appeared on court - albeit briefly - with Chong Wei himself.  The pace of his smash (unreturnable!!) and his sheer alll-round athleticism were amazing.  But he also impressed with his modesty and commitment to the game.  A true Malaysian champion!

Scottish Veterans Return

One of the first events I attended when I arrived in Malaysia in 2006 was a ceremony, at which over thirty veterans from the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) were awarded the Pinggat Jaya Malaysia (PJM) medal by the Malaysian Government for services during the Emergency.  I was delighted to be invited back to meet another group of KOSB veterans this week at the Shangri-La Hotel.  Waiting in the foyer was a kilted warrior with the bagpipes, waiting to play me into the hall with a Scottish reel.

This time there were sixty veterans and thirty-seven wives and supporters, all celebrating the 55th anniversary of the KOSB’s arrival in Malaya in 1955. Major General Dato’ Zulkiflee bin Mazlan, head of Director General for Veterans’ Affairs in the Malaysian Ministry of National Defence (who was one of the many Malaysians who attended Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK) was there to present a beautiful enamel badge to commemorate the occasion.  The badge, designed by tour organiser Ogilvie Dickson, proudly bears the arms of the KOSB and also the hibiscus.

I was pleased to say a few words to welcome the veterans.  For some it was their first visit back to Malaysia.  Then they had come out in their teens and twenties to a country of jungles and rivers 8,000 miles from home, which faced a Communist insurgency.  Most of them were national servicemen rather than professional soldiers.  For many the experience had been life-changing.   Returning now, in their seventies and eighties, they found a modern, bustling city which was scarcely recognisable as the Kuala Lumpur they had known.  The only things they said they could recognise were the Royal Selangor Club and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building down on Dataran Merdeka.   The Twin Towers were a complete revelation!

It was wonderful chatting to the veterans and their families.  They told lovely stories of Batu Pahat and Kluang , where they were stationed, and Kota Tinggi, where they trained.  They were off to Cameron Highlands the next day to savour something of Malaysia’s tourist pleasures.   I doubt if there will be another tour in five years time, as many will simply be too old to travel.  But it was lovely to meet them and hear them say how their contribution to defeating the Insurgency all those years ago had been worthwhile.

Visit to Bario, Sarawak

One of the most fascinating books I have read since coming to Malaysia is "The World Within" by Tom Harrisson.  It tells of the year Harrisson spent in a long-house in Bario, recruiting the locals to rise up against the Japanese occupying forces, when the Allies landed.  Bario is the place where the renowned Bario rice is grown.  But where exactly is it?  I found out recently, when I spent a couple of days there in the course of a visit to Sarawak.  When I told a "Star" reporter about my impressions, he invited me to write them down, as he thought they might be of wider interest.  So here goes.

The first thing to note about Bario is that it is not served by any road.  So the only way to get there is on foot (a two month walk from Miri), by river (a couple of weeks up from Marudi) or by air.  I chose the last option and took an ancient, but very reliable Twin Otter (designed and built in Canada for bush flying) from Miri.  On check-in I was surprised to discover that not only my baggage had to be weighed, but also me.  This was so that they could judge how much weight was still available for cargo.  Because the rear half of the aircraft was stuffed with cardboard boxes bringing everything conceivable up to Bario.

READ MORE ABOUT MY BARIO VISIT HERE

Putrajaya by night

I have been in Putrajaya dozens of times over the last three years to call on Ministers and senior officials.  Some people have doubts about the whole concept and of course it is true that Putrajaya still  lacks a real buzz.  But I have always found the architecture impressive and the planning interesting.  The inclusion of a Botanical Garden, Wetlands Area and world-class water-sport facilities are long-sighted and potentially a real asset to the region.

So I was fascinated to learn that there was to be a Putrajaya Night Marathon.  My daughter and wife were both going to participate.  And I decided I would have a go too.  I didn’t have to run the full marathon (40km), nor even the half-marathon.  I was able to join in the fun-run over 7.7km. 

The event was on Sunday, with the different races each having separate start times.  The 7.7km race began at 9.00pm, but we arrived early to soak up some of the atmosphere.  It was great. Over 8,000 people had entered.  Everyone seemed determined to have a good time. And Putrajaya was lit up wonderfully.  The start was outside the Palace of Justice, directly opposite the new mosque.  Many of the buildings and all the bridges were lit up.  Beautiful!

I managed to complete my race in just under an hour.  This had been my target, so I was very pleased.  But actually it was more about taking part and soaking up the spirit of the occasion.  On future visits to Putrajaya, I will always remember the crowds, the lights....and my race number: M1877! 

A Call to 10:10 Challenge

Many of us in the High Commission feel strongly about climate change.  The UK government does too and the British Foreign Secretary is signing up to the 10:10 Challenge (www.1010uk.org) on 8 February as part of the UK’s global campaign to raise awareness of the urgent need to promote a low carbon, high growth economy. 

We already have in the High Commission a “Green Team”, led by a local expert, who have been working for the last few months on calculating and reducing our carbon footprint.  So it was an easy call for me to sign the High Commission up to the 10:10 challenge.

This means that we have set ourselves a target of reducing our carbon footprint in 2010 by 10% compared with 2009.  My “Green Team” tell me that the main areas to achieve cuts are on:

·   air conditioning - we have already raised the temperature and reduced the running hours

·   air travel – we will cut back on flights where we can and make more use of video-conferencing

·   fuel consumption – we have arranged for our drivers and all High Commission staff to be instructed on driving more efficiently and we are looking at how we can use our official vehicles more sparingly

·   paper usage – we are monitoring paper usage and have set a target of 10% reduction this year.

We are also inviting British businesses in Malaysia to join us and take up this challenge.  I very much hope Malaysian businesses, other organisations and indeed individuals who feel strongly about climate change will do the same. 

Football Fever

One of the first questions I was asked in my very first press conference in Malaysia was “Which EPL team do you support?”  - I worked out pretty quickly that Malaysians are crazy about football (watching it rather than playing it!).  It is an essential part of my daily browsing of the local press to read the football pages.  Otherwise I would get caught out regularly.  I remember one very senior Malaysian asking me well into last season: “What is the difference between Tottenham Hotspur and a triangle?”  The answer: “A triangle has three points!”   (Spurs are of course now in a much better position in the league!)

As pretty much every Malaysian knows, the World Cup is to be held in South Africa this summer.  I was fascinated to learn recently that the cup itself, known as the Jules Rimet Trophy, was going to be on display at Mid Valley Mall.  So I and some of my colleagues went along to see it for ourselves.  I decided to really get into the spirit of things by wearing the official England shirt and also took a scarf promoting England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Even though we had arrived fairly early in the day, hundreds of Malaysian football fans were there.   Before we could get anywhere near the trophy, we wandered past lots of stalls and a stand by Rally International particularly caught my eye. They are a UK charity that brings young people out from Britain to undertake development work in Sabah.  Football training is one of the areas they work in, but their main focus is on helping with rural projects such as providing clean water.  They also work with Yayasan Sabah on environmental projects, such as the building of a rehabilitation centre for sun bears at Sepilok.

 

Walking further on, we came accross a fantastic 3-D film all about the history of the World Cup, with grainy footage of past finals.  Finally, we reached our goal.  Standing in front of us, in a glass case and heavily protected by security, was the World Cup!  Everyone had a chance to have a photo taken.  Mine was, of course, with my England bid scarf!  It was quite a treat to know that I was right beside the trophy that had been raised in victory by famous players like Bobby Moore (England), Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) and Zinedine Zidane (France) and Pele (Brazil).

The only time England won the World Cup was in 1966, when the tournament was played on home soil.  Bobby Moore (later “Sir Bobby”) was the captain and Geoff Hurst scored a memorable hat-trick.  One of my boyhood heroes, Bobby Charlton (now “Sir Bobby”) was one of the stars.  And I had a chance to meet him a few months ago, when he visited Kuala Lumpur with Manchester United.  What a pleasure that was!

I’ll be interested to see this summer how many Malaysians will be backing England to win the Cup.  I suspect quite a lot!!!  

Why are Malaysian cinemas so cold?!

Over the last few years, the issue of climate change has been bleeping ever more insistently on the global radar screen as increasing evidence surfaces to demonstrate that climate change is real and that humans are at least partly responsible.

British people experienced torrential flooding in 2007 and arctic temperatures this winter - prompting wry jokes about the effects of global 'warming'. Malaysians are also experiencing the effects of erratic weather patterns. Unseasonal flooding in Johore in 2007 prompted the well-known cartoonist LAT to wittily respond with a cartoon in the New Straits Times newspaper, depicting two water buffalo near a lake. One water buffalo has just dunked his foot in the water and pulled it out quickly: " Ohh, hot! " he says to his buffalo friend. Jokes aside, the seriousness of the matter is understood and climate change remains firmly in the headlines around the world.

Over the last three years the British High Commission in Malaysia has been running a series of events to raise public awareness of climate change. On 19 January we hosted a forum for about 300 representatives from government, local businesses, universities and civil society, to discuss the outcomes of Copenhagen*. Forum panellists from a diverse background all agreed that Copenhagen had been disappointing.

Gurmit Singh, Chairman of the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development in Malaysia felt "thoroughly disgusted" at the lack of progress. He argued that governments alone cannot be expected to solve the problem and that progress will only happen when we all take responsibility for the energy we use. Dr Lian of the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment felt the negotiating process at Copenhagen was not transparent or inclusive enough and was saddened that more was not achieved. Business figures seemed to be far more optimistic about matters. Geoffrey WIlliams of OWW Consulting was literally "bristling with optimism" and felt that the private sector was well placed to raise substantial funds to tackle climate change.

I agreed that the British government shared the frustration felt by the panellists at the lack of progress at Copenhagen. Although a legally binding Treaty failed to materialise and commitments to cut emissions were not forthcoming, other issues such as significant comittments on finance and the Copenhagen Accord* must surely be seen as a step forward.

The questions that followed the forum reflected great interest, with thoughtful musings offered from all sides of the room. I left feeling I had learned a great deal from the discussions and reflected on Gurmit's call for us all to make more of an effort to be 'green'. My personal aims will be:

1) to make an effort to turn off the lights (this reminds me of UK papers reporting amusing imagery of HM The Queen stalking corridors to switch off the lights after her staff have negligently left them on!)

2) to keep the air con at 'moderate' rather than 'Arctic' (why are Malaysian cinemas so cold?!!)

3) to lead the way for the High Commission to join the 10:10 challenge – an ambitious project that aims to unite every sector of British society to achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010: http://www.1010uk.org/

4) to live more sustainably by re-using and recycling. Making good use of leftover food is an excellent place to start and I can recommend an excellent 'Bubble and Squeak' recipe at http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes.

*Copenhagen was a major meeting that took place in Copenhagen in December 2009, which brought together 192 countries from around the world to discuss the steps the international community needs to take to mitigate climate change.

*The Copenhagen Accord was agreed by a group representing 49 developed and developing countries that account for over 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

It's Good to Talk!

Education is a very important component in the relationship between the UK and Malaysia so I spend a good chunk of my time talking to, and visiting, schools and universities. The High Commission works closely with the British Council here in Malaysia and I really enjoy being given the opportunity to explore some of the different initiatives that they are involved in.

Whilst in Penang on my Suffolk House visit I paid a visit to St Christopher’s School in George Town.  This British-curriculum school has been serving the Penang community for over forty years.  And for twenty of those years, it has been headed by Mr Jones, a Welshman and proud of it!  I was delighted to hear that the school is thriving and that the Board of Governors has recently agreed to construct a new teaching block, work on which began the very day I visited!  Mr Jones knows the name of every single child at St Christopher’s and the evident eagerness of the children is a marvellous tribute to the great work he, the teachers and the Board, put in.  I heard that Year 5 had been visiting a local hospital.  When asked what they had seen, one little boy answered “Dracula’s Bank”!

I also dropped in on The University of Science Malaysia. Designated in 2008 as the Malaysia’s “Apex” university, it is also soon to be home to the British Council’s English language operation in Penang. The Vice Chancellor expressed his delight to me that the teaching of English, so critical to the success internationally of Malaysia’s young people, would be so accessible to his students. We also discussed opportunities for research collaboration and ways in which we can take advantage of funding offered under the UK Prime Minister’s Initiative (PMI)*.

My last stop was a local school, SKM Dato’ Onn. I met the winners of a Global Citizen competition, which had brought participating staff and children to a grand final in Taiwan.  I was shown Christmas and Hari Raya cards, which children had prepared while learning about the meaning of different festivals and traditions. The school was also hosting a web conference with schools in Bromley (near London) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). This link-up is part of the British Council’s excellent “Connecting Classrooms” programme – designed to bring children from the UK and Asia closer together. I found the pupils enthusiasm to be utterly infectious! I was particularly struck by the real potential of  “Connecting Classrooms” and I hope that it succeeds in its aim of building lasting partnerships between pupils from different cultures. Find out more at http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-connecting-classrooms.htm

*PMI: The UK Prime Minister’s Initiative has made funds available for research as well as providing opportunities for British students to spend time at Malaysian universities. There are some 12,000 Malaysian students at UK universities, but only a handful of young Brits in Malaysia.  We are doing what we can to achieve a bit more balance.

*Connecting Classrooms: This innovative programme is designed to build lasting partnerships between schools in the UK and others around the world through web conferences, facebook and other online media. These ‘virtual’ relationships are then strengthened with real ‘live’ visits!