Malaysia ‘aims for stability’

Press, 3 June 1982, Page 25

Malaysia ‘aims for stability’

Malaysia's new government would take measures in domestic and foreign policies to consolidate achievements and assure future stability and progress, the new Malaysian High Commissioner, Mr M. M. Sathiah, said in presenting his credentials to the Governor-General (Sir David Beattie) in Government House, Wellington.

Mr Sathiah said that he had arrived just after the Malaysian General Election gave a “decisive and broadbased” mandate to the ruling party of the Prime Minister, Datuk Dr Mohammad Mahathir.'

Mr Sathiah said he hoped that the sound basis of the relationship between New Zealand and Malaysia and A.S.E.A.N. would be expanded, particularly in the interests of the people of the South Pacific and South-East Asia.

Sir David, endorsing these sentiments extended an invitation to the Malaysian Prime Minister to visit New Zealand. Mr Sathiah said that he

would seek closer contact with the Malaysian community, particularly the students in New Zealand universities. The High Commission could provide these: students with a link to events and developments in Malaysia as well as trying to help them with any problems. Mr Sathiah said he hoped that the number of Malaysian students in New Zealand would increase in spite of the recent fee increases and the quota system. For many years there had been 2000 Malaysian students in New Zealand. Now there were 1300.

Malaysia also hoped to find places for students in courses closed to overseas students. These courses included medicine, dentistry, and engineering. Mr Sathiah, aged 41, is a career diplomat, married, with one young daughter. He has previously been deputy chief of his country’s missions to Singapore and Bangkok, and expects to be in Wellington for a threeyear term.