Ties with Malaysia

In truth, none of this was unexpected. Last year a high level delegation headed by ex-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad came to Dhaka and engaged in extensive bilateral business negotiation, and we have long retained a good relationship with Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia has long been a good friend to us, and we are confident that the pledges made at the joint commission meeting will be honoured. But the ball is also in our court to follow up and convert the potential into reality.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

To us, the significance of the meeting is that it cements the positive relationship between the two countries and promises to build upon this. We look at this as the very model of what our relations with a foreign country should be. The relationship is based on mutual respect and mutual interest.

Furthermore, we feel that the government could look to Malaysia as a model in terms of economic development. Malaysia has done a superb job in modernising and developing over the past few decades, and we could do ourselves a world of good by learning some lessons in terms of good governance from our Malaysian counterparts.

Closer links between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur thus must be an integral part, both of our foreign policy and also in terms of the direction we take with respect to domestic policy. Not only can trade and investment from Malaysia continue to be of enormous benefit to Bangladesh, but we also can follow the Malaysian lead when it comes to industrial policy, establishing rule of law, infrastructure development, etc.

The need of the hour is to ensure that we nurture this relationship and follow up on its potential. Let closer ties to Kuala Lumpur not be another initiative marked more by fine words than by concrete policies and programmes.