Letter: Malaysia's links with Britain

Sir: Spare us the arrogance. We need co-operation.

The British government and British companies are working hard to promote trade and co-operation in the Far East. We have responded positively all these years. Surely, this point should not be missed by the British press.

There are home truths that must be accepted. Co-operation is important for mutual benefit. There are pounds 11bn of Japanese investments in Britain today. Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea and Singapore have assets worth billions of pounds in the UK. Nations from India to China in the Far East are trading with the UK. There is no need to insult us, one nation at a time. We must be accepted for what we are, since no nation in the world can claim to be perfect as a model for the rest of the world to follow.

We have excellent relations with the UK. In the past decade alone, we managed to add substance to that excellent state of bilateral relations for mutual benefit. It is unfortunate that the tremendous success achieved in terms of co-operation between Malaysia and Britain is being neutralised by the British press. We are not seeking praises, but fair reporting and certainly we cannot accept insults against our prime minister, our government or our country. A truly responsible free press in Britain should be brave enough to accept the blame for the present state of relations between Malaysia and the UK.

Yours faithfully,

DATO' A. KAMARUDIN

High Commissioner

Office of the High

Commissioner for Malaysia

London, SW1

28 February