Badawi visit opens SVG links to business Asia

Persons with interest in business now have new opportunities to broaden their horizons. They can do so by taking advantage of Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s visit to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Prime Minister wound up a four-day trip to this nation last Tuesday with an address to the House of Assembly. Badawi used that platform to reach out to Vincentian entrepreneurs. He urged them to “explore opportunities in Malaysia.” {{more}}Badawi encouraged businesspersons to use Malaysia as a “hub” to Asia.

He suggested that with St. Vincent and the Grenadines, known for promoting regional cooperation, there could also be a platform for the improvement of Malaysia/Caricom relations.

Badawi was hopeful that cooperation between the two regions could be enhanced especially in trading.

The Malaysian Prime Minister concluded his trip with the signing of a Joint Statement with his Vincentian counterpart Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. Badawi’s visit here was a mixture of relaxation and business.

He enjoyed the spotlight with an official reception on his arrival at E.T. Joshua Airport on Saturday afternoon. He was greeted in overwhelming Vincentian fashion. Blistering Caribbean sun could not drain the energy of a bunch of enthusiastic Sion Hill Government School children complete with Malaysian and Vincentian national flags.

He inspected a Guard of honour, a courtesy reserved for esteemed dignitaries.

He was again the focus of attention at a luncheon hosted later that day by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves at his official residence at Old Montrose on the outskirts of capital city Kingstown.

Badawi reciprocated the gesture of a gift of a local painting from the Vincentian Prime Minister, with donations of pieces of batik to guests at the luncheon. He also presented Prime Minister Dr. Gonsalves with a piece of artwork depicting the world famous Petronas Twin Towers, at the Foreign Affairs Conference Room in the Administrative Building on Tuesday.

Badawi spent Sunday and Monday enjoying the best of the country’s tourism product. On Saturday afternoon Badawi journeyed to the internationally acclaimed resort of Mustique. A fishing expedition on Sunday was not an astounding success for either prime minister, as neither caught fish. Badawi played golf at the Raffles Resort on Canouan on Monday. Canouan, about three miles south of Mustique, is creating its own international reputation.

The Malaysian Prime Minister also traveled to the idyllic Tobago Cays before returning to mainland St. Vincent Tuesday morning.

Following his House Assembly appearance, Badawi was escorted through the Vegetable market in Central Kingstown. He met and chatted with some of the vendors and took in the performance of local dance, just before being presented with a basket of locally grown fruit.

One chord that resonated throughout Badawi’s speeches was his wish for deeper ties between the government and people of the two nations.

He expressed his appreciation of the nation’s beauty and stated that he was confident that improvements between the two nations would amount to model proportions.