Perak Media Goodwill Expedition to Beijing, China
Led by the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles, a delegation of media representatives under the Perak Media Sports and Welfare Club where Datuk Akmar is the adviser, and selected non-government organisations, undertook a challenging goodwill expedition to Beijing, China last week, in the wake of the first anniversary of the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370).
The expedition was also in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China. Therefore, members of the delegation had a serious mission to undertake as they acted as mini ambassadors, not only of Perak, but also Malaysia.
Our first official stop was the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing, where a dialogue session was arranged with the defence attaché First Admiral Zualkafly Ahmad and other heads of various agencies under the embassy. Ambassador H.E. Dato’ Zainuddin Yahya was busy and could only drop by for a short while to welcome this first media delegation to the embassy.
Speaking to reporters, First Admiral Zualkafly believed that the reason it was not as easy for the Chinese to come to terms with the MH370 tragedy was due to the one-child policy where some families have lost an entire generation.
However, he added that despite the incident, which caused a slew of controversies, diplomatic ties between the two countries are still as strong as ever. He said, “Kuala Lumpur-Beijing are celebrating forty years of diplomatic friendship this May 31 and our Prime Minister YAB Datuk Seri Najib is also scheduled to arrive to Beijing for the celebration.”
The dialogue session was also attended by local media representatives and Malaysian student associations in Beijing, to improve bilateral relationships between these fraternities.
To symbolically show unity and support to all affected by the MH370 tragedy, the delegation climbed up the Great Wall of China, trekking approximately 3.7km uphill, and at the same time, distributing tourism brochures and flyers of Perak and Malaysia to tourists who were at the Great Wall that day.
It was a great platform to introduce Perak, as well as Malaysia, to a different group of travellers, many of whom have never heard of Malaysia before, despite the unfortunate incidents of MH370 and MH17 in 2014.
True to the media club’s objective to do charitable work whenever possible, during our 6D/5N trip in Beijing, we visited three mosques to hand over a total of 50 copies of Al-Quran and 600 copies of Surah Yasin, which were donated by Restoran Ali Maju Sdn. Bhd. The mosques were Niujie (oldest mosque in Beijing at 1019 years), Nan Dou Ya and Fayuan.
All in all, as a member of the delegation, I would say that it was a success, all thanks to the hardworking committee of the Perak Media Sports and Welfare Club and adviser Datuk Akmar Hisham Mokhles, as well as sponsorship from the various government agencies and private corporations such as Sunway Lost World of Tambun and Impiana Hotel Ipoh.
Photos by Emily2U & Abdul Rasid Lamak/Kelab Sukan dan Kebajikan Media Perak (KSKMP)
Event: Jalinan Muhibbah Media Perak Malaysia ke Beijing, China 2015
Venue: Beijing, China
Date: 16th – 21st March, 2015
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