It was on 31 August 1957, 67 years ago, Malaya (which is now Malaysia), was proclaimed independent from the United Kingdom by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. On this historical day and with the word Merdeka chanted 7 times, a new sovereign and independent nation was born.

Now, as an upper middle-income country, Malaysia experienced an economy growth of 3.7 percent in 2023 as the country have more moderate growth reflected by normalising conditions following the post-COVID economic rebound in 2022. Malaysia remains as a destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and recorded a total of US$39.7 billion investment in 2023. In addition, Malaysia’s economy is growing steadily this year, aided by a strong pickup in exports, tourist arrivals, and robust expansion in investment activities. Robust household spending, labour market conditions and larger policy support also supported the growth. For the second quarter of this year (Q2’24), Malaysia’s economy grew 5.9% year-on-year up from 4.2% in the previous quarter, and the highest since Q4 2022’s 7.4%.

I am also proud to reiterate that Malaysia was the first Muslim nation to recognise Bangladesh as a sovereign nation with the formal establishment of the diplomatic relations on 31 January 1972. Since then, a “brotherly relations” has been maintained and developed that so many of us enjoyed today.

During the formation of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Malaysian Prime Minister Honourable Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was among the earliest Head of Government who congratulated His Excellency Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus on his appointment as the Honourable Chief Advisor of Bangladesh.  Prime Minister Anwar also expressed Malaysia’s readiness to help and support the new Government of Bangladesh.

In fact, Bangladesh is Malaysia's 19th largest trading partner, and ranked second among South Asian nations. Bangladesh is also Malaysia's 16th  largest export destination. With such a robust trade relation, a Malaysia-Bangladesh Free Trade Agreement (FTA), would augur well for our businesses and prepare our economies for whatever challenges that lay ahead.

I also wish to welcome genuine Bangladeshi tourists to continue to visit Malaysia, not only for leisure but also for medical tourism. Malaysia offers advanced medical facilities and skilled healthcare at a very affordable cost. Malaysia has also emerged as an educational hub, attracting students from Bangladesh who seek world-class education in a diverse and inclusive environment.

Finally, I wish to call upon all Malaysians residing in this beautiful country of Bangladesh, to embrace this spirit of Merdeka and this year's theme Malaysia MADANI: Jiwa Merdeka (spirit of independence). Selamat Hari Kebangsaan!