His Excellency, Y B Datuk Haji Mohd Shafie Haji Apdal,

Minister for Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, Malaysia;

Datin Shuryani Shuaib;

His Excellency, High Commissioner of Malaysia, Dato’ Parameswaran;

Excellencies;

Distinguished guests;

Ladies and gentlemen;

Good evening.

Introduction

 I would like to extend a warm welcome to YB Datuk Shafie Apdal, senior officials of the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, all the Malaysian artists performing this evening and of course, our enthusiastic audience.

2 Singapore is honoured to host the third edition of “Titian Budaya” to celebrate the friendship between Singapore and Malaysia. This evening’s Gala Cultural Night presents an enchanting programme of songs, music and dance, showcasing the richness of Malaysian culture. “Titian Budaya” which means “cultural bridge” is a very apt title for this event. We welcome the extension of this cultural bridge to engage and connect our people through our common interest and passion in arts and culture. “Titian Budaya” will provide Singaporeans with great opportunity to enjoy and learn about Malaysian arts, culture and heritage.

3 This event also enables celebrated artists from both countries to share a common stage. They will be performing many all-time favourites which are enjoyed by Singaporeans and Malaysians alike. Looking around this Esplanade Theatre and seeing the eager anticipation on the faces of the audience, I can only conclude that “Titian Budaya” has resonated with Singaporeans.

4 “Titian Budaya” is not only about performing arts. It also includes a visual arts exhibition entitled “The One Kilometre World – The World’s Longest Pen Drawing on Canvas” by Mr S Amin Shahab at the National Museum. I have heard good reviews about this work. I am looking forward to seeing it tomorrow morning. The other exciting event is the Malaysian Film Week which is running from 9 to 11 May 2008. I am told that Singaporeans are very excited about these movies as some of these Malaysian box office hits will be seen in Singapore for the first time.

 Singapore-Malaysian Cultural Relations

5 Singapore and Malaysia have a special relationship – a relationship based on deep-rooted historical ties and close people-to-people links between Malaysians and Singaporeans on both sides of the Causeway.

6 Our strong cultural relations reflect the closeness of our countries and have always been warm and friendly. Our officials from the arts and culture sector have regular exchanges and broad-based collaborations in many areas including training attachments .

7 Malaysian artists and writers participate regularly in our events including the Singapore Writer’s Festival and the Singapore Arts Festival. In 2007, national literature laureate, A Samad Said and a successful young writer, Faisal Tehrani participated in the Singapore Writers Festival. They received very good reception from our audience.

8 Our performing artists have also collaborated on joint projects. For instance, Singapore’s The Necessary Stage and Malaysia’s Dramalab jointly presented a stage performance Separation 40, at this very theatre in 2005 and subsequently at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre.

9 Our broadcasters work closely together to bring exciting shows which attract large audiences in both countries. One highlight of their collaboration is Muzika Ekstravaganza, featuring popular performing talents from both countries. The show is beamed ‘live’ to audiences in Singapore and Malaysia. The last show was held in April 2007 in Singapore and we are now planning the next show to be held sometime later this year in Malaysia.

Conclusion

10 In conclusion, I congratulate the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, Malaysia for organising “Titian Budaya Malaysia-Singapore”. I would also like to convey my deepest gratitude to Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal for his strong support and encouragement for this event. I would also like to thank all the people from Malaysia and Singapore who contributed to the success of this cultural extravaganza. “Titian Budaya” adds to our cultural and artistic cooperation. It brings our people closer together, and enhances mutual understanding and respect between Malaysians and Singaporeans.

11 I wish everyone an enjoyable and entertaining evening.