Kuching, March 22 – New Zealand will assist Malaysia in any way it could to locate the missing MH 370 Malaysia Airlines aircraft, said its Maori Affairs minister Dr Pita Sharples.
“When the earthquake hit Christchurch, Malaysia was among the first to offer help to us, which the government and people of New Zealand greatly appreciate,” he said in his address at a Sarawak-New Zealand social function at a leading hotel here Friday night.
He said it was therefore only right that New Zealand pitched in to do what was necessary to reciprocate Malaysia’s gesture.
The earthquake in Christchurch on Feb 22, 2011 killed 185 people and traumatised thousands of residents.
Sharples also said the close cooperation in many fields between Malaysia and New Zealand needed to be further enhanced in the face of global challenges.
Meanwhile, Sarawak deputy chief minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang who was the guest-of-honour at the function, said the good working relationship between the state and New Zealand had been mutually rewarding.
“The scope of cooperation between both sides should be widened to tap more sectors and their vast opportunities,” he said, citing Sarawak’s potential in education, business, tourism, and social and cultural exchange programmes.
Jabu also said Sarawak was aggressively developing its energy and industrial based sector particularly in hydroelectric power, which foreign investors could capitalise.
“By the year 2030, Sarawak would become the hub for energy in this region,” he said.
He said Sarawak was also promoting itself as a major eco-tourism destination in the region to tap the shifting global trend among tourists towards nature.
– Bernama
