HIGH COMMISSION OF WINDHOEK, REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA

Edition: BIL. 3/2019 (1 May – 30 June 2019) Contacts

ABOUT US High Commission of Malaysia opened its Mission in Windhoek on 21 March 1996 to reciprocate the Malaysia establishment of the Namibian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur in 1995. Namibia No. 63, Jan Jonker Street only opened its resident Mission in 4 countries in the Asian region namely China, India, PO Box 312 Klein Windhoek rd Japan and Malaysia. This year marks the 23 Anniversary of the establishment of the Windhoek High Commission of Malaysia in Windhoek. Republic of Namibia

OVERVIEW OF MALAYSIA-NAMIBIA BILATERAL RELATIONS Tel: +264 61 259 342 / 4 Fax: +264 61 259 343 Bilateral relations between Malaysia and Namibia existed before 1990, and Malaysia Email: had provided strong political support to Namibia during its struggle for independence. [email protected] After Namibia’s independence in 1990, the relations were further strengthened by the close political relations particularly in the context of South-South Cooperation.

Since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between Malaysia and Namibia in 1990, bilateral cooperation between both nations has progressed steadily. Economic cooperation and integration have been among the major areas in Malaysia-Namibia cooperation. Both countries also work closely at various multilateral fora and share a common dislike for unilateralism.

ACTIVITIES FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2019

SIGNING OF THE GREETING BOOK ON THE ACCESSION TO THE THRONE OF HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR NARUHITO 2 MAY 2019

His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia signed the Greeting Book on the accession to the Throne of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Namibia on 2 May 2019.

WELCOMING CEREMONY AND CONFERMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GUINEA, 8 MAY 2019

His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia attended the Welcoming Ceremony and Conferment of the Order of the Most Ancient Welwitschia Mirabilis, First Class for His Excellency Prof. Alpha Conde, the President of the Republic of Guinea at the State House on 8 May 2019.

1 | Newsletter MW Windhoek 3/2019 (May-June 2019) MEETING WITH SMH RAIL, 22 MAY 2019

A business meeting between His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia and Mr Kannan Ponnusamy, Business Development Manager of SMH Rail Sdn Bhd took place at the office of the High Commissioner on 22 May 2019. During the meeting, the High Commissioner and Mr Kannan discussed several pertinent issues regarding the potential investment for SMH Rail in Namibia.

SIGNING OF THE BOOK OF CONDOLENCE IN HONOUR OF THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA, 23 MAY 2019

The High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia, His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim signed the Book of Condolence in honour of the late Dr. Nicky Iyambo, Former Vice President of the Republic of Namibia on 23 May 2019.

STATE VISIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY JOHN POMBE MAGUFULI, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, 27- 28 MAY 2019

His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia joined the diplomatic corps in welcoming President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency John Pombe Magufuli on 27 May 2019 at the State House, during his state visit to the Republic of Namibia. A State Banquet in honour of President John Pombe Magufuli was also organised later in the evening.

QURANHOUR, 30 MAY 2019

His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia organised QuranHour at his official residence in Windhoek on 30 May 2019. The event was organised in conjunction with the Holy month of Ramadan and followed by Iftar.

2 | Newsletter MW Windhoek 3/2019 (May-June 2019) SIGNING OF THE CONDOLENCE BOOK AT THE HIGH COMMISSION OF MALAYSIA, 28-30 MAY 2019

Ambassador J. Shaanika, Acting Executive Director of the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation (MIRCO) and the Head of Diplomatic Missions in Windhoek signed the Condolence Book on the passing of HRH Almarhum Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al Muadzam Shah at the Chancery.

ACTIVITIES FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2019

CELEBRATION OF EID MUBARAK 1440 H ORGANISED BY THE EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA IN WINDHOEK, 11 JUNE 2019

His Excellency Hishamuddin Ibrahim, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Namibia, attended the Celebration of Eid Mubarak that was organised and hosted by His Excellency Eddy Basuki, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Namibia on 11 June 2019. The event was attended by the diplomatic community and high-level Namibian Government officials.

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IMPORTANT FACTS

ECONOMY

The economy of the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Namibia is expected to experience slow growth in terms of GDP (gross domestic product) this year due to low commodity prices and uncertainty in the global market. Despite the negative outlook, these countries continue to offer vast trade and investment opportunities for Malaysian private companies particularly in the agricultural sector, infrastructure development, as well as oil and gas deep sea exploration.

DROUGHT SITUATION IN NAMIBIA

700,000 people in Namibia are threatened by hunger due to acute food shortages due to persistent drought since 2013. The Namibian Government has declared the country to be in the State of Emergency on 6 May 2019 and has approved USD40 million to implement its comprehensive drought relief intervention program. Experts believe that the drought crisis in Namibia is caused by climate change.

FOOD SECURITY IN AFRICA

According to a report on Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition 2018, co-published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), there are 821 million undernourished people in the world. From this figure, 257 million are in Africa (237 million in sub-Saharan Africa and 20 million in northern Africa). The report further stated that the worsening food security situation in Africa was driven by difficult global economic conditions and adverse climatic conditions that has led to a decline in agricultural production and soaring staple food prices.

Source: 2018 Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, (published date: 13 Feb 2019)

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE (EVD) OUTBREAK IN THE DRC

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak crisis in the DRC is the second largest and the most complex public health emergency in history. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1,531 deaths and 2,277 confirmed cases have been reported as of 27 June 2019. The WHO has also reported that currently there is no licensed treatment proven to neutralize the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.

Source: WHO official website: https://www.who.int/

REFUGEE CRISIS IN THE DRC

According to the official statistic released by the UNHCR (the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in March 2019, over 826,000 DRC refugees are currently being hosted in several African countries and 4.5 million internally displaced person (IDPs) have been recorded in the country. In June 2019, more than 300 villagers were killed and 400,000 others have been forced to flee their homes in a recent resurgence of ethnic violence in the Ituri province, northeast of the DRC.

Mercy Corps, a global non-governmental and humanitarian aid organization estimated that 13.1 million people in the DRC are in dire need for humanitarian aid. The UNHCR stated that only a quarter of the USD201 million required to provide humanitarian assistance in the DRC has been received so far and more support is urgently needed.

Source: (i) UNHCR official website: https://www.unhcr.org/dr-congo-emergency.html (ii) Mercy Corps official website: https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/dr-congo/quick-facts-humanitarian-crisis-drc

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CONSULAR INFORMATION

Applications for a Certificate of Good Conduct

Malaysian citizens or Namibian nationals who wish to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct (CGC) from the Government of Malaysia may file their applications online using the link which has been made available at the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia (www.kln.gov.my). Successful applicants who wish to collect their certificates from the High Commission are kindly requested to contact the Consular Section of the High Commission between 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. on any working day by furnishing the following information:

• Their full names; • Their number; and, • Their CGC reference number.

Applicants will be contacted by the High Commission once their certificates are ready for collection. A fee of RM20.00 (payable in equivalent Namibian Dollar) will be collected from the applicants at the time of collection.

Notary Services

Powers are conferred upon Diplomatic and Consular Officers of the High Commission to administer oaths or affirmation, take any affidavit or perform any notarial act which any notary public can do within Malaysia. Applications for any notary services must be made in person at Consular Section of the High Commission between 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. on any working days by producing the following:

• Original and photocopy of the documents that need to be administered/attested; • (applicable to Malaysian citizens only); • Passport; • A fee of RM20.00 (payable in equivalent Namibian Dollar) per attestation.

Applications for Renunciation of Malaysian Citizenship

The Government of Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship. Malaysian citizens who have acquired citizenship of any other country may file an application to renounce their Malaysian citizenship at the Consular Section of the High Commission between 9.30 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. on any working day by furnishing the following:

• An application form (obtainable from the High Commission); • Two (2) recent passport-sized colour photographs; • ; • Malaysian identity card; • Birth Certificate; • Proof of acquiring the Namibian (or any other country) citizenship; and • A fee of RM10.00 (payable in Namibian Dollar).

Translation Services

The High Commission does not offer any translation services. However, the High Commission, at its discretion, may provide an unofficial translation for the official documents issued by the Government of Malaysia upon request by the applicants. The translation services provided by the High Commission are only confined to the following:

• Translation of Malaysian identity card; • Translation of Malaysian national driving licence; • Translation of Malaysian birth certificate; and, • Translation of Malaysian marriage certificate.

Each translation will be subject to a fee of RM20.00 (payable in Namibian Dollar).

For further information, please call the High Commission at +264 61 259 342 / 344 or e-mail us [email protected].

HIGH COMMISSION OF MALAYSIA

For more information regarding other consular services provided by the High Commission,

please visit http://www.kln.gov.my/web/nam_windhoek/home.

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