Shortly before noon on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia King and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud concluded his four-day state visit to Malaysia. It was nothing short of historic — Saudi kings very rarely undertake ambitious regional tours. The last state visit by a Saudi Arabian king to Malaysia was in 2006 by the late King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Saud; prior to that being the late King Faisal Abdulaziz Al-Saud in 1970.
His Majesty’s recent visit is a positive sign of the kingdom’s outreach towards our region. As minister-in-attendance, I was delighted and thankful that His Majesty chose to visit Malaysia to kick off his regional tour — an incredible honour for Malaysia. Even in my visits to Saudi Arabia, the latest being just two weeks ago, King Salman constantly expressed how much he was looking forward to the visit, to meet our leaders and, of course, our people.
Preparations for the visit have been months in the making, so one can only imagine the sigh of relief when His Majesty’s Boeing 747 landed smoothly on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. I recall seeing His Majesty’s smile as he waved towards us, descending from the specially flown-in 14-tonne escalator; and I took it as a sign of good things to come. The aura of His Majesty’s presence was rare, momentous and significant.
Many were focusing on the sheer size of his delegation — 1,200-strong, including princes and ministers, bulletproof limousines and 460 tonnes of luggage. Let me assure you that this signified the importance placed by the kingdom on this visit. They insisted on it being perfect, and it was.
There was no mistaking the arrival of His Majesty and his entourage last Sunday — traffic stood still as His Majesty and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak made their way to Parliament for the State Welcoming Ceremony by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V.
What touched me the most was the honour accorded by our Royal Malay Regiment troops from the Malaysian army at Parliament Square. Heartiest congratulations to 107 of our men who truly performed a parade one can only describe as “fit for a king”. Having our very own Sultan Muhammad V stand side by side with His Majesty King Salman while Negaraku filled the air was truly spectacular — definitely a moment that defined Malaysia-Saudi Arabia relations.
That evening, Sultan Muhammad V consented to bestow the Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (DMN) on King Salman. The DMN is the nation’s highest award that is accorded to a foreign head of state, emblematic of the close personal relationship between the House of Saud and the Malaysian government.
During the visit, King Salman also accepted honorary doctorates from two of our leading academic institutions, Universiti Malaya and International Islamic University Malaysia. I must commend UM and IIUM on the recognition received from His Majesty to attend the Special Convocation ceremonies on their campuses; all that hard work preparing for this momentous occasion has truly paid off.
Moreover, the honorary doctorates were presented personally by Sultan of Pahang Sultan Ahmad Shah and Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah respectively — a symbol of the closeness between Malaysia’s royal institution with the kingdom’s royal family.
As part of the state visit, four memoranda of understanding were inked. These involved cooperation in the areas of economy; science and education; labour and human resources; and exchange of news. These were witnessed by King Salman alongside our prime minister, which were achievements in their own right, and signifies the strong cooperation between our governments. The most iconic would have to be the agreement signed between our national oil and gas company, Petronas, and the most valuable company in the world, Saudi Aramco, that brought in roughly RM30 billion worth of investments into Johor. This shows an unparalleled level of confidence the kingdom has in Malaysia, notwithstanding global economic challenges.
On defence, many milestones were achieved, and I am happy
to report that bilateral defence relations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have never been stronger. From the meetings, discussions and even phone calls with my counterpart, His Royal Highness Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad Salman Al-Saud, defence minister for Saudi Arabia, there are three main takeaways.
FIRSTLY, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have agreed that there is
a need to rectify the many misconceptions about Islam. We need to promote Islam in a holistic manner beyond the mere political dimensions that have led Muslims to be divided, especially on what constitutes the Islamic State. The King Salman Centre for International Peace, which was announced jointly by both nations, would focus on exactly this — countering the narratives and ideologies that underpin terrorism and radicalism in Islam. This strong mutual commitment to fight extremism is founded on our belief in the tolerant, moderate and peaceful nature of Islam.
SECONDLY, the armed forces of Malaysia (MAF) and Saudi Arabia (SAF) will actively pursue the itemisation of surplus assets from SAF to enhance and expand MAF’s capabilities. We will be focusing on, but not limiting ourselves to, two focus areas — our Royal Malaysian Air Force and Army Aviation Unit.
THIRDLY, the Royal Saudi Naval Force (RSNF) does not have a combat-ready strategic submarine capability. Malaysia is fortunate in this area as our Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) has had 10 years of experience in operating the submarines in our armada. On that note, RMN is ready to offer its experience and expertise, which will include advisory and training personnel from the RSNF to enhance strategic capability and knowledge-sharing initiatives between both navies.
Furthermore, King Salman also took time out of his busy schedule to meet our muftis and country’s senior Islamic personalities. However, what impressed me was his address, where he highlighted that Islam must be united in the fight against terrorism and how as the ummah, it is our duty to fix these misconceptions — a matter I have been advocating for years. This acknowledgement from His Majesty is also an endorsement and reinforcement of Malaysia’s agenda of moderation.
In line with these discussions, I was also grateful to be given the consent to introduce the Malay-sian defence force chief as well as service chiefs of the army, RMN and Royal Malaysian Air Force to His Majesty during the visit.
All in all, I am overwhelmed and touched by His Majesty’s positive outlook and optimism towards the Malaysian people. Throughout the visit, he would always speak of the strong brotherly relations Malaysia shared with the kingdom and how that has been greatly strengthened by the success of his visit.
On the way to the airport before His Majesty’s departure, King Salman commented on the kindness of Malaysians. In turn, I
expressed how much we respected him, and how no amount of words could convey our sincere thanks for his presence in our home. Before he departed for Indonesia to continue his regional tour, he took the opportunity to turn, have one last look, and give a big wave to his send-off party on the tarmac. As the doors of the 747 closed behind him, marking the end of his state visit to Malaysia, one thing caught my eye. Three words painted on the side of the plane: “God Bless You”. I pray that Allah SWT will forever bless this special bond between Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. Insyaallah.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is the defence minister