WELCOMING REMARKS
FOR TAN SRI DR SYED HAMID ALBAR
WIEF ROUNDTABLE 2022 | 27 SEPTEMBER 2022 | PENANG
THEME: ECONOMIC REBOUND: TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE
BY TAN SRI DR SYED HAMID ALBAR
HONOURABLE TUAN YANG TERUTAMA TUN DATO’ SERI UTAMA AHMAD FUZI BIN HAJI ABDUL RAZAK – YANG DI-PERTUA NEGERI PULAU PINANG
HONOURABLE DATO’ IR HAJI AHMAD ZAKIYUDDIN BIN ABDUL RAHMAN,
DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER 1 OF PENANG
HONOURABLE DATO’ ABDUL HALIM BIN HUSSAIN
PENANG STATE MINISTER FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHAIRMAN, PENANG HALAL INTERNATIONAL (PHI)
EXCELLENCIES,
DISTINGUISHED PANEL SPEAKERS, SPONSORS, ROLE PLAYERS,
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
MEDIA PRIMA, MEDIA PARTNERS FOR THE ROUNDTABLE
DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
ASSALAMU’ALAIKUM WARAHMATULLAHI WABARAKATUH AND
GOOD MORNING
(INTRODUCTION):
EXCELLENCIES,
GOOD MORNING AND IN OUR TRADITIONAL WAY, SELAMAT DATANG OR SOME WOULD SAY WELCOME TO PENANG AND TODAY’S ROUNDTABLE PENANG 2022 THE THEME FOR OUR ROUNDTABLE IS ECONOMIC REBOUND: TRANSFORMING THE FUTURE AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF WHAT SOME AS OF DEGLOBALISATION, NATIONALISM/POLITICAL IDENTITY CONSCIENCES AND A NEW WORLD ORDER OF MULTI POLAR. LET ME BEGIN BY SINCERLY THANKING HIS EXCELLENCY, THE HEAD OF STATE OF PENANG, TUN FUZI AND THE PENANG STATE GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT TO ENABLE THE ONE DAY ROUNDTABLE A SUCCESS. THEY HAVE FROM THE BEGINNING COLLABORATED AND COOPERATED WITH THE WIEF VERY CLOSELY IN ORGANISING THIS EVENT.
THIS ROUNDTABLE IS INDEED A SIGNIFICANT ONE POST COVID-19 CRISIS, NATIONALLY AND GLOBALLY. I AM HAPPY THAT HIS EXCELLENCY TUN FUZI HAS AGREED TO DELIVER A KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR THE OPENING OF THE ROUNDTABLE AND YB. DATO’ IR HJ AHMAD ZAKIYUDDIN AS DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG TO DELIVER THE OPENING SPEECH. IT IS A GREATER HONOUR FOR WIEF, SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST ROUNDTABLE WITH PHYSICAL PRESENCE AFTER A LONG TIME HOLDING IT IN A VIRTUAL FORMAT. THANK YOU TUN AND DATO ZAKI.
IT IS OF UTMOST SIGNIFICANT THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER INDUSTRY ROLE PLAYERS, OFFICIALS AND ACADEMICS TO EXPLORE THE CHALLENGES FACED BY THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMIES ON THE VARIOUS TOPICS THAT WE HAVE CHOSEN AND IDENTIFIED FOR DISCUSSION: HOPEFULLY IN THIS WAY WE ARE ABLE TO EXCHANGE INSIGHT ON ISSUES THAT RELEVANCE AND JUSTIFICATION IN ORDER TO MANAGE OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
THE SUBJECTS WE HAVE CHOSEN TO DELIBERATE ON BY VARIOUS EXPERTS AND SPEAKERS ARE:
1: ECONOMIC REVITALISATION: MAPPING A SUSTAINABLE RECOVERY.
2: NET ZERO TRANSITION: GROWING URGENCY.
3: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION REVOLUTION: EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY.
4: MUSLIM-FRIENDLY TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY: CAPTURING OPPORTUNITIES.
5: REVITALISING WAQF: ROLE OF ISLAMIC FINANCE.
ROUNDTABLE SUCH AS THIS, WILL ADD VALUE AND CHALLENGES AND ENABLE AND ALLOW DELEGATES TO DRAW ON A BROAD RANGE OF IDEAS, AND OPPORTUNITIES. WE ARE KEENLY INTERESTED TO HEAR AND LISTEN TO YOUR INSIGHTS AND LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THE OUTCOMES THAT WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO BUSINESS, ITS NETWORKING AND ALSO TRADE AND INVESTMENTS DURING THIS COMPLEX AND DIFFICULT TIME. THE GOAL OF THIS ROUNDTABLE, YOUR EXCELLENCY TUN IS TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOES NOT.
THE ISSUES THAT WILL BE DISCUSSING TODAY ARE CRITICAL TO EVERYONE WITH INTEREST TO SEE THE SUCCESS OF OUR ENDEAVOURS IN CHARTING OUR FUTURE JOURNEY FOR THE BETTERMENT OF HUMANKIND. BASED ON THE WIDE VARIETY OF PARTICIPANTS AND ROLE PLAYERS PRESENT AT THIS ROUNDTABLE, I’M SURE THIS DISCUSSION WILL BRING ABOUT AN INTERESTING OUTCOME WHICHD I’M CONFIDENT WILL BE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE. WE AT THE WIEF HAVE FOUND OUR ANNUAL CONFERENCES AND ROUNDTBLE DISCOURSES HAVE CONTRIBUTED GREATLY TO CREATE AN EFFECTIVE NETWORKING AND BUSINESSLINKAGES.
I HOPE THAT EACH ONE OF YOU WILL FIND THE ROUNDTABLE WORTHWHILE AS WELL. LET ME IN ADVANCE THANK THE SPEAKERS, ROLE PLAYERS, PRESENTERS AND MODERATORS FOR WORKING TOGETHER WITH US AND SHARE YOUR INSIGHTS IN FACING THIS UNCERTAIN AND TURBULANCE IN THIS TIME KNOWN AS THE ERA OF DESTRUCTION.
LET ME THANK EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU, DELEGATES AND PARTICIPANTS FOR MAKING THE WIEF ROUNDTABLE PENANG 2022 A SUCCESS. FINALLY LET ME THANK ALL OFFICIALS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF OF WIEF WHO HAVE WORK TIRELESSLY IN ORGANISING THIS ROUNDTABLE AND MAKING IT A GREAT SUCCESS MAY WE HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL ROUNDTABLE PENANG 2022.
SEKIAN
WABILAHITAUFIKWAHIDAYAH WASSALAMUALAIKUM WARAHMARULLAHI WABARAKATUH.