Terima kasih banyak, #Malaysia – @BarackObama #POTUSinMY

Good evening. Selamat Petang.

Your Majesty, thank you so much for those warm words. To you, Her Majesty, Madam Rosmah, Prime Minister, distinguished guests and friends – thank you for the extraordinary hospitality that you’ve shown me and my delegation.




And on behalf of my country, I want to thank the Malaysian people for the wonderful welcome that you extended to us today.

I’m delighted to make this historic visit. As some of you may know, it has been nearly 50 years since an American President visited Malaysia.

In his memoirs, Lyndon Johnson wrote of how impressed he was by the “extraordinary vitality and eagerness” he saw in the faces of people here and throughout Southeast Asia. And I’m eager to see that same boleh spirit tomorrow – (applause) – when I have the opportunity to speak with young people from across Southeast Asia at the University of Malaya.

Mr. Prime Minister, I look forward to our work together, and I pledge to infuse our efforts with that same spirit.

Tonight, I simply want to express my gratitude for the generosity that you’ve shown us today – a generosity the people of Malaysia have extended to my family since I was elected.

As some of you may know, two years ago, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia hosted an exhibit that showcased some of my mother’s batik collection. Now, my mother loved batik. I remember when I was a boy growing up in Jakarta, she’d come home from village markets with her arms full of batik and she’d lay them around the house and look at them, and make dresses out of them. And I was a young boy so I wasn’t as excited as she was.

And they weren’t particularly fancy or expensive – although later in life, she would get some antiques that were extraordinary – but for my mother, batik wasn’t about fashion. It was representative of the work and the livelihood of mothers and young women who had painstakingly crafted them. It was a window into the lives of others – their cultures, and their traditions, and their hopes. And it meant so much to her and it was part of her spirit, and so I’m deeply grateful to the people of Malaysia for celebrating that part of my mother’s life. It was very kind of you.

And I tell this story because my mother believed, and I believe, that whether we come from a remote village or a big city, whether we live in the United States or in Malaysia, we all share basic human aspirations: To live in dignity and peace. To shape our own destiny. To be able to make a living and to work hard and support a family. And most of all, to leave the next generation something better than was left to us.

These are the aspirations that I believe illuminate a new era of partnership, of "berkerja sama" between the United States and Malaysia. For while we may be different as nations, our people have similar hopes and similar aspirations. And we can draw strength in both our nations from our ethnic and religious diversity. We can draw hope from our history. And we dream of a brighter future for all of our children.

So I would like to propose a toast: To the strength of our relationship, the power of our friendship, the peace and prosperity of our peoples, and the good health of Their Majesties the King and Queen.

Terima kasih banyak. Thank you very much. – whitehouse.gov, April 27, 2014.

* Remarks by President Barack Obama at the State Banquet at Istana Negara on April 26, 2014, in conjunction with his visit to Malaysia.