Consulate-General welcomes new Consul

The Consulate-General of the Republic of Singapore in Johor Baru recently held a reception to welcome incoming Consul-General Rajpal Singh and bid farewell to outgoing Consul-General Ian Mak.

Outgoing Consul-General Ian Mak [Right] welcoming
incoming Consul-General Rajpal Singh

The reception was held at Afiniti Medini, an urban wellness themed development in Iskandar Puteri (Nusajaya) wholly owned by Pulau Indah Ventures, a 50:50 joint venture between Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd.

Established in JB for six years, the Singapore Consulate-General aims to improve Johor-Singapore relations and also to provide help to Singaporeans who encountered problems here.

For their consistently service excellence, the Singapore Consulate-General in JB has won public service awards every year.

A glimpse of Afiniti Medini with the Oasis surrounded by
[Left to Right] the Afiniti Wellness, retail outlets,
Afiniti Residences and the Somerset Medini hotel

Mak, 37, said the economy and society is changing rapidly and very often we are stuck in the old perception of each other but we need to go beyond that to discover so much more.

“We need to understand the rich culture and heritage and discover amazing talents in Johor before we can introduce it our government and business community, and to explore any potential to collaborate,” said Mak.

He cited the example of his discovery of Yap HanZhen, a savant autistic teenager with a gift in creating amazing sketches with great detail and accuracy.

At the same time, their team in JB was also creating opportunities for the local community to better understand Singaporeans through arts, sports and cultural exchanges.

Hossan Leong, the emcee at the reception

Mak is also pleased that Singapore companies based in JB are engaging with the local community through Corporate Social Responsibility projects.

When Mak introduced his successor, Rajpal Singh, 38, he expressed his confidence in Rajpal, whom he believes, will take Johor-Singapore relations to a higher level during his term in JB.

“This is a journey of learning and I look forward to your help to make our relationship better,” said Rajpal, whose previous overseas postings were in Jakarta and Brunei.

He said the joint-venture project between Singapore and Malaysia displayed in Afiniti Medini, is a reflection of the two nations’ good relationship.

The emcee for the reception was Hossan Leong, Singaporean stage and screen actor, TV host, radio DJ and comedian, who has established Double Confirm Arts & Media in JB for performing arts and corporate training, which is another proof of the positive vibe between the two nations.

A version of this was published in The Malaysian Insider on 17 Dec 2015