“A Day of Firsts” : Ambassador Keith Launches a Book on “Malaya’s First Year at the United Nations” on U.S. Inauguration

Dr. Ooi Kee Beng, Encik Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail, HRH Raja Nazrin Shah, Crown Prince of Perak, Ambassador keith, Ambassador K. Kesavapany, and Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam post for a photo following the book launch.

On January 20, 2009 Ambassador Keith helped to launch a book entitled “Malaya’s First Year at the United Nations” which is a collection of letters written by Tun Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman to Malaysia’s first Prime Minister after independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman, during his assignment as Malaya’s first Permanent Representative to the United Nations which was concurrent with his assignment as Ambassador of Malaya to the United States.  The book was edited by Dr. Ooi Kee Beng of the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (Singapore), and Encik Mohamed Tawfik Tun Dr. Ismail, son of the late Tun Dr. Ismail.  Tun Dr. Ismail has been called "the man who saved Malaysia" for his actions as Home Minister after the May 13 Incident of racial rioting in 1969.  Speaking at the event, Ambassador Keith thanked not only the book’s co-editors, but also “all those public servants, either paid or unpaid, official or unofficial, who help every day to advance U.S.-Malaysia relations, through their writing, through their networks, and through their work on academic, social and cultural exchanges between our two countries.”  HRH Raja Nazrin Shah, Crown Prince of Perak, was Guest of Honor at the book launch, which was co-sponsored by The Institute for Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI) and was held at Kuala Lumpur’s Lake Club.