Batam Chamber of Commerce and the Majlis Pusat - Pertubuhan Pertubuhan Budaya Melayu signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to encourage populist economics, especially in Batam, on June 5, 2012, in Singapore. The MoA signing by the Chairman of the Batam Chamber of Commerce, Nada Faza Soraya, and the President of Majlis Pusat, Zulkifli Mohammed, witnessed by the Ambassador of Indonesia to Singapore, Andri Hadi, and Assistant Mayor of Batam, Sahir Ibrahim.
The Chamber of Commerce and the Majlis Batam Center plans to hold a "Bazaar Ramadhan" in the first week of Ramadan this year. The Ramadan Bazaar, to be held at Geylang Serai, will feature the products of SMEs assisted by the Batam Chamber of Commerce.
Ambassador Andri Hadi stated in his speech that the signing of the MoA is a form of diplomacy, people to people contact which will strengthen bilateral relations between Indonesia and Singapore. The Ambassador further said that the bazaar to be held relates to the cultural relationship. "When we talk about culture, it means a universal language, there is no boundary, so that we know each other" the Ambassador said.
Meanwhile, the Assistant Mayor of Batam, Sahir Ibrahim, said that the Batam Government welcomed the cooperation initiative that will encourage populist economics in Batam. "Cooperation relating to the populist economics hopefully could provide positive effects for Batam society to catch up to Singapore society" Sahir Ibrahim said.
The Chairman of the Batam Chamber of Commerce, Nada Faza Soraya, is expecting full support from the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and the Batam Government in carrying out its work plan. The Batam Chamber of Commerce has always tried to bridge the business and the business people between Indonesia and Singapore. "We want to make Batam a showcase for Singapore society" Nada said.
The President of Majlis Pusat, Zulkifli Mohammed, stated that this MoA signing is an attempt to build a pluralistic Muslim Malay community and become a force in society. Zulkifli hoped that this cooperation is not only limited to the implementation of the Bazaar Ramadhan, but also other co-operations will continue for encouraging populist economics.
Previously, the delegation of the Batam Government, the Chamber of Commerce and the Majlis Pusat were received by the Ambassador Andri Hadi on Monday, June 4, 2012.