By MBS News Editor in Chief Mark J Stradling
As we prepare to welcome and host our friends the British Malaysian Society (BMS) on November 20th at the Royal Selangor Club (RSC) Kiara Poolside, we thought it might be a good idea to explain the differences between the British Malaysian Society (BMS) and ourselves as the Malaysia British Society (MBS). Since I've been involved with the MBS there have been many people who have asked me this question, and in truth I was struggling to give a coherent answer; preferring to use either of my two favourite Malaysian sayings namely ''The same but different'' or simply 'Rojak' (mixed).
So before the 20th November, rather than just think the BMS and the MBS are the same in some way, or that someone just got the first two letters mixed up, here are some of the key differences broken down by who is the audience, what is the focus of the Society, what are their main activities, and finally, how does the society engage with the community?
BMS
Their intended audience is primarily British citizens interested in Malaysia and Malaysians in the UK, and their Focus is to act as a bridge for those interested in Malaysia’s culture, business environment, and social connections. They organise a wide range of events that focus on Malaysian culture, business, and current affairs, and collaborations are typically with the Malaysian High Commission and other UK-based organizations that highlight Malaysian interests. As for community engagement, the BMS offers support for Malaysians in the UK, creating a vibrant community for networking and cultural exchange.
MBS
Our intended audience is a diverse mix of expatriates and locals in Malaysia, that are interested in British Culture and making connections with likeminded folk. Members do not need to be British or Malaysian, although on the current list of members this is primarily the mix, however our list is growing of members from other countries and cultures. Our focus at the MBS is in fostering strong ties between Britain and Malaysia through arts, culture, sports and education, and we organise a wide range of events around these areas. While our events do obviously involve chatting about business, it is more about cultural understanding and appreciation. The Patron of the MBS is the Office of HE the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, and our Royal Patrons are Y.A.M Tunku Imran and His Highness Tunku Zain.
Finally, some of the main differences of the societies are in the Geographic base and audience. BMS serves those in the UK with an interest in Malaysia, while we at the MBS serve a mixed community in Malaysia interested in the UK. However, both the BMS and MBS aim to enhance understanding and goodwill between Malaysia and the United Kingdom, and our respective events provide opportunities for members to gather, celebrate and learn about each other's culture, so both societies welcome members from multicultural and diverse backgrounds.
We look forward to welcoming the BMS to Malaysia on the 20th November at what will be another lovely poolside evening at RSC Kiara organised by our fantastic committee with the help of the RSC staff.
The event will certainly be as enjoyable as other MBS events.... but different!
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