KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 17): The Malaysian Parliament is ready to learn several things from the Lok Sabha (India’s Lower House of Parliament) in realising the parliamentary transformation agenda, considering that India is one of the first to undertake such transformation.

The Senate President's Office, in a statement on Friday (Feb 17), said that the matter was disclosed by Senate President Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, when receiving a courtesy call from BN Reddy, the high commissioner of India to Malaysia, at the Parliament building on the same day.

“In addition to exchanging views on bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various key sectors, such as the economy and cultural diplomacy, the meeting also touched on the relations which India can play at the multilateral level between India and Asean,” read the statement.

Malaysia and India have established bilateral relations since 1957, with the opening of the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi, and the two countries enjoyed a strong relationship in the 1960s as a result of the personal friendship between prime ministers Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Meanwhile, during the meeting, Rais also praised India’s arts and culture, and appreciated the recognition given to Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, Malaysia's legendary choreographer and dancer of Indian classical dance, who received India's Padma Shri award, one of the country's top civilian honours, in the Sangeet Natak Academy Awards in 2018.

Rais also expressed hope that Indian arts and culture continue, as one of the elements of unity, in celebrating the diversity of races in Malaysia.

Also present at the visit was India's Deputy High Commissioner to Malaysia Subhashini Narayanan. 

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