AUIAC 2000 Convention
 
More than 1,000 delegates attended the Australian Universities International Alumni Convention (AUIAC) 2000 in the Sarawak State capital of Kuching from August 24 to 27, 2000.

The Australian Alumni Singapore (AAS) was well represented by a 50-member delegation, which included the former President of Singapore, Mr Ong Teng Cheong; the AAS President, Ms Peggy Tan Swee Keng; the AAS Vice-President, Mr Patrick Fernandez; and other AAS officials. The other delegates came from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and the United States.

There were 29 convention speakers. Among them were Australia's Federal Minister for Education, Dr David Kemp; the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Dr Jane Lomax-Smith; the US Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr Pete Peterson; the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tan Sri Dato Musa Hitam; and Malaysia's Minister for Agriculture, Datuk Dr Effendi Norwawi.
 
The convention kicked off with a welcome reception at the Crowne Plaza Riverside Hotel on the evening of August 24 at which a Who's Who of Sarawak's top political and business leaders and other VIPs from Malaysia and the other participating countries were present. Early in the morning, a golf tournament for the delegates was held at the prestigious Kelab Golf Sarawak (Sarawak
Australian Universities International Alumni Convention (AUIAC) 2000 in the Sarawak State capital of Kuching.
Golf Club). Those who did not take part in the golf tournament were huddled in their respective alumni gatherings or visiting exhibitions and making culture, adventure and discovery trips in Kuching.
 

Opening night. Peggy and Patrick with Chief Minister of Sarawak.		 Other highlights were the grand State Dinner hosted by the Sarawak State Government at the Sarawak Indoor Stadium on August 25 - at which Sarawak's most illustrious Australian graduate, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, and his Cabinet ministers were present - and the Fellowship Night Street Party, which was held at the Kuching Waterfront Esplanade on August 26.
 
For the Fellowship Night Street Party, a section of the Waterfront Esplanade was cordoned off for the delegates, all of whom turned up in a specially printed black T-shirt with yellow trimmings and bearing the convention name and logo. Activities included cultural performances by groups from Malaysia and Australia, charity golf Hole-in-One competition, games demonstrations and street .


All dressed in black T-shirt with yellow trimmings on Fellowship Night.
dancing. Stalls selling local food and souvenirs dotted the riverside to add colour to the festive atmosphere
 
In a message to the convention's souvenir magazine, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said the conference theme "Globalisation and a New World Order" was most appropriate given the current challenges of a borderless world. "Through advancement of the telecommunication technology, our trade activities around the globe are now within reach. This implies that the world has now become a borderless world with a free market. Let us work together to gain the optimum benefits of globalisation." Dr Mahathir expressed the hope that through the convention, "citizens of all nations will have equal opportunities in business and industries and that global issues will be discussed with international consensus on what is legitimately favourable to all nations".

Closing the convention, Sarawak's Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said Malaysia and Asean countries had benefited much from new ideas and knowledge acquired through education in Australia. He noted that besides Malaysia, a few other countries in the region such as Singapore had also chosen Australia as their partner in education and other fields. "Australia has been playing a major role in helping developing countries produce intellectuals and academics," he added.
 
~ PEGGY TAN