By Mei Kuan
The historic signing of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) between the Perak Academy and the Millet Group of Companies in Singapore unfolded this morning via Zoom.
It was aimed towards developing place-making initiatives in the Kinta Valley through cross-border partnerships between Singapore and Ipoh.
“We are privileged and honoured to work with the Perak Academy, an influential and prestigious think tank whose members are leaders in political, social and business communities in Perak especially in Ipoh,” Victor Ng, the Board Member of Millet Holdings, expressed.
“This city-to-city as well as country-to-country connectivity brings together an unusual depth and breadth of resources ranging from educational institutions, financial institutions, technology, ESG (environmental, social and governance) issues, commercial, start-up communities and the creative arts,” he explained.
The Millet Group is a business-to-business (B2B) platform with an ecosystem of businesses and communities across the ASEAN region.
Through its OPEN DOOR mobile app, it offers B2B exchange creating a wide range of economic, e-commerce and cultural opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), microbusinesses and the young from Singapore and Ipoh.
“Today’s ceremony is the first step in our journey to reunite, reignite and leverage on the talents and resources of the Ipoh diaspora, many of whom have sunk their roots in Singapore,” Victor stated.
The signing of MOC was officiated by Dr Adib Vincent Tung bin Abdullah, Chairman of the Perak Academy and Lim Yeong Seng, Chairman of Millet Holdings.
According to Dr Adib, the Perak Academy has long established ties with Singaporean counterparts: “The morning’s signing of the MOC will foster better relationships and also build bridges across borders to realise developments and unfinished projects in Perak.”
Following the MOC, one can look forward to a series of webinars on Ipoh and Singapore set to begin in April.
The virtual event also saw the presence of guest speakers with many years of experience in the Singapore-Ipoh region to share their thoughts on what such a collaboration might bring.
Ipoh-born Koh Chye Hock, a legal counsel and author who is currently living and working in Singapore, highlighted, “Today, there are many like me who have settled in Singapore but return to Ipoh again and again because of Ipoh’s many charms, family and friendships which continue to pull at our heartstrings.”
He hoped that the inking of the memorandum serves as the first step in energising longstanding relationships and expanding the opportunities for further exchanges between the two great cities.
Hailing from Singapore and currently living in Ipoh, See Foon Chan-Koppen is the Director of the Ipoh Echo community newspaper and a writer promoting Ipoh as a foodie destination.
Having been involved in opening over 50 hotels throughout the Asia Pacific region and China before settling in Ipoh, she described the warmth of the people that she felt upon her arrival here.
“I admire the values here. Ipohites really make the effort to have family time. I hope through this collaboration, these warmth and family values can be extended to Singapore as well,” she said.
See Foon also hoped that the collaboration will boost the resurgence of industries impacted by the pandemic such as the food and beverage and arts.
Established in 2002, the Perak Academy is an independent, privately-funded organisation with the primary objective of promoting interest in the state of Perak by encouraging discussion, scholarship and research.
To learn more, visit the Perak Academy website.
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