Message from Joseph Sta Maria 3rd Asian Portuguese Community Conference

 "Selamat Datang! Bong Dia! Allow me to begin by welcoming all of you to the 3rd Asian Portuguese Community Conference.

When we decided to have the first APCC in 2016, we were uncertain of its response. The questions were: can the idea be achievable, will there be interest from the community, can it be successful?

Honestly, there were doubts initially. Well, we felt that it could be possible. It could be achievable. We were confident that there would be sufficient interest. But, can it be realized? Can it happen?

To ensure and hope that the 1st APCC succeeded I traveled to Bangkok to the Portuguese Embassy, I also visited the Kg. Tugu Portuguese community in Jakarta, Indonesia and went to Timor Leste several times.

And at these places I met many members of the community who were as passionate as I was, who supported and shared the idea.

I am glad, we in Malacca had successfully achieved what was beyond our expectations. This is one of the greatest moments of my life. The team which had comprised some of my closet friends was overjoyed for the successful 1st APCC. We witness the birth of the APCC in 2016.

Today, APCC is still at an infant stage. It is fragile and needs guidance. It needs support from the Asian Portuguese community. I strongly believed that the APCC will grow to a tower of strength, uniting the Asian Portuguese community into one - sharing one vision to protect our unique cultural and traditional identity, which we all inherited and embraced for centuries. A community without an identity will cease to be called a community.

It is the main intention of the APCC to make this possible, that we though a small community with dwindling numbers will be able to keep this heritage for the next generation and the generations that will come after.

The most difficult task was to get it started. We have begun and now is for us to sustain and continue to move on and allow this child born in 2016 grow from an infant to an adult. It is now our collective responsibility to help the APCC grow and continue to provide us the Asian Portuguese identity.

We have achieved so much in less than a decade. Today, we are gathered here for the 3rd Asian Portuguese Community Conference. Despite the little resources we have and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have survived.

This is not a small achievement. We will continue to survive because we all share similar intentions. We are passionate and protective or our unique cultural identity. We the Portuguese Luso-Asian community.

The Malacca Portuguese also plays an important part of our state and country's tourism sector. Malacca is a cultural melting pot and was even labeled a city greater than Venice.

Today, Malacca is a world tourist destination with UNESCO status. We believe that APCC can play a role to further promote Malacca. The potential of APCC is huge even in trade.

There are now over 300 million people in the world who speak the Portuguese language. Some of these countries are oil producers and they formed a block called CPLP of Community of Portuguese Language Countries. They include Portugal, Brazil, Timor Leste, Mozambique, Angola, Cabo Verde and several others.

CPLP also includes 32 countries which are members with "Observer" status and they include Japan, Spain, Argentina, Turkey, Qatar, UK, USA, France, India and more from every continent of the world. If you google the CPLP list you will see the entire membership.

Malaysia with Malacca being the Bastion of the Malaysian Portuguese community, could perhaps one day be invited to be a member of the CPLP, which makes up a huge part of the world's population. These countries have huge potential in tourism and trade between themselves.

The entire world knew Malacca in the 16th Century. Malacca was the greatest sea port in the world. Today, geographical location of Malacca is similar too as it was in the 16th Century and the Straits of Malacca continues to be the busiest waterway in the world.

Malacca today has the potential to be even greater that is was in the 16th and 17th centuries. We have great infrastructure, we have lovely weather and most of all we have lovely people.

I thank everyone again for joining me in this eventful gathering of the Asian Portuguese Community."

Terima Kasih

Muito Grande Merseh

Joseph Sta Maria