Dr. Bernard Malik appointed as PNG special envoy

Renowned educationist, philanthropist and businessman, Dr. Bernard Malik, has been appointed as the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Trade, Investment and Education.

The office of the PNG Prime Minister, James Marape, made the appointment on 17 September, saying it was in recognition of Dr. Malik’s longstanding relationship with PNG and his strong interest in promoting trade, investment and education in the country. 

In his appointment letter, Marape said: “My Government is endeavouring to attract genuine private investors to partner in developing Papua New Guinea and you have shown interest in this area.”

Dr. Malik said he was honoured by the appointment and would be soon holding investment seminars around the world to promote PNG as an attractive business and investment destination.

Dr. Malik, who is also known as Reverend Malik, is a path-breaking innovator in the field of education and a warrior for noble causes. After a successful career in the United States of America, Dr. Malik moved to Australia in 2009.

He is a noted global educationist and an eminent philanthropist with vast experience and expertise in the field of education, with a vision and yen to succeed. He has educational interests in India, Africa, Australia and PNG.

Recognising that education is the only stable way to actual empowerment, Dr. Malik embarked on his crusade of setting up state-of-the-art educational facilities across the globe. He is the founder of the International Open University in Meghalaya state in eastern India (established by the Government of Meghalaya).

Dr. Malik also established the Leaders Institute in Brisbane, a higher education provider delivering Accounting and Agribusiness Bachelors programs.

He now has on the anvil a series of open universities in India and the Kingdom of Tonga, where he is striving to raise the quality and accessibility of higher education. 

A true philanthropist, Dr. Malik is involved with many human rights issues and has always endeavoured to champion the cause of the downtrodden, the voiceless and the deprived.

He was a pioneer and lead voice on issues of human rights for Indians in the United States. He has made representations to the Prime Minister of India, President of the United States, ministers of the Indian Government, White House advisors, Members of Parliament in many countries, US Senators, Congressmen, the US State Department, the United Nations and various international human rights organisations.

His outstanding work has been acknowledged by human rights and church-related associations in the US, Canada, India and Africa. He was also honoured with the Hind Rattan (Gem of India) award this year.

He has set up and is associated with a number of charities and social organisations including International Council of Evangelical Churches, Federation of Indian Christian Organizations of North America, Organisation for Eradication of Illiteracy and Poverty, Minority Empowerment Organisation and the Save the Girl Child Organisation. 

Dr. Malik spent almost a decade serving as an NGO representative to the United Nations.

He has recently launched his pet program, ‘Feed the Hungry’, in Brisbane. He inculcates in his graduates the finer values and a spirit of service by involving them in providing food to the hungry and homeless every Tuesday, as a way of giving back to the community.

PNG is blessed with abundant natural resources and is home to the third-largest rainforest in the world. It has a population of approximately 8.5 million and is the most diverse country on earth, with around 1,000 tribes who speak more than 800 distinct languages.