SINGAPORE – The usual dark suits of diplomacy gave way to pattern and colour when Singapore’s and Malaysia’s political leaders
met on Dec 4 for their annual retreat
.
Delegations from both sides came dressed in regional textiles, including a wide variety of batik, for the highest-level meeting between the two nations.
At a press conference after the meeting, both prime ministers affirmed positive ties, with PM Lawrence Wong emphasising a “constructive spirit” and mutual respect, while Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said “there’s no hostility” over the longstanding issue of water.
More than their words, their choice of dress also represented regional solidarity and cultural connection between the two countries, experts said.
This was the 12th edition of the meeting. Over the last decade, the countries’ leaders have mostly appeared in Western-style suits at the meet’s press conference, except in 2023 when Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, then prime minister, was dressed in batik alongside Mr Anwar in
their first retreat together
.
Wearing batik is not just about fashion and trends, said Dr Azhar Ibrahim, a senior lecturer at the Department of Malay Studies at the National University of Singapore.
It communicates familiarity and understanding, and represents an alignment with the cultural aesthetics of the wider Nusantara, he said. Nusantara is an old Javanese term used to refer to both the Indonesian archipelago and the wider Malay archipelago.
“Using a ‘batik cultural universe’ as part of our diplomacy is like a common language, in print and style,” he added.
“It is a gesture of cultural camaraderie and a point where we can come together, despite differences.”
The textile art form is usually defined by the use of resist-dyeing techniques to mark out patterns using a substance, usually wax, before the cloth is dyed. This creates patterns of dyed and undyed cloth, often with many layers of colour.
At the recent meeting, PM Wong appeared to be wearing tenun, a different textile common in the region, said Ms Oniatta Effendi, founder of batik retailer Baju by Oniatta and Galeri Tokokita.
Museum docent and storyteller Hafiz Rashid concurred, adding that Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was wearing a batik piece with floral and bird motifs.
