Singapore, Malaysia have made consistent choice to look to the future, build together: Tharman

SINGAPORE – Singapore and Malaysia have made the consistent choice, across every generation of leadership, to keep looking to the future and building together, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

This basic orientation of always focusing on the larger goal of growing together and expanding shared interests has made the relationship a robust one, he added during a call on Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, at the Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on July 13.

“The Singapore-Malaysia relationship indeed has a quality that is difficult to find elsewhere, a quality that goes well beyond the here and now,” President Tharman said.

The President said both countries share a history of coming together in difficult circumstances, followed by a separation that was just as difficult for both sides. He was referring to the merger in 1963 and Singapore’s separation from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965.

From time to time, both sides have also had important issues to resolve – issues that reflect the very interdependence of the two countries.

“But we have not let these issues affect our ability to work on positive and new areas of cooperation,” the President said.

He cited the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link as two current examples of both countries’ shared ambition to build on their strong economic partnership.

“They reflect our mutual desire to grow the complementarity between our economies,” he said.

President Tharman arrived at Istana Negara, the official residence of the Malaysian King, to a state welcome ceremony on the morning of July 13.

He then called on Sultan Ibrahim and his wife, Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah, and was hosted to a state banquet on day two of his four-day state visit to Malaysia.

President Tharman also received a call by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

During the call on the King, President Tharman noted that Sultan Ibrahim is a close and longstanding friend of Singapore.

He had hosted Sultan Ibrahim in May 2024 during his first visit to Singapore as King of Malaysia. “Your visit carried the warmth and genuine personal interest that Your Majesty takes in the bilateral relationship,” said the President.

“My visit reciprocates in both form and spirit. It keeps up the momentum of high-level exchanges and reflects the unique depth and strength of cooperation, and affinity, between our two countries.”

President Tharman said the completion of the RTS Link will boost exchanges between the people of both sides in tourism, healthcare and education, noting that Singaporeans and Malaysians have been deeply connected for generations.

“It will help a younger generation of Singaporeans and Malaysians go through life with a familiarity, appreciation and good understanding of one another,” he added.

During the call, Sultan Ibrahim said Malaysia and Singapore share a common interest, citing how trade between both sides has gone on for more than 200 years.

He added that his family, the Johor royal family, has had a very long-term relationship with the Singapore Government and leaders.

President Tharman said that ultimately, the cooperation between both sides on physical and economic infrastructure rests on a deeper foundation of social affinity.

“It is this enduring sense of kinship and partnership that gives us added confidence as we navigate an increasingly divided world, knowing we can rely on one another,” he said.

“As the Malay saying goes – Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing. Whether the load is heavy or light, we carry it together. That, we must hope, is the spirit that will continue to guide us.”

Reception with Singaporeans

In the afternoon, President Tharman visited the Corcosa Seri Negara, where he toured an exhibition on Malaysia’s independence.

Located at the Perdana Botanical Gardens, the building opened in 1913 as an official guesthouse for British administrators. It later became a pivotal venue in the country’s journey to independence where Malaysian leaders gathered to negotiate constitutional frameworks and the direction of the nation.

At a reception in the evening, he told some 150 Singaporeans living and working all over Malaysia that they all play an important role in keeping the friendly and positive bilateral relations between both sides going.

About 120,000 Singaporeans live and work in Malaysia.

“Through each and every one of you, Singapore is building up our friendship with Malaysia. And as Singaporeans, you are both contributing and learning from your experiences in Malaysia,” he said at the event held at the Singapore High Commission.

“Whether you choose to live here or eventually return, I hope you find ways to bring your perspectives back to Singapore. They will add a valuable dimension to the conversations on Singapore and its future that we have back home.”

The President also said Singapore and Malaysia would be much weaker nations today if either one had failed in its development journey, or had failed to foster a strong national identity and maintain peace at home.

“We have depended on each other succeeding,” he said.

He added that he had discussed the continuing strength of the bilateral relationship when he met Sultan Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Anwar in the morning.

Among the Singaporeans at the reception was Muhammad Taufiq Yahya, 43, a social entrepreneur who lives in Kuala Lumpur with his wife and six children aged 2 to 16.

The co‑founder of Kowabunga! Global, an education and sustainability enterprise, said he moved in 2022 to Malaysia as he saw there was demand for schools that “emphasise values rather than just academics”.

His company runs eight pre-schools and one international school in Malaysia, and also provides consultancy services for schools in the areas of governance, training and funding.

His aim is to bring to more families, particularly those from lower-income households, a brand of education that teaches values such as environmental stewardship.

Carole Tan, 64, met her Malaysian husband in Singapore, but they moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1998 to be with his family.

She opened Tannin Hill, a modern tea house, in 2023 and said Malaysia is a place of great opportunities. She returns to Singapore about once a month to see her 91-year-old mother.

“Singapore will always be my first home. But Malaysia is my second home,” she said.