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JAKARTA: Relations between Singapore and neighbouring Indonesia remain strong, despite the rejection of a bilateral defence cooperation agreement by lawmakers in Jakarta.
Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew made this assessment when wrapping up his six-day visit to the Indonesian capital.
The visit gave Mr Lee first-hand insights into Indonesia's latest developments.
MM Lee last visited Jakarta early last year.
During his latest trip, Mr Lee met political leaders as well as diverse groups of Indonesians.
The Minister Mentor said the complementary nature of the two countries and the two economies is probably as strong as it was before.
Mr Lee said: "The assessments of the Singapore fund managers and the security agencies - financial security houses - are a factor in how the international financial community sees Indonesia's growth. So we play a complementary relationship with Indonesia's economic growth. I mean, otherwise, why should they say, 'come and invest'? I mean, they tell us frankly, 'you come and invest, others will come and invest'."
Singapore and Indonesia are jointly developing a Special Economic Zone in the Riau islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun, which are near the city state.
This is part of efforts to attract foreign investors to Indonesia to boost its economic growth past the current six per cent.
Mr Lee said: "We have to live with them (Indonesians) and they will go at the pace which their drumbeat requires them to go. That's that. And they're not doing too badly. They've recovered."
MM Lee's visit to Jakarta was to deliver a talk which was postponed earlier this year because of flooding in the Indonesian capital.
But it comes at a time when Indonesia's law-makers have threatened not to ratify the Defence Cooperation Agreement already signed by the two countries.
Mr Lee described the legislators' rejection as part of the political theatre in Jakarta.
"Now they have a President elected directly by the people. But the DPR (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or the Parliament) was elected by party list. That's workable when the DPR also elected one of them to be president. So you go by parties. But when you have the President elected separately and the DPR has a life of its own, the President has no legislative support."
MM Lee said that at the national level, bilateral relations between Singapore and Indonesia remain strong. - CNA/ir
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