Committee of Supply 2024 debate, Day 2: Maliki Osman on Singapore’s relations with region

Singapore’s relations with Malaysia are in “good shape”, said Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman. At the political level, there is frequent contact - about 30 Malaysian ministers and senior officials visited Singapore last year, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Singapore’s political office holders engage at various state governments. Economic ties are equally robust, with Malaysia ranked among Singapore’s top three trading partners last year and bilateral trade hitting S$123.6 billion. Dr Maliki highlighted this in Parliament on Thursday (Feb 29), as he updated the House on Singapore’s relations with countries in the region. Similarly, Singapore’s relationship with Indonesia has strengthened, with regular high-level engagements, said Dr Maliki. He said Singapore worked closely with the administration of President Joko Widodo, focusing on new areas of cooperation like education, human capital development and emerging sectors like sustainability. Turning to Singapore-Brunei ties, Dr Maliki said their “special relationship” continues to grow. At the leadership level, ties are “very close”. As both sides celebrate the 40th year of ties this year, the 4G leadership remains committed to maintaining this special relationship, he added. Singapore’s relations with the rest of Southeast Asia are on a “good footing”, said Dr Maliki. Singapore is stepping up engagement to help support Timor-Leste prepare to join ASEAN and plans to open a resident embassy there. Myanmar remains a concern, as there has been limited progress in the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, said Dr Maliki. He pointed out that the situation in Myanmar is complicated and will take a long time to resolve. He stressed that it is in Singapore’s interest to have a stable and conducive regional environment to attract businesses and investments.