"Eight Points", Indonesia-Singapore which will be continued by the new leaders

Name: "Eight Points", Indonesia-Singapore which will be continued by the new leaders
Uploaded: 2024-04-29T08:46:10Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: The 7th Indonesia-Singapore Leader's Retreat is a strong signal of the continuity of Indonesia-Singapore cooperation.

The 7th Indonesia-Singapore Leader's Retreat is a strong signal of the continuity of Indonesia-Singapore cooperation.

This article has been translated using AI. See Original .

MAWAR KUSUMA WULAN

· 5 minutes read

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — President Joko Widodo received a visit from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for the "Leaders' Retreat" at the Bogor Palace, West Java. Different from previous years, the Leaders' Retreat meeting for the leaders of Indonesia and Singapore, which is held regularly every year, this time also featured replacements for President Jokowi and PM Lee. PM Lee said that this meeting was a meeting of "eight eyes".

During a visit to the Bogor Palace in West Java on Monday (29/4/2024), PM Lee was accompanied by his successor, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, who will become the new PM of Singapore. Meanwhile, President Jokowi was accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who has been declared the elected president by the General Election Commission or KPU and confirmed by the Constitutional Court's decision (MK).

PM Lee's visit will also be his last before handing over the government to the new PM. PM Lee has announced that he will hand over the leadership baton to his appointed successor, Lawrence Wong, on 15 April, and will pass on power on 15 May. For President Jokowi, leadership in Indonesia will also continue with the elected President Prabowo Subianto after his inauguration on 20 October 2024.

Also read: Accompanied by his successor, President Jokowi receives a visit from Singapore's PM

The moment of intimacy between President Jokowi, PM Lee, Prabowo, and Lawrence Wong, among others, was recorded when the four of them relaxed on the veranda of Bogor Palace. This is unusual because usually President Jokowi appears alone and only invites visiting leaders when relaxing on the veranda. On the veranda, President Jokowi was heard several times mentioning Prabowo's name when talking with PM Lee. Occasionally, Jokowi also smiled and pointed towards Prabowo.

When giving a joint press statement, PM Lee also mentioned the meeting which he called the "eight eyes" meeting.PM Lee admitted that he was honored because he had worked together with President Jokowi for many years during Jokowi's two terms of leadership. This meeting is also the right opportunity to reflect and celebrate what Indonesia and Singapore have achieved together.

"This retreat is also about continuity and looking to the future. Usually, we hold one-on-one meetings at the retreat, between two leaders. But this year, we are pleased to have an eight-eyed meeting with the inclusion of Mr. Prabowo and Lawrence Wong," said Lee.

As leadership changes, Singapore is committed to looking forward by building strong foundations and expanding cooperation between the two countries. "I am pleased that President Jokowi and I are handing over bilateral relations in good condition to our successors and I am very confident that Prabowo and Lawrence will continue to take this relationship to a higher level," he added.

Signing of MoU

For the signing of the MoU Concerning Community Empowerment in Mangrove Ecosystem, Indonesia was represented by Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, while Singapore was represented by Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, Teo Chee Hean. The signing of the Indonesia-Singapore JUDC MoU was signed by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen.

This year we are pleased to be able to hold an eight-on-one meeting with Pak Prabowo and Lawrence Wong joining us.

This meeting was also attended by several ministers, including Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Nadiem Makarim, and Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly. Several ministers from Singapore were also present.

"This is our seventh Leader's Retreat and a strong signal for the continuity of cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia," said President Jokowi in a joint press statement with PM Singapore.

According to President Jokowi, Indonesia and Singapore have discussed several matters in the political and defense fields. Indonesia and Singapore welcome the implementation of the agreement on managing the flight information region (FIR), defense and extradition. The implementation of this agreement needs to be ensured so that it can run fully in the future.

In the field of economics, the Indonesian Government is offering several investment opportunities, such as textile manufacturing in the Kendal Industrial Park, green economy through sustainable infrastructure, and the development of a data center in Nongsa Batam. The President also appreciates the enthusiasm of 29 Singaporean companies in investing in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN). Singapore is expected to provide support for the development of solar power plants in IKN.

The plan to export electricity to Singapore and invest in green industries will also continue to be encouraged. Regarding food security, both countries also agreed to promote cooperation in technology transfer and exchange of knowledge and technology in food processing. For halal product cooperation, Indonesia invited Singapore to become a developer for three halal industrial zones in Bintan, Serang, and Sidoarjo.

In the field of social culture, Indonesia and Singapore have discussed the strengthening of health transformation. This has been done through investments in hospital and clinic development, medical personnel capacity building, health digitalization, and the development of health special economic zones in Bali. Regarding education, Indonesia emphasized the importance of reactivating joint working groups.

President Jokowi also invited Singapore to attend the 10th World Water Forum in Bali. The two leaders also discussed regional and global issues. "We agree to continue to encourage the creation of peace in the Middle East and strive to strengthen ASEAN centrality," said President Jokowi.

Also read: Singapore Prepares Leadership Transfer by Fourth Generation

PM Lee mentioned that the Indonesia-Singapore bilateral cooperation has made remarkable progress in the last decade. "We have shared a commitment to deepen mutual understanding and build strong relationships at all levels," he said.

Cooperation in the field of defense, for example, is consistently being carried out and continues to develop. The memorandum of understanding in the field of defense signed by Defense Minister Prabowo and Singapore's Defense Minister, for instance, reflects the strong defense relationship between the two countries.

In the economic field, investment from Singapore to Indonesia continues to increase and cumulatively we have surpassed the amount of 74 billion Singaporean dollars. Cooperation in the digital economy sector is also being strengthened. PM Lee hopes that Indonesia can drive a green economy. Bilaterally, Indonesia and Singapore have also made progress in cross-border electricity trade.

With the existing vision and leadership, PM Lee believes that Indonesia will be on a strong economic trajectory. "Indonesia is the country with the largest economy in ASEAN. When Indonesia prospers, the region will prosper," said PM Lee.

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"Eight Points", Indonesia-Singapore which will be continued by the new leaders

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Signing of MoU