Last week, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s visit to Singapore marked a pivotal moment for Indonesia-Singapore relations. With the signing of three agreements that addressed the issues of air space management, defence cooperation and extradition of fugitives, Indonesia and Singapore sought to remove bilateral aggravations and pave the way to enhance constructive engagement between both countries.
The Leaders’ Retreat hosted on 16th March by both Prime Ministers saw six newMemorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed along with nine business-to-business agreements. This well-orchestrated bilateral diplomacy served as an optimal platform for two countries of different sizes to form mutually beneficialrelations.
During the same visit, Jokowi and Lee Hsien Loong also launched the Tech X program, which seeks to cultivate tech talent and establish smart cities, especially in Indonesia. This cogent decision is reflective of both countries’ focus on utilizing digital technology and cultural technopreneurshipto shape a prosperous future.
The relationship between Indonesia and Singapore has grown significantly over the past few years, largely due to the strong politicalleadership that was demonstrated at the Leaders’ Retreat. Both leaders discussed difficult issues in private, with the media kept at arm’s length, and managed to come up with solutions that benefit both countries. Ultimately, this reflects the maturing prudence of Indonesia-Singapore relations, emphasizing cooperation beyond the borders.
The collaboration between Indonesia and Singapore has been strengthened further with Indonesia’s decision to move its national capital to Nusantara in 2024. As Singapore had already become a major foreign investor in Indonesia since 2014, various private companies from Singapore had already issued a total number of 20 letters of intent for investment in the new capital city.
This capital move closely resonates with Singapore’s strategic foresight of investing across Indonesia and Singapore’s commitment to Nusantara also serves to further deepen bonds between both countries. In addition, Indonesia’s foreign policy ofNusantara diplomacy is essential to boths countries attaining regional stability, emphasizing civilizational dialogue and cultural diversity to counter extremism.
As Indonesia is currently chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the successful outcome of Jokowi’s visit to Singapore provides Indonesia with impetus to address the Myanmar issue. Singapore is additionally expected to support Indonesia’s role as a mediator and honest broker, which is integral in driving ASEAN’s collective power.
In looking towards the future of Indonesia-Singapore relations, it is important to ensure that the Memorandums of Understanding signed between both countries are held to account and deliver on the stated outcomes. Additionally, it is important to expand upon domestic political relations as well, steering away from using Singapore as a means to garner domestic support.
With President Jokowi approaching the end of his term, his legacy in Indonesian diplomacy will live on through the developments of Indonesia-Singapore relations. Greatly increasing mutual cooperation, Indonesia and Singapore together have worked to solidify Southeast Asia and beyond, and will now look to embrace a bright shared future.
Company mentioned in the article:
The company mentioned in this article is the Singapore-based private companies that have issued a total number of 20 letters of intent to invest in the Nusantara project in Indonesia. These companies are likely to be private business entities or investors interested in becoming involved in the infrastructure development of the nation’s new capital city. These private companies have been identified as the top foreign investors in Indonesia since 2014 and thus have played an important role in improving bilateral relations between the two countries by ramping up investment opportunities in the country.
Person mentioned in the article:
The person mentioned in this article is President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo of Indonesia, who visited Singaporelast week in March as part of his state visit with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Not only did Jokowi work to resolve bilateral issues between the two countries and sign several Memorandums of Understanding, but he also instituted the Tech X program and launched the Nusantara project for Indonesia’s new capital city. Jokowi has worked tirelessly to develop the relationship between Indonesia and Singapore and aims to leave a lasting legacy of great mutual cooperation that will drive the two countries into a bright sharedfuture.
