News

The two-day state visit of Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, to Singapore at the invitation of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam comes at an important and appropriate time ( May 7). The state visit was a fitting occasion for the King to meet outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his successor, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who will become prime minister on May 15. Mr Lee has built up and enjoyed a special relationship with the King, with a strong foundation of mutual trust and respect that Mr Wong can build on to benefit both nations. It is gratifying that the King and President Tharman have attached paramount importance to the strong ties and intertwined heritage between the two close neighbours. Equally important is Mr Tharman’s statement that when both parties have issues, they need to find mutually beneficial and sustainable ways to move forward on the issues, while focusing on the many positive and new areas of cooperation. This is vital to the well-being of Singapore and Malaysia. A win-win outcome can be realised only if both sides have mutual understanding and, above all, trust.