Today, both Singapore and Indonesia are celebrating the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of their bilateral relations. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will join Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to participate in the historic celebrations in Singapore. In connection with the RISING (Republic of Indonesia and Singapore) 50 celebrations, The Jakarta Post is publishing an eight-page special supplement today. To find out more about RISING 50, the Post’s Supplement desk editor Veeramalla Anjaiah interviewed Singaporean Ambassador to Indonesia Anil Kumar Nayar recently. The following are the excerpts of the interview.

Question: This year, both countries are celebrating the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia. What were the milestones in both countries’ relations during the last five decades?

Answer: Diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia were officially established 50 years ago, on Sept. 7, 1967. However, links between both countries can be traced back for centuries. For example, visitors to Singapore can see our shared history with Indonesia in the names of places like Kampung Java and Bugis Village. Many Singaporean families can also trace their ancestry to locations in Indonesia, from Sumatra and Java, to Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

The governments of our two countries have developed a strong working relationship over the past 50 years. The late Lee Kuan Yew (former Singaporean leader) worked closely with Indonesian leaders such as the late president Soeharto to ensure that both Singaporeans and Indonesians enjoyed economic development, peace and prosperity.

Successive leaders have continued to build on this foundation and also developed warm ties with one another. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo work well together, and meet regularly to discuss ways to further strengthen Singapore-Indonesia relations.

Singapore and Indonesia have helped each other in times of need. Singapore appreciated Indonesia’s search and rescue assistance in the aftermath of the crash of SilkAir Flight MI185 in Palembang’s Musi River in December 1997.

Following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Singapore was the first country to help disaster relief efforts in Aceh and Meulaboh through military and humanitarian assistance.

The Singapore-Indonesia relationship includes strong ties and ongoing cooperation at the regional level in Indonesia.

For example, Singapore is the largest cumulative investor in the provinces of North Sumatra and Kepulauan Riau (KEPRI or Riau Islands), and accounted for about 50 percent of tourist arrivals to KEPRI in 2016. The upgrading of Singapore’s consulates in Medan and Batam to consulates general in August this year reflects Singapore’s commitment to deepening our engagement of the provinces, in addition to strengthening mutually beneficial government-to-government cooperation.

The year 2017 marks an important milestone for both countries. We have adopted the tagline of RISING 50 for this year – “R-I” for the Republic of Indonesia and “S-I-N-G” for Singapore. “Rising” also characterizes the positive upward trajectory of our relationship, and describes our shared aspirations for the future of bilateral relations and cooperation.

Over the last nine months, both countries have marked the RISING 50 Golden Jubilee with: The exchange of the Instruments of Ratification of the Eastern Boundary Treaty by Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi in February; a coding challenge ‘hackathon’ in Batam’s State Polytechnic in May; and ongoing exchanges of high-level visits, most recently in August 2017 by Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean to Jakarta, and by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan to Medan and Batam.  

In addition, the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta has organized a series of commemorative events, such as a futsal tournament in April, and a gala dinner featuring Singaporean Michelin-starred Peranakan chef Malcolm Lee in May.

Later this year, the embassy will host a special performance by Singapore ensemble T’ang Quartet, together with Indonesian pianist Airin Efferin. Our hope is that such events will help to further strengthen and deepen our long-standing people-to-people ties through the shared appreciation of sport, food and music.

What is the present state of your country’s overall relationship with Indonesia?  

Singapore and Indonesia have a long-standing and close bilateral relationship, built on the foundations of mutual respect and understanding. As a close neighbor and friend, Singapore wants Indonesia to succeed. We recognize that what is good for Indonesia is also beneficial for Singapore and the region. Moreover, as founding members of ASEAN, Singapore and Indonesia cooperate to keep ASEAN strong and united amidst a challenging regional geo-political climate.

Bilaterally, Singapore and Indonesia work together across a wide range of sectors, from defense and counter-terrorism, finance and economics, to education and health.  Singapore and Indonesia have consistently been among each other’s top trading and investment partners.

In 2016, we were Indonesia’s third largest trading partner; Indonesia was Singapore’s fifth largest. Singapore has also been Indonesia’s top investor for the past three years. In 2016, Singapore’s realized investments in Indonesia amounted to US$9.2 billion. Tourism flows between our countries are very strong; 2.9 million Indonesian tourists visited Singapore, while 1.57 million tourists from Singapore visited Indonesia last year.  

There are also frequent and intensive interactions at the people-to-people level, especially between businesses, academic institutions, think tanks, youth, and students.

In July 2017, Singapore’s Temasek Polytechnic completed a pilot train-the-trainers program in IT with Batam Polytechnic and Telkom University. Officials from both countries interact regularly at courses and events.

For example, more than 5,700 Indonesian officials have attended Singapore Cooperation Program (SCP) capacity-building courses in areas such as public administration, economic development and finance. The relationships that have built up between our two peoples underpin bilateral relations, and act as a bridge between our countries.

President Jokowi is currently in Singapore from Sept. 6-7, 2017 for the Leaders’ Retreat (LR), following Prime Minister Lee’s visit to Semarang for the 2016 LR. The theme for this year’s LR is “Trusted Partners, RISING Together”, and the two leaders will follow up on key investment, trade and cultural initiatives and explore new areas where Singapore and Indonesia can forge even closer partnerships, such as vocational training, the digital economy, and regional development through tourism and energy-related initiatives.

What makes this relationship so special?

The relationship between Singapore and Indonesia is not only built upon a foundation of mutual-understanding and respect, but also one where we both benefit.

Both governments regard one another as equal partners in our efforts to grow and prosper together, and are committed to working closely with one another to improve the lives of our peoples. Although we do not always share the same perspective on every issue, and there are the usual hiccups between close neighbors and partners, neither Singapore nor Indonesia has allowed such differences to affect the broader bilateral relationship.

We adopt a constructive and long-term perspective, and see value in resolving differences through dialogue. This is a testament to how both governments recognize that we are stronger when we work with, instead of against, one another.  

Could you please shed some light on the trade, investments and tourism, because these three areas are the backbone of the bilateral relationship? How does Singapore and Indonesia want to cooperate in the field of digital economy?

The long-standing partnership between Singapore and Indonesia is reflected in our robust economic ties. Indonesia offers opportunities for Singapore companies, with its young population and growing market. Likewise, Indonesian businesses see value in partnering with Singapore companies to strengthen their capabilities. There are many complementarities between Singapore’s and Indonesia’s economies; Singapore has niche expertise in areas like technology and high-value manufacturing, which Indonesia is currently focusing on.

One example is the digital economy. Singapore welcomes Indonesia’s plan to have 1,000 new digital start-ups worth US$10 billion by 2020. That is why we are pursuing closer collaboration in this sector. The NUS Enterprise (National University of Singapore Enterprise) and Salim Group launched Block 71@Jakarta, a co-working space for tech start-ups, in July. SGInnovate BASH and East Ventures Hive, which are co-working spaces in both countries, announced in April that they will facilitate access for start-ups from Singapore and Indonesia to the region. We are also working together to develop a digital cluster in Batam. These partnerships will not only support Indonesia’s 2020 digital vision, but also facilitate further cooperation between start-ups from both countries.

Anil Kumar Nayar (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

In recent years, Singapore and Indonesia have broadened economic and business cooperation beyond traditional areas of investment such as Jakarta and KEPRI. The Kendal Industrial Park (KIP) in Central Java is a good example. Since it was launched by President Jokowi and Prime Minister Lee in November 2016, 32 companies have committed as tenants, with another 41 in the pipeline. The total investment value has been valued at almost $500 million, and the KIP is expected to create about 4,000 jobs for Indonesians. Both leaders will discuss the progress of the KIP at the on-going Leaders’ Retreat.

We also look forward to more partnerships arising from the recently-established Indonesia-Singapore Business Council (ISBC). The networking between the business chambers from both countries, including the Singapore Business Federation, Singapore Manufacturing Federation and the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) are important catalysts to spur new business ideas and collaboration.

How big is the Singaporean community in Indonesia?

The Singapore community in Indonesia is sizeable. Some Singaporeans have lived here for decades, and see Indonesia as their ‘second home’. There are also many Singaporeans who work in Indonesia for a short period of time, not to mention businessmen who make day trips to Indonesia from Singapore, and vice versa. This is another reflection of the strong people-to-people ties and inter-connectedness between both countries.

In addition, organizations such as the Singapore Association in Indonesia (SAI) and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce Indonesia foster stronger bonds amongst Singaporeans in Indonesia, and link up business and social communities in Singapore and Indonesia.  

Both President “Jokowi” and Prime Minister Lee are determined to boost bilateral relations between the two countries. In your opinion, what should be done to take our countries’ relations to a new level?  What direction will relations between the two countries move in over the next 50 years?

This year’s tagline RISING 50 not only represents the flourishing bilateral relationship between Singapore and Indonesia over the last 50 years, but also signals how Singapore and Indonesia intend to approach the bilateral relationship in the next 50 years, and beyond.

We are committed to further broadening and deepening collaboration – in areas such as security and counter-terrorism cooperation, as well as through new projects such as education collaboration, and arts and culture exchanges – so that our two countries and peoples can continue to develop and prosper together.

On the economic front, this can be achieved by enhancing trade and investment rules for business-friendly environments. This is an area Indonesia has already seen progress in, illustrated by its rise in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index in 2017, as well as investment-grade ratings from Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P. Singaporean companies also continue to look beyond Jakarta and KEPRI for business opportunities.

Looking ahead, it is important to take a long-term perspective that enables both sides to find areas of common interest and cooperate for mutual benefit. Even when we are unable to find solutions to challenges in the near-term, it is important to be constructive and forward looking. I am confident that both countries will continue to identify opportunities to advance bilateral cooperation based on mutual respect, understanding, and close communication. Together, we will rise as trusted and reliable partners, and bring our relationship to greater heights.