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Singapore is not a parasite dependent only on its neighbors
Relationships between nations should be mutually beneficial. It is true that Indonesia is the largest member of ASEAN, but it has no right to demand respect from others when it fails to respect them.
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Staying close: Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong takes a selfie with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on the sidelines of their leaders retreat on Bintan Island on Jan. 25. (Courtesy of/Presidential Secretariat)
T
he heading of this article was taken from the book From Third World to First: The Story of Singapore 1965-2000, the memoir of the late Lee Kuan Yew, the father of Singaporean Prime Minister Hsien Loong, who met with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Bintan Island on Tuesday to witness the historic signing of three agreements on defense cooperation, extradition and flight information region (FIR) concerns.
Speaking at a joint press conference, President Jokowi said, “Going forward, we hope that the cooperation in law enforcement, aviation safety, as well as the defense and security of the two countries will continue to be strengthened based on the principle of mutual benefit."
PM Lee expressed confidence that “these agreements take into account both parties' interests, represent a good balance of benefits, are durable agreements for the long haul designed to last for at least a generation and create a solid foundation to move bilateral relations forward with confidence and trust”.
Hopefully, the House of Representatives will not humiliate the country for the second time. In 2007, the legislature refused to ratify two treaties on defense cooperation and extradition, presented as a package, after the Indonesian and Singaporean governments signed them.
I should make it clear that I intend to view relations between the two countries more from the perspective of Singapore, for too often we claim our neighbor would be nothing without Indonesia. Come on.
When I read the story in The Jakarta Post’s Jan. 24, 2021, edition about the Bintan summit, I suddenly remembered the memoir that I had read in Tokyo in December 2000. A Japanese professor at Kyoto University suggested that I read it, in particular the chapter “From Foe to Friend”.
You may say it is too bombastic, even sarcastic, but no matter what, Indonesia can learn from Lee Kuan Yew’s honest assessment, as we often suspect our neighbors got richer than us because they cheated us and not because of our own faults.
