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View all search resultsWhen PM Wong forgot to bring much-awaited ‘oleh oleh’ to Prabowo
While Prime Minister Lawrence Wong secured major defense wins in Jakarta, his failure to deliver on a long-awaited extradition leaves a lingering shadow over Singapore-Indonesia relations.
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Under investigation: Sandipala Arthaputra president director Paulus Tannos (on the screen) gives a testimony on May 18 during the e-ID hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court. (Antara/Rosa Panggabean)
S
ingapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong was perhaps unfamiliar with the colloquial Indonesian greeting reserved for visiting old friends: “Mana oleh-olehnya?”- where is the gift?
When Wong met with President Prabowo Subianto for their annual bilateral summit in Jakarta on July 6, he missed a crucial diplomatic moment.
The repatriation of corruption fugitive Paulus Tannos - an Indonesian citizen and Singapore permanent resident - either immediately before or during the state visit, would have been a significant political triumph for the President and a powerful gesture to the nation. Yet, according to public documents, the issue was omitted from the leaders' formal agenda.
Jakarta officially submitted an extradition request for Tannos in February last year. Despite the signing and ratification of a landmark extradition treaty between the two neighbors, deep skepticism persists among the Indonesian public. Many remain unconvinced that Singapore will willingly surrender suspected graft and economic fugitives. Naturally, the city-state firmly rejects such doubts, maintaining a strictly legalistic stance.
The visiting leader brought no such diplomatic "gift" even as President Prabowo acted as an accommodating host by granting access for joint military training facilities in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Wong returned home with substantial gains - particularly on the defense front - alongside economic concessions given by Indonesia. Yet, a palpable gap remains.
During the summit, the two leaders witnessed the signing of 26 strategic cooperation documents. These included 18 government-to-government agreements - such as the Joint Update on Defence Cooperation - and eight business-to-business deals.
Under the expanded bilateral defense framework, the two nations will establish military training facilities across three strategic locations: Baturaja in South Sumatra, Bengkayang in West Kalimantan and the Siabu Air Weapons Range in Riau. Discussions were also held regarding expanding military cooperation in Batujajar, West Java.
