MFA Press Statement: Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed's Visit to the Sultanate of Oman

Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed is on an official visit to Oman from 30 October to 3 November 2010. SMS Zainul visited Oman to represent Singapore at the 'Jewel of Muscat' Gala Dinner held on 1 November 2010, where he was accompanied by Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for the Middle East Dr Ahmad Magad, Ambassador Teng Theng Dar and Special Envoy Ambassador Kemal Siddique. During his visit, SMS Zainul attended a tree planting ceremony held on 31 October 2010 at Al Jabal Al Akhdar to commemorate Tree Day in Oman. SMS Zainul also planted an olive tree, along with His Excellency Sayyid Khalid Bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers; and, His Excellency Sheikh Salim Bin Hilal Al Khalili, Minister of Agriculture.

SMS Zainul met with His Highness Sayyid Haithem Bin Tariq Al Sayid, Minister of Heritage and Culture on 1 November 2010. SMS Zainul also had separate meetings with His Highness Sayyid Assad Bin Tariq Al Said, Representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said; Sayyid Ali Bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Minister of Diwan of the Royal Court; His Excellency Mohammed Bin Nasser Al Khusaibi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Economy; His Excellency Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and, His Excellency Alfadhel Al Harthy, Undersecretary for Development Affairs of the Ministry of National Economy. During these meetings, SMS Zainul discussed ways to further improve bilateral relations, and expand cooperation into areas such as road traffic management, urban planning, education, and manpower development.

SMS Zainul also met His Excellency Yousuf Bin Allawi Bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs at the 'Jewel of Muscat' Gala Dinner. The two Ministers agreed that the 'Jewel of Muscat' had boosted relations between Singapore and Oman, and that we could explore future projects to build on the momentum. His Excellency Yousuf Bin Allawi Bin Abdullah called for increasing connectivity between Singapore and Oman so as to facilitate the growing political, economic, business, and people-to-people exchanges. SMS Zainul and His Excellency Yousuf Bin Allawi Bin Abdullah also discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest and concern.

Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed is on an official visit to Oman from 30 October to 3 November 2010. SMS Zainul visited Oman to represent Singapore at the 'Jewel of Muscat' Gala Dinner held on 1 November 2010, where he was accompanied by Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Parliamentary Friendship Group for the Middle East Dr Ahmad Magad, Ambassador Teng Theng Dar and Special Envoy Ambassador Kemal Siddique. During his visit, SMS Zainul attended a tree planting ceremony held on 31 October 2010 at Al Jabal Al Akhdar to commemorate Tree Day in Oman. SMS Zainul also planted an olive tree, along with His Excellency Sayyid Khalid Bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers; and, His Excellency Sheikh Salim Bin Hilal Al Khalili, Minister of Agriculture.

SMS Zainul met with His Highness Sayyid Haithem Bin Tariq Al Sayid, Minister of Heritage and Culture on 1 November 2010. SMS Zainul also had separate meetings with His Highness Sayyid Assad Bin Tariq Al Said, Representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said; Sayyid Ali Bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, Minister of Diwan of the Royal Court; His Excellency Mohammed Bin Nasser Al Khusaibi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of National Economy; His Excellency Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and, His Excellency Alfadhel Al Harthy, Undersecretary for Development Affairs of the Ministry of National Economy. During these meetings, SMS Zainul discussed ways to further improve bilateral relations, and expand cooperation into areas such as road traffic management, urban planning, education, and manpower development.

SMS Zainul also met His Excellency Yousuf Bin Allawi Bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs at the 'Jewel of Muscat' Gala Dinner. The two Ministers agreed that the 'Jewel of Muscat' had boosted relations between Singapore and Oman, and that we could explore future projects to build on the momentum. His Excellency Yousuf Bin Allawi Bin Abdullah called for increasing connectivity between Singapore and Oman so as to facilitate the growing political, economic, business, and people-to-people exchanges. SMS Zainul and His Excellency Yousuf Bin Allawi Bin Abdullah also discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest and concern.

SMS Zainul delivered a speech at the 'Jewel of Muscat' Gala Dinner which touched on the Muscat Street project and the plans to house the 'Jewel of Muscat' at the Maritime Xperiential Museum. The full text of SMS Zainul's speech is attached to this release.

SMS Zainul will depart Oman and return to Singapore on 3 November 2010.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
2 NOVEMBER 2010

Text of SMS Zainul's speech:

His Excellency Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah
His Excellency Sayyid Badr bin Hamad al Busaidi
Your Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi barakatu wa Ahlan wa Sahlan bikum

Ana saeedun jiddan fii hina.

On behalf of the people of Singapore and the Singapore delegation present, let me begin by saying a big thank you to the Omani Government for the warm and generous hospitality that has been extended to our delegation for this visit.

Tonight we celebrate a joyous occasion. Tonight, in this wonderful and splendid setting, we celebrate a close to one of the many chapters of the Jewel of Muscat's epic journey from Muscat to Singapore. It is only befitting that we finish where we began, in this beautiful scenic city of Muscat. By now, I am sure that all of you are well-versed in the history and dream that first brought the Jewel to life. We only dared to imagine then. Slightly more than a year later, it is my honour then, to stand before those who transformed that dream into a living narrative. To the sailors, craftsmen, builders, dreamers and do-ers, let me say: I salute you all.

But when one chapter ends, another begins. We start off once again on a blank page that is waiting to be written by the people of Oman and Singapore. Plans have been made for the future of the Jewel. Exciting plans. Plans that we hope will capture the true essence of the Jewel and the spirit in which it was built and sailed to Singapore.

The Jewel will be exhibited publicly. Singapore is currently developing the Maritime Xperiential Museum that will showcase our rich maritime history. The Jewel will be the main attraction of this Museum. We want the public to be able to see it, read about it as well as experience history in a lively and interactive manner. Singapore hopes to share with everyone the amazing journey that has brought us here. We want to capture all the moments and be able to look back and be proud of what our two countries have achieved.

The Jewel is now as much a part of Singapore's history as it is Oman's. The linkages between the two countries have been traced back more than a thousand years and the Jewel is a magnificent symbol of the legacy that we share. But it is also a story of the human spirit, about the Omani spirit. We all know that in its heydays, Oman's influence stretched all along the Swahili coast down to Zanzibar, to Baluchistan, to Gwadar. How did such a small population fan out over such a wide area, when navigational technology, when ship technology was so primitive? I was reflecting: when a dhow was sent out, what percentage would ever come back? And the families who sent out their menfolk on these journeys, they must know that many will not come back and worse, we may never know what happened to them. Maybe they will come back one day. People grow old but still the hope, a prayer that maybe they had survived, settled and will re-establish contact - or they may never do so. To preserve such a spirit of adventure required an entire social system of families, extended families, tribes holding together. A way by which, when people do not come back, their children and families are looked after. Over the centuries, these journeys shaped that value system, the culture of the Omani people, giving them a strength and tenacity that we see even today.

Let us use the opportunity to continue to build on the momentum of the Jewel to pursue cooperation in areas of mutual interest like capacity building, telecommunications and infrastructure development. There is so much more that we can learn from one another that would benefit our two countries. Let our bilateral relations not be dictated by the direction of the wind or the movement of the water but by the tenacity of the sailors who navigated the Jewel from Muscat to Singapore overcoming their environment and defiantly making their voyage towards their final destination. It is this shared goal and thinking that will continue to grow our bilateral ties. I am pleased to note, of course, that the momentum for our bilateral ties have been much faster than that of the Jewel's. I recall my brother Captain Salleh telling me that, at times, it went along at 1 to 2 knots an hour or even stalled.

I have been to Muscat four times and each visit brings fond memories. Yes, the people of the Sultanate of Oman have been so welcoming. You are modest people not given to ostentation, a certain sense of proportion. I visited your Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque on two separate occassions. Yes, it was grand but it was understated, and beautiful and calm. I guess some would say like Oman's diplomacy. I enjoy walking in your souks. I find the souks relatively spotless, with hardly any litter. Unlike Singapore, there were no trash cans, so the sense of cleanliness, of social responsibility is internalised. How did it come about? Because of long years of having to look after one another, not knowing whether people would come back, not knowing what the future would bring. We are so fortunate that because of a decision taken years ago to acquire some pieces of pottery, Tang Treasures wreck in a dhow off Indonesia, we have re-established an ancient link between Singapore and Oman, between Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Not far from my constituency Aljunied, there is another neighborhood very close to my heart where the threads of history lead us back to the Middle East. Located by the sea, Kampong Glam was named after the gelam tree, whose bark was used by Bugis sailors to seal gaps in their boats. During colonial times, Kampong Glam was also the seat of the Malay Sultan in Singapore and the heart of the Muslim community. The area naturally attracted Arab traders who had come to Singapore, some of whom eventually set up shops and businesses there. The influence of these Arab traders remains visible today in the names of some of the streets in Kampong Glam. This includes Arab Street, Baghdad Street, Bussorah Street, and of course Muscat Street, which is currently being jointly redeveloped by Singapore and Oman.

Minister,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentleman,

It is an honour and pleasure for Singapore to have been a part of the Jewel of Muscat project. It is also my privilege, on behalf of the people of Singapore, to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude, to the Sultanate of Oman, for the generous gift of the Jewel of Muscat to Singapore. It is a treasure that symbolises both the friendship between our two countries, as well as the longstanding relationship between our two regions. I would also like to thank everybody who was involved in one way or another in the Jewel of Muscat project from conception to fruition, especially His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. A special thank you to Captain Salleh and the crew of the Jewel, who braved storms and choppy waters in a 21st century dhow to sail to Singapore from Oman, retracing the historic maritime silk route between Oman and Singapore. This epic journey has reignited the links between the Middle East and Asia, bring our people together and reminding our young of old traditions that would have otherwise been forgotten. In 2011, the Jewel of Muscat will be enshrined in its new home, the Maritime Xperiential Museum, in Singapore for the entire world to view. It will forever remain a symbol of friendship and shared history between our two countries.

And now, my dear friends, it is time to celebrate, enjoy and partake in the festivities. Because of all of you here, we have fulfilled a dream. Thank you. Shukran jazilan.