Minister: I've come to record our deep condolences to the family, the people and the government of Indonesia on the passing away of Bapak Soeharto. He made a huge contribution to bilateral relations and to regional resilience, especially the integration of ASEAN. He was a great man, whose passing away we mourn.
Q: What is your fondest memory of him?
Minister: I've called on him many times as Minister. He has always been gracious, polite, and pointed in his remarks, never putting anything across in a blunt way; always in a nice way, but in a clear way. And he was a remarkable man; a man of great subtlety and decisiveness.
Q: In terms of the integration of ASEAN, what can we remember him most for?
Minister: Without his leadership, I don't think ASEAN would have made the progress it made. That is because at critical moments, he showed the way and Indonesia exercised restraint as the biggest country in the region that ASEAN was able to make good progress. Had he tried to dominate Southeast Asia, ASEAN would never have taken off. And I remember how, at critical moments, for example, at the Manila Summit (1987), when the situation in the Philippines was uncertain, he was the one who decided that he would go. And once he made that decision, all the other leaders of ASEAN decided they should also go. And again in 1989 when APEC was proposed, Indonesia was undecided at first, but he thought it over and decided to back it. And once it did, it was much easier for the rest of us to go along.
Q: In terms of bilateral relations, do you think he has done a lot for Singapore and Indonesia?
Minister: Oh indeed. Between the end of Konfrontasi to the time when he left office, our bilateral relations grew from strength to strength and our areas of cooperation expanded steadily.
Thank you very much.
. . . . . .
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
28 JANUARY 2008