MFA Press Statement: State Visit of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, 21 to 23 April 2014

                   His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, is on the second day of his three-day State Visit to Singapore today. 

                   His Majesty delivered the 34^th Singapore Lecture, “The Future of ASEAN”.  His Majesty drew on his experiences as the longest-serving Head of Government in ASEAN, as well as his successful Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2013 to share his vision for the regional grouping.  (The Sultan’s full speech is appended below.)  His Majesty was then hosted to lunch by DPM Teo Chee Hean with some young Singapore leaders including Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing, Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin, and Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong.

                   In the afternoon, His Majesty was hosted to a visit of the Singapore Armed Forces facilities by Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen.  His Majesty viewed live-firing demonstrations and also experienced live-firing at the Multi-Mission Range Complex; visited the Headquarters 3rd Singapore Division, where he drove an upgraded Light Strike Vehicle Mark-II and a Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle; and met with Royal Brunei Armed Forces personnel attending courses in Singapore.  His Majesty’s visit underscored the strong and long-standing defence cooperation between the two countries.

                   In conjunction with the State Visit, Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Ravi Menon and Managing Director of Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD) Dato Paduka Mohd Rosli Sabtu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation in key areas of monetary cooperation.  The AMBD-MAS MOU builds on the existing Currency Interchangeability Agreement, and covers financial cooperation in areas such as capital market development, capacity building, and the exchange of best practices.  Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim and Bruneian Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office Pehin Yasmin Umar also signed an extension of the Singapore-Brunei Broadcasting MOU.  First signed in 1990, the MOU has led to many exciting joint media productions between both countries. 

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

22 APRIL 2014

THE 34TH SINGAPORE LECTURE

BY

HIS MAJESTY SULTAN HAJI HASSANAL BOLKIAH

MU’IZZADDIN WADDAULAH

SULTAN AND YANG DI-PERTUAN

OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM,

THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

22 April 2014

Good Morning,

Deputy Prime Minister, Teo Chee Hean,

Deputy Chairman of ISEAS, Wong Ah Long,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I much appreciate your kind words of introduction D.P.M. Teo Chee Hean and I also would like to acknowledge your active contribution in strengthening overall Brunei-Singapore relations.

It is a pleasure to be here and my thanks to the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) for their invitation to participate in the ‘Singapore Lecture’ series and to speak on ‘the Future of ASEAN’.

I am honoured to be here in the midst of such a distinguished audience, with many of the region’s leading thinkers.

From early in Southeast Asia’s history, institutions like this one have provided much-needed frank and considered opinions, that have driven ASEAN forward and challenged the way we do things.

ISEAS, especially, has been playing an important role from the start, since its establishment in 1968, a year after the Bangkok Declaration, which formed the regional grouping.

The world then was a very different place. In 1987 I attended my first ASEAN Meeting in the Philippines.

It was the third ‘ASEAN Heads of Government Meeting’, and the first one, since Brunei had joined the ‘original five’ in 1984.

Looking back, I was fortunate to be surrounded by many good friends, including former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore.

The Manila Summit was convened in spite of the delicate security situation in the Philippines. The Summit took place primarily as a show of solidarity for regional stability.

Much has changed since then.

Geopolitics have shifted, while the global economy has ‘boomed and bust’.

Most countries in our region have seen remarkable progress and lifted their citizens out of poverty.

And now, East Asia and the Asia-Pacific contribute to forty per-cent of global growth and one-third of the world’s trade.

Importantly, ASEAN has also changed, growing in membership and confidence and emerging as a community next year.

However, in the past, when we looked forward, things were unpredictable.

And likewise now, we continue to find ourselves in a similar situation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This Century has been called the “the Asian Century”.

While we can learn from history, the situation in Asia is unprecedented.

Essentially, Asia’s rise will bring changes to the current global strategic configuration. The pace of change in the region will speed-up.

China and India will be the major economic drivers with the US remaining engaged in the region and the E.U. prevailing in Europe.

With the shift of relative economic weight towards Asia, political power also follows correspondingly. New major and middle powers are emerging.

Together, changes in their relationship will influence the strategic landscape.

Such transformations are also accompanied by the increasing role of non-state actors, such as civil society organisations, multi - national corporations and international institutions.

The terrain of international relations is more diverse.

The future of Southeast Asia is tied to its neighbours in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific.

The challenge for ASEAN will be finding its strategic place in this new configuration.

This is something our association must earn, by playing a greater role in regional and world affairs, to ensure the security and prosperity of its people.

In the coming decades, we will continue to be confronted with different and possibly more intense challenges than we currently face.

We are seeing worrying trends of weakening confidence and trust.

We are concerned with the return of explicit major power rivalry.

Historical and political divide still continue to fuel nationalistic sentiments between countries.

Difficulties in meeting economic commitments and unresolved maritime disputes are risking the region’s potential.

We are increasingly confronted with a host of transnational crimes related to terrorism, drug and human trafficking and cyber security.

At the same time we are witnessing new threats such as extreme natural disasters and emerging communicable diseases.

They constitute present and imminent danger to our countries as the economic cost and consequences upon the livelihood of our people are enormous.

We also have to address increasing implications affecting those left behind by globalisation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The future of our wider regional architecture is very much work in progress.

We hope it is a region in which countries enjoy peace, prosperity and progress characterised by respect, understanding and cooperation.

Ideally, it should be an open and inclusive arrangement with countries in the Asia-Pacific rallying around ASEAN.

And it is imperative for our association to be pro-active in shaping the future.

Foremost member states must continue to strengthen ASEAN.

It is crucial that we address and resolve regional problems or issues through peaceful dialogues and initiatives.

We need to ensure ASEAN’s three community pillars are serving the region’s interests.

We must continue to be more responsive and strive to be a people-oriented organisation.

A successful community should not only be layers of structures and endless acronyms, nor as a vehicle for government officials to meet.

The community should reside in the hearts and minds of our people – our youth and women, farmers and fishermen and the many small and medium businesses forming an essential part of our economies.

It must guarantee the security of their livelihood, provide them clean air and water, improve their skills and offer bright prospects that open up opportunities for their future. They must be central in the agenda of the community pillars.

This is why it is important ASEAN enhances its internal coordination and cooperation to ensure our initiatives are carried out promptly for the benefit of our peoples.

I, therefore, welcome the recent statement of the Prime Minister of Malaysia to make a “People-Centred ASEAN” as the main focus of the country’s chairmanship next year.

And I urge the speedy realisation of ASEAN’s ‘soft’ connectivity projects, aimed at bringing about a sense of regional belonging amongst our peoples, such as through the new social media and cultural and educational exchanges amongst our youth.

In short, more can be done to nurture an ‘ASEAN mindset’ amongst our peoples to further promote regional harmony.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The success of the association in establishing robust relations with many important external partners through a number of frameworks, represents our way of reaching out to them in contributing to peace, stability and prosperity.

Our shared interests are expanding and our common concerns are converging.

Together with its partners, ASEAN should carry on in its work to strengthen confidence, trust and care for each other’s welfare.

In this regard, we need to emphasise the significance of promoting rules-based relations amongst countries in the region.

It is important to work harder to raise our G.D.P., build better infrastructure, expand markets for our goods, develop stronger integrated financial markets, enhance financial literacy and create more jobs for our youth.

As a region, Southeast Asia needs to be more competitive and innovative to play a greater role in the global economy.

We should make certain there is sustained economic growth in ASEAN to overcome future social problems, such as growing economic disparities and those caused by demographic changes.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To cope with increasing tasks and responsibilities, ASEAN requires the support of a strong and dynamic secretariat.

It is only reasonable that it is equipped with the necessary resources.

This is to ensure the Secretariat retains experts to effectively coordinate and carry out ASEAN’s agenda in various areas, including executing regional responses to emergencies.

This is especially critical during times of crises. Humanitarian exercises that have been held in the past must be put into action when required such as the aftermath of ‘Super Typhoon Haiyan’.

I also wish to take this opportunity to relate my own impression of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise held in Brunei last year.

It was a landmark exercise amongst our defence forces aimed at promoting capacity-building, enhancing inter-operability and coordinating effective responses.

I witnessed military personnel from regional powers such as China, the US, Japan and India working hand-in-hand.

Personally, seeing all eighteen countries coming together in bringing relief and assistance, conveyed a very strong message of how meaningful our work can be, especially in reacting to emergencies.

I believe that such exercises must be put into action in the interest of our peoples.

I applaud Singapore’s offer of the Changi Command and Control Centre as a regional humanitarian and disaster relief co-host centre. It will do much to enhance our cooperation in this area.

Thus it is also crucial that ASEAN and its partners work together to address the impending regional challenges through practical cooperation and ensure our people stand to benefit.

It is only by working together that we will be able to face any such challenges in future and promote stability.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As I mentioned earlier, a lot has changed since my first ASEAN meeting in Manila.

The Summits now take place twice a year. It has grown into more than just a showing of solidarity.

We are constantly responding to the threats, risks and challenges, each time they come around. We are also constantly preparing ourselves for our peoples’ future.

At the same time, whilst our practice of consultation has been ingrained in the ‘ASEAN way’, our overall environment continues to evolve, and the regional association must adapt to the new realities we face.

With globalisation and advances in I.C.T., close consultation will be even more important.

As done in the past, the ‘ASEAN way’ will continue to be our hallmark - consensus-building, mutual respect, close consultations and exercising sensitivity on delicate issues.

I foresee it would need to be more inclusive and responsive in the way we work, taking into account greater interest of our stakeholders and partners in ASEAN.

ASEAN will also need to ensure strategic trust and confidence is maintained through positive engagement, dialogue and practical cooperation.

Above all, as a community we must determine our own destiny. It is only possible if we continue to be united, cohesive and assert leadership in ‘ASEAN-led initiatives’.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Over the past forty years Southeast Asia has been consolidated as a region, ASEAN strengthened as an organisation and the value of peace, stability and development inculcated amongst our people.

As we look to the future, our horizon will further broaden. Hence the success of the association and its cooperation with its partners in East Asia and the Asia Pacific will be more critical than it is today.

It is my wish to see that as a community of Southeast Asian nations, our region progresses on the basis of stronger neighbourly relations, close friendship, pragmatic cooperation and interdependence so that peace and prosperity is shared by all.

Thank you.