Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan at the Upgrading of Medan Mission and at the Singapore National Day Reception in Medan, 29 August 2017

REMARKS BY 

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN AT THE

UPGRADING OF MEDAN MISSION

29 AUGUST 2017

Excellencies

Distinguished guests

My fellow Singaporeans

Ladies and gentlemen

     First, thank you all for being here this afternoon.  This isn’t my first trip to Medan.  Actually, my first time here was in less auspicious circumstances in January 2005 – this was in the aftermath of the tsunami, when we were en route to Meulaboh for the disaster relief efforts.  But this time round is a much happier occasion.  We are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Indonesia and Singapore.  Those of you, especially those of you involved in foreign affairs, will know that this has been a long and close relationship, one based on trust and in which we are both fully invested.  We have used the tagline “RISING50” this year – 50 years, “RISING” because it’s a play on “R-I” for the Republic of Indonesia and “S-I-N-G” for Singapore.  It reflects our hope that bilateral relations will continue to rise and flourish.

     Singapore’s relations with North Sumatra have also been growing steadily.  In fact, Singapore is North Sumatra’s top foreign investor.  Our companies are exploring opportunities in a wide range of sectors including energy, ports, consumer goods, and infrastructure. And we all know that Medan is the epicentre of trade, business, finance, transport, and logistics in Sumatra.  Several of my colleagues have made regular visits here. Most recently, Singapore Minister for Industry S Iswaran was here in April with a business delegation.  Then-Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli visited in 2015 for our SG50 celebrations, and Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Dr Maliki Osman visited last year.

     I am pleased today to announce that we are upgrading our Consulate here.  It will now be a Consulate-General.  And I am also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Mark Low as Singapore’s Consul-General.  On a more serious note, this reflects our increasing political and business interactions, and our close people-to-people ties with Medan and North Sumatra.  With the support of the provincial and city governments, and our friends in the business, media, and diplomatic sectors, we are confident that this upgrade will open more doors and create more opportunities for our investors and our peoples.

     I look forward to seeing all of you later at the National Day Reception later this evening.  Thank you all once again.

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REMARKS BY

MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN

AT SINGAPORE NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION IN MEDAN

29 AUGUST 2017

Bapak Haji Nouval Mahyar, Representative of the North Sumatra Provincial Government

Bapak Malik Mahmud, Wali Nanggroe of Aceh

Bapak Giri Kiemas, Speaker of DPRD, South Sumatra

Mayors

Distinguished guests

Fellow Singaporeans

     Good evening.  It’s a pleasure for me to be here to meet both fellow Singaporeans who are abroad as well as our Indonesian friends.  I know many of you have travelled quite far and made long journeys to come here, including Bapak Malik Mahmud, who just described how he took 16 hours of travel overland from Aceh to come here.  We are honoured by the effort you have taken.  Today, I wish all Singaporeans and friends a belated happy National Day, and I also congratulate the Republic of Indonesia on your 72^nd Independence Day on 17 August 2017.

     This is a special year for the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of Singapore because we celebrate 50 years of our diplomatic relations.  We’ve coined the acronym “RISING50” – “RI” for Indonesia, “SING” for Singapore, and “50” for the 50^th anniversary.  This is my first visit to Medan as Foreign Minister although I have been here before.  It’s also special as, earlier this afternoon, I officiated at the upgrading of our Consulate in Medan to a Consulate-General.  This symbolises Singapore’s commitment to deepen our engagement with North Sumatra and also our partners in the other provinces including Aceh, Jambi, South Sumatra and West Sumatra.

     We know there have been many historical links between Singapore and Sumatra.  Before coming in, I was just discussing with my esteemed friends at the table, and they gave me a detailed history of how the different waves – of civilisation, of culture, of religion – have swept across our region.  In fact, during the Srijvijaya empire, which I was told extended from Madagascar all the way to Sulu in the Philippines, Sumatra – where the centre of it was – and of course Singapore, were both on the lifeline of nodal maritime seaports in the heart of the Malay Archipelago.

     So it should not surprise us that even today, we continue to have close trade and kinship links.  Many families in Singapore trace their roots to cities like Jambi and Medan.  For instance, there were several prominent Singaporeans who have Minangkabau descent.  These include our first President Yusof Ishak, and also the composer of our Singapore national anthem which you have just heard, Mr Zubir Said.

     In terms of bilateral relations, our shared history has translated into close cooperation in trade, investment, and tourism.  In recent months, there have also been frequent exchanges of visits to discuss a range of possible collaborative projects.  For instance, Mayor of Medan Dzulmi Eldin visited Singapore in January 2017, and I believe he had very good discussions on urban planning and environmental management.  Singapore Minister for Industry S Iswaran visited Medan with a business delegation in April this year to explore even more business and commercial opportunities.

     Singapore is North Sumatra’s top foreign investor, with a cumulative investment of nearly US$1.6 billion.  Singapore and Indonesia are also each other’s top source of tourists.  In fact, visitors from Singapore to North Sumatra rose by nearly 15% last year.  I think this gives us confidence that we can collaborate more. And the Indonesian government is making good progress to develop and market your beautiful and wonderful tourist attractions, including the Lake Toba.

     At the people-to-people level, we have built up good ties with the community here. Our fellow Singaporean, Mrs Roselinah Binte Abu – I think she’s somewhere here in the audience tonight – has been Chairwoman of the Children’s Handicap Association in Medan for the past seven years. You make us all proud. And following the earthquake in Aceh in December last year, Singaporean entrepreneur Mohamad Tahar Jumaat, who founded Indonesian-based NGO called Nature for Change, worked with his Indonesian team to transport bags of rice to the victims in Pidie Jaya.  The Singapore Red Cross also sent relief items to support local disaster response efforts.

     I hope everyone here tonight will continue to foster these close ties of friendship that bind us, remember our history and our kinship, and to look forward to the future. There is so much more that we can achieve together for the sake of the peace and prosperity of all our citizens.

     So please enjoy your time with us tonight and enjoy the wonderful performances.  I thank the team from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) for making this effort to keep us enriched not just with food but also through the mind and spirit.  Thank you all very much and have a wonderful evening.

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