Singapore, Indonesia leaders 'must keep trust-building going' for next chapter: Panel

Panellists at launch of book on bilateral ties note landmark deals took decades of work

- Hariz Baharudin

Recent landmark Indonesia-Singapore agreements did not materialise overnight but were the payoff from decades of groundwork and trust-building, panellists said at the launch of a book on the "next chapter" of bilateral ties.

Both sides must keep this hard won momentum alive by continuing to invest in trust, personal networks and close engagement as a new generation of leaders takes over, they said at the Dec 17 launch in Jakarta of The Next Chapter: Envisioning The Future Of Indonesia-Singapore Relations.

In 2022, the two countries signed key agreements covering the management of the Flight Information Region, which governs the control and safety of civilian air traffic, the expansion of bilateral defence cooperation and an extradition treaty. The agreements were brought into force in 2024.

Speaking at the book launch, former Singapore ambassador to Indonesia Barry Desker said the signing of these landmark agreements "did not come out of nowhere", describing it instead as a "gradual process" built on trust and leader-level understanding that took almost three decades to resolve.

Professor Desker, who served as ambassador from 1986 to 1993, said personal ties were often decisive in helping both sides manage sensitive issues, recounting how informal connections mattered especially when official relations were strained in the early years.

He said ties began to improve after then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's visit to Jakarta in 1974, adding that the personal relationship between Mr Lee and Indonesia President Suharto played a key role in stabilising relations.