Speech by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the State Banquet in Honour of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Republic of Indonesia

Your Excellency Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

President of the Republic of Indonesia

and Her Excellency Ibu Ani Yudhoyono

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

My wife and I are delighted to welcome Your Excellency and Ibu Ani to Singapore again. It is a pleasure for us to host Your Excellency’s second State Visit to Singapore, and to reciprocate the warmth and hospitality that Your Excellency, Ibu Ani and the people of Indonesia showed us during our State Visit to Indonesia in November 2012.   

First of all, let me congratulate Your Excellency on receiving the Order of Temasek (First Class) earlier this evening. The award is Singapore’s highest for our foreign friends. Your Excellency joins a distinguished group of world leaders who have been honoured in this way by Singapore. We are privileged, as a nation, to be able to recognise and celebrate Your Excellency’s efforts in deepening the bilateral relations between Singapore and Indonesia.

In my regular visits to Indonesia over the years, I have seen for myself the changes Your Excellency has made through two terms in office. Indonesia faced many pressing challenges when Your Excellency first assumed the Presidency in 2004. Indonesia had just recovered from the Asian Financial Crisis and was going through the process of decentralisation - a major political transition which tested the nation’s unity. A decade since, Indonesia is today a shining example of a democratic nation where ethnic and religious diversity, economic development and traditions co-exist.  This is a tribute to your vision and leadership. By setting the stage for a stable transition between yourself and the next President, Your Excellency will be leaving an enduring legacy.

Your Excellency has brought growth to Indonesia which has benefitted Indonesians from all strata of society and across the Nusantara. Today, Indonesian cities and regencies from Sabang to Merauke are experiencing economic investment and development at levels not seen before in the past.  Under your exemplary leadership, Indonesia stands proud amongst the wider global community of nations as an active contributor to international issues that concern all of us. Indonesia also plays a key role in ASEAN and has helped ensure that ASEAN retains its centrality in the evolving regional architecture.

Your Excellency,

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the efforts Your Excellency has taken to deepen and broaden the partnership between Singapore and Indonesia. Under Your Excellency’s leadership, our ties and cooperation have grown to include new areas and sectors.

Singapore’s leaders share a warm friendship with Your Excellency. Through our close interactions, we have made much progress in key areas of interest to both sides. We have launched a new phase of our economic partnership through the establishment of dedicated working groups and enhanced our cooperation in the islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun. We have concluded MoUs in areas such as diplomatic training, education and capacity building for public officials. All of these have been possible only with Your Excellency’s strong support for our relationship.

I am pleased to note that people-to-people ties between our countries are growing.  We are the top source of tourists for each other. Singaporeans and Indonesians have joined hands in providing assistance for the less fortunate amongst us and built a spirit of camaraderie and friendship between neighbours. Today, organisations such as the Singapore International Foundation and Mercy Relief work closely with Indonesian groups in various projects across Indonesia.

Your Excellency,

I would like to convey my special thanks for the support and friendship you have shown Singapore and me personally over more than a decade. We have known each other even before we were in our present posts. When I took up the post of President, I was happy to have the opportunity to renew our ties. I have always valued the fresh insights and unique perspectives that you share with me in our discussions. 

Before I end, I would like to add that I have always been impressed by the fact that Your Excellency’s talents extend far beyond merely governance. As a tribute to you, I have asked for some of Your Excellency’s musical compositions to be played this evening. 

Your Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

           It is now my pleasure to invite you to rise and join in a toast:

·         To the good health and happiness of  President Yudhoyono and Ibu Ani;

·         To President Yudhoyono’s legacy of peace, progress and prosperity in Indonesia; and

·         To the enduring and ever deepening friendship between Indonesia and Singapore.

Thank you.