The visit is only a beginning and there is still a lot more that we can sit down and talk over in future.

During the recent 4-day visit by Singapore deputy prime minister and finance minister Lawrence Wong to Malaysia, he had an audience with His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong and also met prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, defense minister Hishammuddin Hussein, finance minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Bank Negara governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, as well as other dignitaries in politics and business.

Lawrence Wong’s visit to several key ministries is significant in that both Malaysia and Singapore will get to share their views on bilateral trade, regional security as well as other major international issues given the fact relationship between our two countries has always been close-knit, especially in bilateral trade, travel, food and commodity supply and manpower.

Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Singapore topped RM267.1 billion last year, up 23.8% from a year ago, making the city-state our second largest trading partner after China. Meanwhile, Malaysia is Singapore’s fourth largest trading partner.

Where employment market is concerned, it has been estimated that over 900,000 Malaysians are currently working in the Lion City, about a third of them commuting across the Causeway for work on a daily basis.

In view of this, alleviating cross-border traffic congestion has become a top priority for governments on both sides, thus giving rise to the JB-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) which should effectively relieve the traffic and improve the quality of life of daily commuters when the project becomes operational in January 2027.

Prior to the pandemic in 2019, of the 26.1 million visitors to Malaysia, Singaporeans made up almost 45% of the total at 12 million trips. But during the pandemic, the country saw a drastic 83% fall in tourism revenue, severely hurting the commercial and tourism sectors in Johor Bahru.

Lawrence Wong’s first visit to Malaysia since his appointment as DPM has been a fruitful one, as both countries exchanged views on a broad array of issues even though immediate effects may not yet be visible. Anyway, with candid communication and consensus, many ideas can be put into implementation as we strive to settle our differences amicably at negotiation table.

Both Lawrence Wong’s father and grandfather used to live in Ipoh, although his father later relocated to Singapore to take up the position as Sime Darby’s sales manager.

His father’s strong passion for community service had deeply influenced the young Wong, prompting him to make the decision to devote himself to public service and politics.

49-year-old Lawrence Wong is a shining star in Singapore politics. April 8 last year, deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat announced his decision to step aside as the republic’s PM heir apparent citing his age (although he was only 61 then).

June 13 this year, Lawrence Wong was appointed Singapore’s deputy prime minister alongside Heng, which means this fourth generation leader of Singapore will assume a pivotal role in consolidating his administrative team over the next two decades to take Singapore to new heights in economic development.

As such, it is essential for the Malaysian government to work closely with Wong in the years to come in creating a win-win situation for both countries.

There are several issues which we think can be discussed when leaders of the two countries meet:

Both Malaysia and Singapore must assume a neutral role and not to side any party in the tense relationship between the two major powers of the United States and China.

Due to overlapping claims among regional countries in the South China Sea dispute, Singapore cannot afford to stay out of business given the strategic importance of the waterway, even though it has no direct interest in it. As such, both Malaysia and Singapore must strike a consensus in their views on regional peace

The Malaysian premium visa program (PVIP) announced by the home ministry lately will be offering 20-year residential visas to well-to-do foreigners. We would like to propose to the governments of both Malaysia and Singapore to deliberate on the feasibility of getting senior citizens from the island republic to retire in Malaysia because of the favorable exchange rate here. Singaporeans should be encouraged to purchase million-ringgit condominiums which are very affordably priced to them, and enjoy the premium visa facility as well as other perks.

As Singapore has always been a major importer of our poultry and farm produce, when food (such as chicken, eggs and cooking oil) runs into short supply, the government should fix an “export price” for Singapore consumers instead of halting the supply altogether. We would also like to propose a food supply early warning system to be jointly developed by both countries to prevent sudden disruption of food supply in future.

Last but not least, the KL-Singapore high speed rail project should be reviewed for its economic viability. The reinstatement of this mega public infrastructure project is set to stimulate the overall economic development and should therefore be given due consideration by the government as part of the economic stimulus program.

It is hoped that Lawrence Wong’s visit will help draw up a win-win strategy for the future development of both countries. The visit is only a beginning and there is still a lot more that we can sit down and talk over in future.