Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar witnessing the proceedings at the Speakers' Gallery on May 7. - PHOTO: MCI
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar became the first king of Malaysia to visit Parliament House when a sitting was in session, on May 7.
When the King entered the Speakers’ Gallery with his entourage at 12.10pm, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng announced their presence and welcomed the visitors to the Chamber.
Seah said that the King, who was on a two-day state visit to Singapore, is no stranger to the Republic and has always been an ardent supporter of bringing Singaporeans and Malaysians together.
The King’s visit was timely as bilateral relations are strong and robust, and exchanges at the political and officials level are regular, the Speaker added.
Prior to being sworn in as Malaysia’s 17th king on Jan 31, Sultan Ibrahim had been the ruler of Johor since 2010. Mr Seah noted that under his reign, Singapore’s partnership with Johor had strengthened despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johor and Singapore worked closely to keep supply lines across the land borders open even as the Causeway was closed to travellers, and in recognition of the Sultan’s achievements, the National University of Singapore conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Laws during his official visit to Singapore in 2022, said the Speaker.
Seah’s gesture was unusual, as the Speaker usually only goes as far as to acknowledge the presence of visiting foreign dignitaries in a sentence or two. Sultan Ibrahim was accompanied by Malaysian Minister of Transport Anthony Loke, Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Azfar Mohamad Mustafar and other senior officials.
The Speaker also recounted to the House the frequent exchanges between lawmakers from both sides. In May 2023, Parliament hosted members of the Johor Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee, while in October Mr Seah hosted his counterpart, Datuk Johari Abdul, who was then Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia’s Parliament.
The King’s visit came as the two neighbours have many exciting projects in the pipeline, noted Mr Seah.
The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is expected to boost people-to-people ties when it begins service by end-2026, while the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone looks set to make it easier for Singapore businesses to set up shop in Johor.
Singapore is also looking to expand its cooperation with Malaysia to new areas like energy, said Mr Seah.
The Republic will celebrate the centennial of the Causeway in June, and commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations with Malaysia in 2025, he added.
“I am confident that His Majesty’s visit is a precursor to even stronger ties between Singapore and Malaysia,” said Mr Seah, as MPs thumped their armrests in approval.
The King is scheduled to visit the Thomson-East Coast Line and be briefed on the progress of the RTS Link at Woodlands North terminus before he concludes his state visit on May 7. - The Straits Times/ANN
