Lee, Widodo meeting seen helping region

Experts: ASEAN will gain as Jakarta, Singapore strengthen cooperation

“The more robust Indonesia-Singapore relations is, the stronger and more cohesive ASEAN will be as a regional organization.” MUSTAFA IZZUDDIN Senior social and international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore

Stronger ties between Indonesia and Singapore, following the conclusion of a slew of agreements, will not only benefit the two countries but the Southeast Asian region as well, experts said.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong concluded the annual Leaders Retreat held in the city state by welcoming the ratification of three agreements — Agreement on the Realignment of the Boundary between the Jakarta Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Singapore FIR, Treaty for the Extradition of Fugitives, and a Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Lee and Widodo also witnessed the exchange of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) in digital economy, human capital development, renewable energy and security.

The March 16 meeting was held at a time when Indonesia is the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and this bodes well for a “stronger and more cohesive ASEAN”, experts said.

The stronger cooperation between the two countries can serve as “a good example for other ASEAN members (on) how to utilize the regional momentum of economic growth to recover from the pandemic crisis,” said Aleksius Jemadu, lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Indonesia’s Pelita Harapan University.

“The more robust Indonesia-Singapore relations is, the stronger and more cohesive ASEAN will be as a regional organization,” said Mustafa Izzuddin, senior social and international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore.

He said the support from Singapore will be “pivotal” for Indonesia as it performs its “pacesetting role” as ASEAN chair that can provide “imaginative and consultative leadership to deal with regional challenges”.

One of these is the crisis in Myanmar. The country has been under a military regime since February 2021. Lee said that Singapore would work with Indonesia, other ASEAN members and partners such as the United Nations for implementation of the five-point consensus on Myanmar.

The plan includes a call for an immediate cessation of violence and inclusive political dialogue involving all parties.

Yasmi Adriansyah, founder of the Center for Policy, Business, and International Studies at the University of Al Azhar Indonesia, said the Myanmar crisis threatens ASEAN’s solidarity. “As ASEAN chairman, Indonesia’s success strongly depends on the success in ending the Myanmar crisis,” he said.

The first Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat was held in 2017, the year when both countries celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Lee and Widodo had then agreed that it was important to continue leveraging the trust and partnership that both countries had developed over the past 50 years. The retreat had been held every year since then, except in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented face-to-face meetings.

Dedi Dinarto, lead Indonesia analyst at public policy advisory firm Global Counsel, said that one of the most salient points in this year’s Leaders’ Retreat is the confidence expressed by both Indonesia and Singapore that “the longstanding issues around the airspace, defense cooperation, and extradition treaty will no longer strain the bilateral relationship”.

Singapore and Indonesia have sought approval from the International Civil Aviation Organization to implement their flight information region agreement. Under the pact, Indonesia will delegate to Singapore the provision of air navigation services in portions of the airspace within the realigned Jakarta FIR.

Experts said the Leaders’ Retreat has also helped Widodo promote one of the major legacies of his presidency: the relocation of the nation’s capital from Jakarta in Java island to the East Kalimantan province. Indonesia’s new Nusantara capital city is set to be inaugurated in August 2024.

Lee has pledged Singapore’s support for the planning and development of Nusantara, which led to the signing of a cooperation agreement.