KUALA LUMPUR, 18 JULY – The strong and vibrant partnership between Malaysia and Singapore, is a result of the inter-twined history shared by both neighbours.
Singapore defence adviser Dean Tan Wah Kheng said that although the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) only turned 58 this year, the historical ties with Malaysia was very much older.
“For this, we are very grateful. Before our countries became independent, our forefathers fought together for the defence of Malaya, which included Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
“After independence, we established the Five Power Defence Arrangement with Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“The FPDA is already 52 years old and still going strong, demonstrating the commitment of the partner nations in working towards security in our region.
“Partnerships must be accompanied by actions and the SAF and the Malaysian Armed Forces have done this well, through the years,” Tan said at the ‘SAF 58th Anniversary 2023’ reception at the Shangri-La Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ismail.
Present were guest-of-honour, Malaysian Army deputy chief Lieutenant-General Datuk Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan, Singapore high commissioner Vanu Gopalan Menon, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency acting director-general Vice-Admiral Datuk Saiful Lizan Ibrahim, Malaysian’s first local Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) chief Rear-Admiral (Rtd) Tan Sri K. Thanabalasingam and the Military Attache Corps members comprising foreign defence attaches and advisers.
Tan recalled how Malaysia and Singapore worked together in joint patrols in the Malacca Straits and held bilateral exercises, involving all the services – the army, navy, and air force.
“Our servicemen and women participate in each other’s courses at multiple levels.
“We are excited to bring our people and assets to key events, such as the recent International Maritime Defence Exhibition (IMDEX) in Singapore where the RMN’s guided-missile frigate KD Lekiu visited.
“At the amazing Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) 2023 show, the SAF deployed two helicopters and our navy’s Formidable-class multi-role stealth frigate RSS Steadfast.
“All these activities build upon each other layer by layer. These have only been possible with the support of the MAF and we thank you so much,” said Tan.
Tan added that beyond such activities, true partnerships needed personal engagements and efforts.
“Our leaders, certainly, have led the way.
“Key leaders from Singapore and Malaysia – from Defence Minister and below – have made the effort to build strong relationships by travelling to visit each other, whenever possible,” said Tan.
He expressed his sincere appreciation to Malaysian Chief of Defence Force General Tan Sri Affendi Buang and the service chiefs (from the army, navy and air force) for their continued support and personal emphasis on cooperation and strengthening their relationship.
Tan revealed that the Malaysian and Singaporean Armies had just resumed a top-level interaction activity, which was much appreciated and spoke volumes of the desire to strengthen their bonds.
