KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a Facebook post said he called to congratulate Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on the People’s Action Party’s (PAP) victory in the 2020 general election (GE2020) held last Friday.
Muhyiddin is confident that existing bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore will continue to grow under Lee’s premiership.
“As the closest neighbour and partner in Asean, the ongoing cooperation between both countries will definitely benefit Malaysians and Singaporeans in terms of economic growth, peace and prosperity,” he said.
Commenting on certain unresolved bilateral issues, Muhyiddin informed that both parties have agreed to remain positive in finding solutions based on common interests.
According to Muhyiddin, he and his counterpart have agreed to resolve every problem and issue amicably and this would be the basis and guide in conducting current and future negotiations.
“This is to preserve our close and important relationship which had been established for so long,” he said.
On the Rapid Transit System (RTS), Muhyiddin said the Johor Bahru-Singapore part of the project is currently being discussed by officials of both countries and bilateral agreements are expected to be finalised soon.
Apart from that, Muhyiddin also expressed his appreciation to Singapore for agreeing to extend suspension of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project from June 1 to Dec 31, 2020 without any cost and penalty to Malaysia.
He described this as very significant as it reflects the good relations enjoyed between the two countries.
In the telephone conversation, Muhyiddin also talked about previous discussions between officials of the two countries regarding the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA).
“I expressed Malaysia’s hope to see the two initiatives which we understand are in the final stages of talks, to be decided and implemented soon,” said Muhyiddin.
At the end of the conversation, he said both parties expressed their commitment to meet soon after the Covid-19 situation in both countries has eased, to enable them to discuss further various issues. — Bernama
