Both leaders, he said, understood that this was a 'last chance' for them to get bilateral ties on a better footing.

Malaysian PM Najib Razak was in Singapore on Thursday for a two-day official visit to meet Singapore leaders.

On Sunday, Mr Goh related his meeting with Datuk Seri Najib on Friday: 'He was very positive about wanting to foster better relations.'

He added: 'He and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong belong to the same generation, it is much easier for them to forge a rapport.

'But more importantly he understood, and so does PM Lee, that this in a way is a last chance for us to get our relations together.

'If both of them could not put bilateral relations on a positive footing and the legacy issues continue into the future, then I think it will be very difficult for the next generation of prime ministers to begin to restore relations.'

During Mr Najib's visit, he and Mr Lee agreed to turn a page on bilateral ties and move relations forward in a productive manner.

Both agreed that 'legacy' problems both sides inherited had to be set aside - or steps need to be taken to resolve them.

They pledged to look at how to implement a stalled 18-year-old Points Of Agreement on the development and status of railway land in Singapore, the interpretation of which Malaysia disputes.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.