SINGAPORE – Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, will make a two-day state visit to Singapore from May 6 to May 7 at the invitation of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
This is the King’s first overseas state visit since he ascended to the throne on Jan 31. It is also one of the last major visits before Singapore’s leadership transition. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as the Republic’s fourth prime minister on May 15.
The visit reflects the excellent relations between Singapore and Malaysia and mutual commitment to expanding ties, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on May 5.
Sultan Ibrahim will be accompanied by his wife Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia; Malaysian Minister of Transport Anthony Loke; and senior officials.
On May 6, the King and his wife will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Istana, and call on Mr Tharman, who will host them to a state banquet. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and DPM Wong, who is also finance minister, will separately call on and host meals for the royal couple.
Sultan Ibrahim will also be hosted on a tour of Parliament by Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng, and observe parliamentary proceedings.
He will also visit the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), accompanied by Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat.
The sultan will inspect the progress of the upcoming Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project between Woodlands North and Johor Bahru during the visit, said Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry on May 5.
Some 40,000 people are expected to use the RTS Link daily when operations commence in December 2026.
The Customs, immigration and quarantine facilities of both countries are being co-located within the same building at Woodlands North, which is the northern terminus of the TEL. This will also be the case at Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru so passengers need to clear immigration only once, at the point of departure.
Sultan Ibrahim’s last official visit to Singapore was in July 2022 in his capacity as Sultan of Johor, when he was conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws by the National University of Singapore and had an orchid named in honour of him and his wife.
This state visit is the latest in a series of high-level exchanges between Singapore and its immediate neighbours.
It comes after the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in Bogor, Indonesia, on April 29; PM Lee’s visit to Johor in January to attend a commemorative ceremony for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System; and the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in the Republic in October 2023.
