BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei - It took Mr Balakrishnan Chandramohan about an hour to drive 90km to an evening reception, but the Brunei-based Singaporean was eager to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
The technical manager and trainer for an oil and gas inspection company, who has been working in Brunei for almost 10 years, said he has followed Mr Tharman’s political career from the time he was finance minister.
With Mr Tharman on his first overseas state visit, Mr Balakrishnan had a chance to meet and take a picture with the “high-profile President” at the reception for overseas Singaporeans in Brunei.
The 51-year-old, who drove from Kuala Belait, a town in western Brunei, said: “He has done a lot for Singapore, and I’m proud that he has come here to Brunei. It’s a rare opportunity to meet him.”
Mr Tharman is on a three-day state visit to Brunei from Jan 24 to 26 at the invitation of the country’s monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Speaking to about 400 guests at the Royal Berkshire Hall in the Royal Brunei Polo and Riding Club, President Tharman said overseas Singaporeans play an important role in building the nation’s image abroad.
He added that their experience enriches Singapore because they gain a diversity of perspectives, which they will bring back with them when they return to the country.
Mr Tharman thanked the Singapore High Commission in Brunei for organising the get-together amid a busy period of high-level visits to Brunei from Singapore.
In December 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong led a delegation of Singapore political office-holders to Brunei for a four-day visit for the 9th Young Leaders’ Programme.
Earlier in January 2024, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean and Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan also visited to attend the wedding celebration of Prince Abdul Mateen and Pengiran Anak Isteri Anisha Rosnah.
The President noted the significance of the state visit, and said he was happy to accept the Sultan’s invitation as it reflects the special relationship between both countries.
After his remarks, Mr Tharman and his wife, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, mingled with the invited guests.
Mr Tharman’s state visit kicks off a year of celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Singapore’s diplomatic relations with Brunei.
When he arrived in the afternoon, Mr Tharman was received at Brunei International Airport by a delegation that included Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Amin Liew.
The Singapore delegation included National Development Minister Desmond Lee, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education Maliki Osman, Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang, and MPs Mariam Jaafar and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.
The flags of both Singapore and Brunei graced the lamp posts along roads from the airport, adding a touch of warmth to Mr Tharman’s visit.
On Jan 25, Mr Tharman will receive a ceremonial welcome at Istana Nurul Iman – Sultan Bolkiah’s official residence. In the evening, he will be hosted to a state banquet by the Sultan and his wife, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha.
