PM Lee & Mahathir meet for first leaders' retreat since Pakatan Harapan took power

Both leaders have much to discuss.

Kayla Wong | April 09, 2019, 12:43 PM

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Tuesday, April 9, at Putrajaya, Malaysia, for the 9th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat.

"Much to discuss"

Lee arrived at Malaysia a day before, and said in a Facebook post that both leaders have "much to discuss".

He also looked forward to a fruitful meeting with Mahathir.

At 10am on Tuesday, he arrived at Perdana Putra, the building that houses Malaysia's prime minister office.

Following the meeting with Mahathir, a delegation meeting will take place with Malaysia's foreign minister.

According to the Prime Minister's Office of Singapore, Mahathir and his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, will then host lunch for Lee, his wife Ho Ching, and the Singapore delegation.

PM Lee is accompanied by senior officials such as Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, and Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing.

First retreat since new Malaysian government took office

The retreat is the first since the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition came into power in May 2018.

It was supposed to take place in November 2018, but was postponed.

The retreat is an important event in the government calendar.

It gives the leaders one-on-one time with each other to discuss a range of topics.

Previously, Mahathir said he would discuss all "unresolved" matters with Singapore in a "friendly manner" at the retreat, according to Malaysiakini.

The retreat comes a day after both Malaysia and Singapore reverted to their port limits before Oct. 25 2018 and Dec. 6 2018 respectively.

Before the retreat, both countries also agreed on a resolution for the Instrument Landing System (ILS) dispute.

They are to work together to develop a GPS-based instrument approach procedures for Seletar Airport.

Top image via Lee Hsien Loong's Facebook page