Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have congratulated Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on officially becoming Indonesia’s President-Elect.

On Mar. 20, Indonesia's Election Commission (KPU) released the official results of the February 2024 election.

The KPU’s results showed that Prabowo officially received 58.6 per cent of the final vote, in line with quick count results that were released on Feb. 14, the day of the election.

Robust relationship

Tharman sent heartfelt congratulations to Prabowo on behalf of the people of Singapore, on his election as the 8th president of the Republic of Indonesia.

He commended Prabowo's strong mandate, saying that it demonstrated the confidence and trust that the Indonesian people had in him and his ability to lead,

Tharman spoke about Singapore’s and Indonesia's robust relationship, underpinned by “abiding ties of kinship and friendship”.

He added that he expected that this would continue under Prabowo’s leadership, and Singapore and Indonesia would continue to work together to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

Prabowo and Tharman previously met in November 2023 when Tharman conferred on him the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) [Distinguished Service Order (Military)], Singapore’s highest military award in recognition of Prabowo’s significant contributions towards strengthening the two countries' long standing defence relations.

Appreciated insights

PM Lee similarly congratulated Prabowo on his victory, as well as his strong mandate from all Indonesians, following on from his initial letter of congratulations after the Feb. 14 quick count results were unveiled.

PM Lee commended Prabowo's significant contributions in enhancing close ties and cooperation between the two countries.

He said that Singapore’s leaders greatly valued Prabowo's goodwill and friendship, which had been built up over several decades of working together and cooperation on many matters.

PM Lee also said that he had always appreciated Prabowo for his insights on regional and global development over the years.

He expressed confidence that this relationship would be a strong foundation for the growth of future bilateral relations.

PM Lee suggested that Indonesia and Singapore could pool “our complimentary strengths” to develop areas such as green and digital economies, sustainability, car healthcare, and human capital development.

Regionally, there is also much that Singapore in Indonesia can achieve by working together to advance Asean’s interests.

Both men also said they looked forward to meeting Prabowo again soon.

International congratulations

With Indonesia's election results being confirmed after a month-long counting process, many regional and international leaders have been congratulating the former general.

Malaysia’s prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was reported by Bernama to be the first leader to congratulate Prabowo.

Also sending the congratulations was Chinese president Xi Jinping, United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, as well as White House national security advisor James Sullivan.

Congratulations to President-elect @Prabowo Subianto on his victory in Indonesia’s Presidential Election. We look forward to partnering closely with the President-elect and his Administration when they take office in October.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 20, 2024

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida also congratulated Prabowo, saying he intended to work together with Indonesia’s incoming leader on bilateral corporation in a wide range of areas.

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Top image via Tharman Shanmugaratnam/Facebook & Lee Hsien Loong/Facebook