Vivian Balakrishnan & Chan Chun Sing attend Hari Raya Open House hosted by Johor Regent

Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Education Minister Chan Chun Sing attended the Hari Raya Open House hosted by His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail, Regent of Johor on Mar. 31.

Traditional visit

Vivian shared a video of the trip, noting that it was a tradition for Singaporean ministers to attend the Sultan of Johor’s Hari Raya Open House.

In recent years, the open house has been hosted by the Tunku Mahkota Johor, the Crown Prince of Johor, as the Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar is currently serving as Yang di Pertuan Agong, the head of state of Malaysia.

The two ministers conveyed their Hari Raya greetings to Tunku Ismail and the Johor royal family.

They looked forward to the implementation of initiatives such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link, which would “further strengthen the multifaceted and robust cross-border relationship.

Chan posted on social media saying that Singapore and Johor “share a unique friendship that has withstood the test of time”.

The two were bound not just by economic ties but shared history and people-to-people relationships, as well as collaborating closely on education.

Also, cake

The pair were hosted to lunch, which included a special JS-SEZ cake, showing Singapore and the various parts of Johor that would be covered by the zone.

In 2024, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat attended the open house.

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Top image via Ministry of Foreign Affairs