Singapore is looking forward to “more win-win projects” with Malaysia, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in a Facebook post on the 100th anniversary of the Johor-Singapore Causeway on Friday (Jun 28).
Both countries are currently working on projects in areas such as health, education, culture and trade, as well as emerging areas like the digital economy and renewable energy, he added.
“For the past 100 years, this has served as a link between our two peoples,” PM Wong wrote. “I look forward to strengthening the links and our relationship for the next 100 years.”
Officially opened on Jun 28, 1924, the Causeway is now one of the busiest border crossings in the world, with an estimated 300,000 people using this connection daily.
In 1976, it was widened from three lanes to six.
To celebrate the Causeway turning 100 years old, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan attended a celebration ceremony held at the midpoint of the Causeway on the morning of Jun 28.
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He was joined by Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the Regent of Johor Tunku Ismail.
During the ceremony, the ministers exchanged gifts before releasing 100 pigeons from a covered cage into the wild.
Sivamani Manikam, an assistant officer from the Johor Deputy State Secretary Office, told The Straits Times that the ceremony took about two weeks to plan. “The pigeons are a peace motif, to symbolise the two countries being at peace,” said the 46-year-old.
Following this, members from aeromodelling group Aerofly Johor RC club flew nine types of aircraft that they built from scratch – including one designed to look like a bird – above the ministers and along the Causeway.
Mohamed Noh, a member of the group which was invited to participate in the event, said its members had been practising almost every weekend for months as the Causeway’s centennial is a “grand event”.
He added that it was the first time members of his club could fly their model aircraft in such a high-security area such as the Causeway.
Meanwhile, about 20 volunteers from Malaysian youth volunteer organisation Southern Volunteers handed out 1,000 commemorative car decals to outgoing traffic from Singapore.
In a Facebook post on Jun 28, Balakrishnan said the Causeway is an icon of the unique ties of kinship, friendship and interwoven history of Singapore and Johor.
Adding that it has been an “indelible memory” for many generations of Singaporeans and Malaysians, he congratulated Onn Hafiz on his efforts at improving the user experience for people using the Causeway.
“Singapore and Malaysia are committed to making significant improvements in future as our relationship continues to deepen and flourish.
“Looking forward to the completion of the Rapid Transit System and the development of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone,” said Balakrishnan. THE STRAITS TIMES
