Sultan Ibrahim said Lee’s dedication and foresight had steered Malaysia and Singapore towards closer cooperation in building a better future.
The king also congratulated Lee’s successor, deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong, on his elevation as the new prime minister on May 15.
“I have every confidence that his esteemed leadership will further strengthen ties between our two nations,” he said at a state banquet held at The Istana here today.
The state banquet, hosted by president Tharman Shanmugaratnam, was held in conjunction with the two-day state visit by Sultan Ibrahim and the Permaisuri Agong, Raja Zarith Sofiah, to the republic.
In reflecting on the ties between the two countries, the king said Malaysia and Singapore have a special relationship, bonded by a common history and culture as well as close economic ties.
“One of the core elements of our ties together is that Johor and Singapore have enjoyed a splendid relationship over decades,” he said.
Sultan Ibrahim also paid tribute to Singapore’s founding father, the late Lee Kuan Yew, for being the chief architect of the republic, and shared stories of his close ties with the Lee family.
“He laid the strong foundation that was essential for the country. He guided many and loved to lecture, too.
“I, myself, was not spared. He lectured me on many topics and I learnt much from him,” he said.
Sultan Ibrahim said the first prime minister of Singapore, among others, shared the need to be consistent in policies as this would inspire confidence among long-term investors and was critical for economic growth.
Tharman said Singapore looked forward to continue working closely with Sultan Ibrahim, who had been a close and longstanding friend of the republic, to deepen the relationship between the two neighbouring nations.
Earlier, the king and Tharman unveiled the designs for the stamps jointly issued by Pos Malaysia and SingPost to kick off the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Causeway this year.
The two leaders also viewed a photo exhibition on the Causeway’s long and eventful history.
Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah arrived in Singapore today for a two-day state visit to the republic.
The state visit, the first since Sultan Ibrahim became king on Jan 31, is at the invitation of the Singapore president.