(From left) Lee greets Dr Mahathir at Perdana Leadership Foundation in Putrajaya, as Dr Siti Hasmah and others look on. —Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA: Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met with Malaysia’s new prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for bilateral talks here yesterday, their first meeting after Dr Mahathir’s return to helm the country following his Pakatan Harapan electoral victory on May 9.
The 30-minute meeting was held at the Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF) where Dr Mahathir is currently operating from.
“They discussed for 30 minutes on bilateral relations,” according to Dr Mahathir’s official twitter account @chedetofficial.
Clad in Batik, Lee and his entourage arrived at the PLF at 11am, triggering a frenzy among the hordes of reporters from the local and international media who have stationed themselves at the PLF entrance since May 10. Lee was greeted upon arrival by Dr Mahathir at the PLF lobby.
Also present were both leaders’ spouses Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali and Ho Ching.
Lee is the second Asean leader to call on Dr Mahathir following the Pakatan Harapan electoral victory. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei was the first Asean leader to call on Dr Mahathir, making the visit last Monday.
Dr Mahathir, 92, was sworn in as Malaysia’s seventh prime minister after leading the Pakatan Harapan coalition to a stunning 14th General Election victory, thus becoming the oldest prime minister in the world.
Last Wednesday, Lee announced in the Singapore Parliament that he would
visit Malaysia to meet Dr Mahathir.
He was quoted by Channel NewsAsia as saying that he looked forward to working with Dr Mahathir again for mutual benefit.
Lee said Singapore had worked with Dr Mahathir and several members of his team before and completed several joint projects, including the Second Link at Tuas, during Dr Mahathir’s previous tenure as the prime minister.
Dr Mahathir was the prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. — Bernama