Menurut Straits Times Singapura, pemerintah Malaysia dan Singapura terus memperkukuhkan ikatan pada Perhimpunan Agung UMNO kali ini bila Ahli Parlimen PAP Singapura sekali lagi dijemput untuk menghadiri konvensyen tahunan UMNO untuk kali kedua.
Sebelum itu, UMNO tidak menjemput wakil PAP untuk hampir 20 tahun. Namun hubungan dua hala antara dua negara telah memulih dengan signifikan di bawah kepimpinan Perdana menteri Najib Razak.
Kali ini wakil PAP yang hadir ialah Intan Azura Mokhtar dan Arthur Fong. Mereka tiba di Kuala Lumpur pada malam Rabu yang lalu. Tahun lalu, PAP diwakili Dr. Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim dan Desmond Lee.
Dr. Intan, Ahli Parlimen Ang Mo Kio GRC, berkata, dia melihat ucapan Datuk Seri Najib cukup 'bertenaga'. "Ia adalah ucapan yang menyasarkan kepada berbagai segmen. Dia bercakap mengenai pembangunan dan kemajuan Malaysia disamping mengiktiraf tokoh-tokoh terdahulu di dalam UMNO."
PAP MPs invited to assembly again
By Teo Cheng Wee, Regional Correspondent Regional Correspondent
KUALA LUMPUR - The ruling parties of Malaysia and Singapore continued to build on their ties at the Umno General Assembly this year, as MPs from Singapore's People's Action Party (PAP) were invited back to attend Umno's annual convention for the second year running.
Before that, Umno had not invited PAP MPs for almost 20 years. But bilateral ties between the two countries have significantly warmed under the leadership of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
His opening address at the assembly this year was attended yesterday by PAP MPs Intan Azura Mokhtar and Arthur Fong. The duo arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night. Last year, two other MPs - Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Mr Desmond Lee - attended.
Dr Intan, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, said she found Datuk Seri Najib's speech "energising". "It's a speech that speaks to different segments. It talks about the progress and development of Malaysia, while acknowledging the contributions of the older generation of leaders," she noted.